Photo: TikTok/@Goodallslawncare/Oneinchpunch/Shutterstock
He said they point out when he missed a spot and laugh at him.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Apr 17, 2023
We all know that some high schoolers can be dismissive, rude, and downright mean. Teachers have to deal with disrespectful or unruly students who think they are smarter than they are, while working to ensure they provide the best education possible. But teachers aren’t the only high school employees fed up with the way students treat them.
A man named James Goodall took to TikTok in 2021 to share his frustration with the kids who attended the school he provided lawn care services. He uploaded a video titled, “This is the real pandemic.”
The school groundskeeper claims students constantly insult his work.
He started the video by saying, “The high school kids that I keep the grounds for… are [an] ungrateful bunch of brats… are annoying,” while shaking his head back and forth in disbelief. He claims that the teens frequently critique his work by saying things like, “You missed a spot” or “You’re not doing a good job.”
According to him, the youngsters needed to be taught a lesson. So, he made the kids an offer he hoped they couldn’t refuse. He said, “The first guy and the first girl that come up to me and say 'I’m annoying. I’m sorry about that. Thank you for keeping up the grounds' I’ll buy you and four friends lunch this week”.
The frustrated groundskeeper never said whether or not students stepped forward to apologize for what he thought was crappy behavior, but people in the comments were quick to point out that they thought he was being unreasonable.
One person commented, “Bro [is] beefing with the high school kids” while another person said, “This guy doesn’t understand kids”. Others thought the man had obviously been bullied as a kid and was looking for a way to get some payback.
All-in-all, viewers took the video for exactly what it was… satire. It was a funny joke about something many can relate to, bratty kids. It’s a good thing no school or minors were mentioned in the clip because people would have no doubt taken issue with that.
But, even in this funny and possibly make-believe situation, there are a few lessons to be learned. Every generation is quick to call out the faults of youth. That’s primarily because adults think they should be in charge while kids want an opportunity to be in charge. So, if you find a teenager barking orders at you, know that it is simply them looking for a chance to be in control of something.
Many adults also expect young people to be disrespectful and pompous so confirmation bias can play a role in how they perceive the kids to be acting. Trust and respect are two-way streets and you have to give a little to get a little. If you really do happen to find yourself working in an environment with children, be kind, patient, respectful, and most importantly, appropriate at all times.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.