A Hello Kitty-obsessed teacher is giving her students a lesson in hard time, threatening jail after her cherished collectible vanished from the classroom.
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Texas high school teacher Ms. Dawson recently announced on TikTok that she was laying down the law in her classroom following a Hello Kitty theft.
“I am finally filing a police report for the Hello Kitty Funko Pop that was stolen off my desk,” the high school teacher declared in the footage, which has since been viewed millions of times and racked up over 20,000 comments.
Dawson explained that the stolen item was a Funko Pop, a collectible vinyl figurine shaped like the cute cartoon cat. It was a gift from a former third-grade student six years ago and is reportedly worth nearly $300 on sites like eBay.
She placed the collectible in her Hello Kitty-themed classroom at the start of this school year. In late September, a student allegedly stole it. After giving the culprit several chances to confess or return the item anonymously without consequences, the livid teacher is now involving the authorities.
“It’s a shame that I can’t feel comfortable and safe in my classroom,” she added, admitting she didn’t know how valuable the collectible was before her student allegedly stole it. “To know that my item was stolen and not returned to me is very heartbreaking.”
“And now that [I know] it had value, I can file a police report,” Dawson insisted. “I will be doing it because I mean business.”
The Internet is Divided Over a Teacher Calling Cops Over Her Hello Kitty Funko Pop Getting Swiped
Of course, reactions were mixed in the comments section. Many onlookers felt the student was learning an invaluable lesson by being held accountable.
“Today it’s the Funko Pop, tomorrow it’s a laptop. These kids need to learn,” one top comment read. “I looked up the “toy” and on eBay it’s going for about $300. Yeah, I would be filing a police report, too,” a second onlloker added.
However, others seem to feel the teacher overreacted to the teen nabbing a Hello Kitty toy.
“I just know the student is so scared,” one concerned onlooker wrote.
A second armchair expert in teenage psychology suggested the teacher’s tactics were misguided. “By saying you’ll involve the police might make the kid less likely to bring it back,” they lectured.
In an update, Dawson claimed the theft had not taken the “joy” out of teaching for her.
“I am very grateful for all the support I have received from this situation,” Dawson explained in the caption of the post. “This does not take the joy I have daily from being a teacher. I understand kids make mistakes as they are learning to navigate through life. I have such a forgiving heart, and I hope moving forward, everyone can learn something from this situation,” she added.
However, in yet another video, the teacher showed time-lapse footage of herself packing up all of her Hello Kitty items from her classroom.
@_d3thateacher Since my HELLO KITTY Funko Pop got kidnapped by a student… I’m packing EVERYTHING now.😂😂 I’ll be out till next week… #FYP #TeacherTok #hellokitty #foryoupage #hellokittyfunkopop #teacherlife #classroom #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound – k.a.r.a.o.k.3
“I am not leaving nothing [sic] behind. I cannot trust my students while I am gone,” she explained in a voice-over.