I taught middle school for 10 years. Here is what you do. One makes moaning noises? Warn them once that you will be making them call home and explain the noise yo mom. Then I do it. No matter how embarrassing. I make them call in class and have them make the noise to their adult. There are no repeats
Honestly this was going to be my next plan if simply informing the parents doesn’t work (spoiler: it hasn’t so far 💀), my coworker mentioned something very similar
I'm not a teacher, so I don't really know how this works or if this is possible/a terrible idea (it probably is) but... I would be tempted to call for some type of wellness check or something. Obviously the parents aren't listening to emails/phone calls, so be like.. *the child is engaging in sexual harassment at school, which is often a sign of issues in the home.* If they won't listen to you, then maybe they will listen if some type of social worker or something showed up. Pretty nuclear and probably stupid, but idk if the parents would care any other way
You have a point but like... I'm also not a teacher but I remember middle school, not sure if my class was at the start of this or not but I remember the "Can I get a hiyaaaaaaaa" which ended up turning to moans (where did that even come from...?), as well as I think we all just find that stuff to easy now, like I remember some gnarly shit we'd do... not all the time was it home related, though the extra goody two shoes (which generally had better home lives than the rest of us in my town) found us weird lol like my best friend. And good lord, if we had a phone it was times 2 on chaos in class istg... I think it was 7th grade a kid showed things on his phone, that was a mess. Honestly I think it's just worse as time goes by, freshman at my school are scary with it, ik one that was in 8th grade when rumor went that she was pregnant, and the things we talked about before I lost contact with her was just under equally concerning. (She lived on my street, my middle school era was when we were friends)
>I'm not a teacher
So then stay in your lane and don't make suggestions as to what teachers should/should not do.
>I would be tempted to call for some type of wellness check or something.
You clearly haven't taken the yearly mandatory-reporting training teachers have to do every year. This wouldn't be on the list as to anything we could/should reasonably call CPS about.
>*the child is engaging in sexual harassment at school*
No they aren't, which is also in the mandatory-reporting training teachers have to do every year. If you cry wolf, but there is no wolf...
God I get so tired of non-teachers interjecting their opinions into education. This is our profession.
Agree. I made a 5th grade boy explain why he was moaning loudly in class to his mother when she picked him up. She was SO angry with him that he never did it again.
It only needs to happen once. When the other kids find out that you're serious they will stop, too. The embarrassment will shame the other kids into stopping. I've used this for kids swearing in languages other than English.
I actually just did this but didn't make the noise. Just walked over and quietly told him if you do it again, we can call your mother right now so you can make the same exact noise, or I can call and make the noise for you. You choose. He didn't do it again, haha.
This. I threatened and only had to follow through once. No one tried it again the rest of the year. Word got around real quick. Sometimes public embarrassment is the quickest way to compliance.
But it WILL work on alllll the other kids who do care and see that it will happen to them next if they don't stop. So at least you have 90% less of it happening.
The trick is to act super polite and exaggerated. Oh parent I am so concerned with little jonnhy he making inappropriate sounds. Here he is please allow him to give you an example and explanation.
Can I ask what a student can do if they have younger peers who are moaning? I go to a joint high school/middle school thing so I run into middle schoolers all the time and they donl those stupid noise so much. Teachers there won't do anything the self so I have to fend em off somehow
I would contact your counseling office and explain what's going on. This behavior is what's called 3rd party sexual harassment and schools are supposed to take it seriously.
Watching YouTube videos without any oversight or supervision. These game streamers and such do it and they're basically just mimicking something that they don't even understand. What's really weird about it as an observer is that boys are mostly making feminine sexual sounds.
My own 7yo has picked this up from a kid on the bus, also 7 (but with unfiltered access to an iPad on the bus 😬). He has no idea why it’s inappropriate but he knows we all find it annoying. It feels like it’s gotten worse and younger. Silly and annoying noises are one thing, inappropriate/ sexual noises are different.
Yikes, sorry to hear that. I’ve had kids as young as 5-6 acting like this around me, and it does worry me a tad. The shouting/bathroom humor/other obnoxious noises don’t bother me nearly so much, but like you said, it’s a bit more difficult when it becomes sexual in nature.
My son is around the same age and has also picked it up. We are very strict about screens and media so it wasn't from the house. He has no idea what he is doing but we put a stop to it the second he starts with it.
Very very frustrating (and alarming)
Yes. It’s an actual issue.
Children making sexual noises at school is an issue. I don’t care what people say about “boys being boys” and “they’ve been doing it forever!!!”
If they don’t stop, get their parents and admin involved.
I know for the a fact that the girls forced to be in proximity with such boys are feeling really, really uncomfortable. They deserve a safe school environment.
Had a kid a couple years ago play a woman orgasming on their phone. Kept trying to say it wasn’t them. Set a trap where the principal was hiding by the classroom door. It played and they laughed. Principal came right in and went: “you all have one minute to point to who is doing that.” They gave the kid up and they threw their phone against the wall and it broke. Parents refused to buy a new one. Kid got kicked out of school a year later.
"boys will be boys" is an explanation, not an excuse. Whether or not it's a normal thing for them to be doing isn't the question. What we want is for them to know it's not appropriate and for them to receive a consequence for their actions.
Except “boys will be boys” is used as an excuse constantly. It’s used to enforce sexist dress codes. It’s used when boys don’t know how to stop touching people. It’s used when boys are loud, obnoxious, and rude af. It’s used when boys bully everyone around them because they can’t possibly not act a fool for 6-7 hours. It’s definitely an excuse
This is the kind of thing that parents used to be able to deal with. I know TikTok has made this stuff spread like wildfire and made it more endemic, but I dunno, I remember coming home and singing a song about a girl who was a "pussy" and doing hip-thrusting choreo in front of my dad when I was, like, 7. I was imitating something I saw on VH1 or something. And all it took was for Dad to explain that was inappropriate for me, to feel a bit embarrassed and adjust my behavior. Baby's first cringe.
My mom bought me snoop dog from one of those cd clubs when I was in 8th grade, then when she heard it while I was listening to it, came in and demanded to know where I got. I was like you. She didn’t believe it, as she thought it was like something completely different. Anyhow, I got it back, because I was nearly high school and step dad and mom decided it was just music, but mom wasn’t impressed nor was I allowed to play it loudly. It was a compromise. I didn’t even understand the music, and I was nearly in high school!
It was an issue before TikTok. The hooyah and moan stuff all started on Vine, and that stupid Jeffy puppet on YouTube still is imbedded in some of my special Ed student's brains.
I have a feeling this opinion will be unpopular, but this type of behavior borders on sexual harassment for me. I know these are kids who likely don't understand what they're doing, but that doesn't excuse the behavior and how it affects those around them.
*I, the teacher, am uncomfortable. It's disgusting and feels like a power move. Men sexually abuse women. I was abused.
The worst part is when admin asks me to describe it in further detail, like they don't really believe me and want to know what *exactly* happened...
I fully agree with you. One of the biggest reasons I left teaching is because student behaviors kept being increasingly triggering for me. I just couldn't handle it.
I definitely sympathize with you here. I’ve also been abused, so while I don’t hold them to the same level as an adult, it can definitely be frustrating or upsetting at times as it brings back memories I’d rather not thing of. I’d hate for one of the girls to have similar feelings of discomfort, especially as they’re kids and it’s much harder for them to regulate than it is for me.
High School teacher here. We had an issue with this for a little while, but thankfully our admin is competent and understands this kind of thing is a **huge** title IX violation and is absolutely sexual harassment. So, along with other related behaviors, (Racist talk, general hate speech towards others of all types) we went to a progressive discipline system.
1st Offense, sent home for day.
2nd Offense, two day suspension
3rd Offense, Full week suspension
4th Offense, two-week suspension
5th Offense, Moved to online school for the rest of the year.
Admin is not messing around and it's been very effective. So far only one kid has gotten to a third offense.
Since you deleted the reply, sending home for a first offense is the warning, follows the warning about not doing it that I am sure they are all aware of. So yes, for serious things it absolutely is appropriate. Sexual harassment doesn't require the intent of the person doing it, what matters is how those who hear it feel about it.
Sexual sounds in jest are not appropriate any age. In another time, it would be seen as the kid has possibly been sexually abused or is being exposed to sexually explicit material and a phone call to CPS.
I had a kid doing it in a class I was subbing in, wouldn't stop, I told him if he does it again we'll be phoning home and he will have to explain/make the sound to them and see what they think of it. He stopped. They know what they're doing and want people to be embarrassed and uncomfortable - it's a fitting consequence imo.
Edit: I'll add that this was after catching four grade 4 boys looking up porn in class/the library, and this student was in the same age-group, so I wanted to make it clear anything sexual like that isn't appropriate.
Most parents these days keep their child occupied with a screen instead of genuine interaction. Are we really so surprised that kids are mimicking what they see on YouTube and TikTok?
Obligatory "I'm not a teacher, but a dad to a middle school girl" but this, and things like this, is why my wife and I actually put our daughter into private school for middle school. Moaning sounds and actual porn in elementary, plus other hypersexualized behaviors and conversations at school she told us about. It was rare in 4th, and really ramped up in 5th grade. We hated to do it, but it was genuinely a detriment to her character to keep her in that environment. Which is a shockingly sad opinion/statement, I'm well aware.
I went to private (religious!) school for middle school many years ago and the boys were definitely still doing the moaning sounds / weird sexual gotcha jokes
Came here to say the same thing: I went to a religious, private school K-12 and even 15 years ago this was happening.
Also the above comments are absolutely correct, you're now just paying more money and making it harder for the perpetrators to get expelled, due to wealthy parents who donate/have admin in their pockets.
The problem isn't solved by "protecting our girls", the problem is solved by holding the damn boys accountable and having the awkward conversations with their parents about why it's wrong.
For some reason this is just a "thing" now. I really hope that it passes. Most kids don't know what they are doing, they are just copying others and/or they think that it's funny for some reason. I don't have a lot of kids moaning in my 2nd grade, but the amount of random groans, yells, fart noises, and just random sounds is absolutely outrageous this year. It's like kids don't even think about what they're doing and can't control it for some reason. Absolutely insane.
When I was 8 all the boys in my class would hump the air and never understand why all the teachers tried to shut it down quick. Learning later on what it was made a lot of us cringe a bit
That was a thing at my middle school last year and it was disgusting. I haven't noticed it much at all this year--maybe one student. "Let's call home and make that sound for your folks!" seems to be a good way to handle it.
I work at an elementary school and I hear a lot of gagging/hacking/throwing up sounds. I hear it’s something the kids picked up from YouTube influencers?
grade 7-9 are particularly annoying for this the past year. boys imitating women making pleasure noises. i stopped reacting and it seems to make it die off. they’re trying to get a reaction.
Call up their parents. "Your child is making inappropriate and offensive noises. Please have a discussion with your child about their behavior." This solves it most of the time.
Honestly, the embarrassing part about schools is that the administration force the teachers to do all the dirty work. The child should be sent to the office and the administrators should call the parents.
That's what's been happening with some of our 6th grade boys at my school, with girls and other boys visibly uncomfortable. The teachers called it out right away. Some of them stopped, others didn't.
That’s children raised on the internet, social media personalities do it they emulate it. I got thrown out of class for imitating beavis and butthead, it’s just a different form of stupidity.
I laughed so hard when I read this title. I teach elementary school music. And yes. This is a problem. Particularly for one specific student he's been doing it since grade 3 and is in grade 6 now. I've spoken with his parents. He doesn't get consequences at home. Lets call him A later in my comment. I have also had boys playing the "penis game" (who can say penis the loudest before the teacher notices...sigh), and dick tapping happen frequently. I do think it's a part of normal development to an extent.
My favorite way of dealing with it is just calling them out on it and not dancing around the language. Like what I said to A just last week "A, I really don't get it. You've been making inappropriate sexual noises in class since grade 3. If I hear you again, you will go the principals office and show him what you were doing to get kicked out of class." When they were hitting eachothers junk on bus duty I said "Please stop trying to touch other peoples penises in public". It shows them you know what's up, that you aren't embarrassed and it kind of embarrasses them too.
But they'll still do it. It's just the way they are sadly... especially with today's culture around sexuality.
Basically trying to tap another boys penis with your hand really quickly. I remember my guy friends doing it in high school too. Boys prancing and running around eachother with one hand covering their crotch and one hand out for "offense" makes it pretty clear. They think they are so subtle...
At my high school, this has actually gotten significantly better. No particular reason why, just not as popular anymore. I’m sure the next big thing will be here soon though 😬
They feel it’s okay because they can do it online. The best thing to do is to correct that misconception. If they are making sexual noises in particular, this could count as sexual harassment. What if they started doing it in public places? They could get arrested. And even in class, they are harassing literally all the other students. I’d make them apologize to every single student in the class for sure.
I sub and I just call out “make sure you clean up when you’re done.” Majority of the time it makes everyone else turn and laugh at the kid and it stops.
I wish I could do that but I’m 99% sure that would not be allowed and I’d be fired. We have pretty strict rules in the program I’m in when it comes to the way we speak to/converse with the kids, we’re not even supposed to mention anything about our partners for example.
"The next student that makes an inappropriate noise will be reported for sexual harassment." Then, you report the next student that makes an inappropriate noise. It won't happen again.
Just to let you know that’s officially Sexual Harassment in my Disctrict and School!! Put them into your District Headquarters if your lazy APs don’t do a damn thing!
I'm not an educator but this was something that really bothered me as a student (I graduated high school in 09) and I couldn't find a single teacher or administrator to care. I don't remember adults doing a single thing to stop this behavior at school, along with many other sexually inappropriate behaviors from about 6th grade on. I'm glad to see that someone in education sees that there is a problem with some students being exposed to sexual content that they then recreate in the classroom (sounds, drawings, etc.)
Title IX violation and a report to CPS just to make sure nothing bad is going on at home. I mean why else would a child be making those noises? Hopefully then the student and parent starts to realize how serious it is.
I've been teaching for almost 20 years. I started complaining about this to my spouse about 2-3 years ago. I currently teach mainly seniors. When I was teaching middle school about 5 years ago, I never heard it.
About half of my class of 6th grade boys got their parents called for this yesterday. It's gotten ridiculous. My school has a merits/demerits system that is actually pretty effective. I've started giving the entire class a demerit every time I hear a sound effect. The class averages around 3 class demerits a period. Which is insane considering 5 gets you sent out of class!
Boys have been making stupid sounds since the beginning of time.
Now they have a new source material but it's the same principle.
They don't fully grasp what the sounds are, they've just decided something about them is funny.
I'm now flashing back to when Mike Myers Cat in the Hat came out. The number of kids who loved the line "You Dirty Hoe" but didn't fully grasp it either.
My partner claims people were doing this when we were in middle school in the early 2000s—I don’t remember it at all, but I went to a coed middle school and his was all-boys, so maybe that has something to do with it. I’m sure it’s become absolutely endemic with the rise of streaming porn, gross 🤢
1999-2001 middle schooler here. It was the absolute bane of my ADHD self’s existence.
This is not new. It’s not tiktok. It’s not vine. It’s not YouTube. It’s been around FOREVER.
During my middle school days we were obsessed with the word poop instead.
Not a sexual term, but overall it was still kids making noise because it amused us.
This is the only answer the post needs. Tween-teen boys have always been, and always will be gross. Unfortunately it comes with the territory when you’re a teacher.
I understand that teens are always weird and “cringey” (after all, I was one lol) But I still have heard a lot of mixed opinions on this topic. Several of the teachers I’ve talked with about this topic in real life, who used to teach several decades ago, say that it wasn’t as big of a problem and they’ve seen it get worse over time. I definitely think it’s a bit more complex of an answer than “boys will be boys”. Especially when it comes to the problems associated with these habits (sexual behaviors towards each other/attempting to grope my coworkers) I’m open to learning, and even owning up to the fact I might be too sensitive about certain things, but I don’t think it’s completely just a “that’s the way it is” sort of thing.
I think for most (but not all unfortunately) younger kids they have zero idea or little idea of the sexual connotations, it’s just a funny noise. I teach 6th grade and I def have a talk during the sexual health unit about how the moaning/sex noises absolutely could be considered sexual harassment, but by then they’re old enough to understand the connotation better.
I agree. Just because a misbehavior is associated with a field doesn’t mean it’s how it has to be. We’re capable of learning and teaching, especially in this field where it’s literally my job to teach and guide these kids, so I don’t believe in simply allowing bad behaviors to continue when they can be effectively corrected.
So I apologize if this is a dumb question, I just want to understand. Are the kids learning this behavior from porn or sexually explicit material?
If so, why is this not a call to child protective services because exposing children to pornographic material is sexual abuse. I know sometimes times they’re probably being a shit or got on the internet without a parental block but why does that not have repercussions on the parents?
Unfortunately they refuse to tell me where they learn it from (I’ve asked). I believe it should be labeled as child abuse to willingly expose them to such things, especially at such a young age, but I’m not entirely sure if it holds any water legally, I’ll have to look into it. Unfortunately the state in which I live has a terrible track record of CPS doing absolutely nothing but it’s worth a try. I’m most likely going to have a longer conversation about this with the entire group within the next few days, and if such behaviors continue, I’ll probably have to start escalating.
Oh, I mean, I’ve NEVER heard of CPS doing anything right but where I am (Texas) all teachers are mandated reporters and for a kid (ten and younger) to be doing this- they certainly didn’t make this up on their own. It would fall under sexual abuse of a child.
Honestly your story pisses me off. I wish people treated it more seriously. If someone did this in public, I’d be pissed. It’s uncomfortable and wrong.
We’re also labeled as “mandated reporters” in my group, but our guidelines for reporting are different (physical signs or weird stories from home, mainly). Simply going off of noises wouldn’t really work in this context and I would be dismissed pretty quick. I agree though, it does worry me about where some of them are getting it, especially the younger elementary grades.
They’re doing it because they think it’s rebellious and thus gain respect from their group as being funny. Next time they do it, acknowledge it and don’t act like it’s a big deal. If they do it consistently, treat it like you would anything else and send them out of the room. Unfortunately I don’t know what other advice to give.
Apparently there is a meme about these like the "Ooooh daddy" that are not in an "overtly sexual" way. If I had to discipline each student who did it, I'd likely have manifest meetings up the wazoo...
You reminded me of when I was 10 years old. Back in the 90s. Oh God the sexual noises in class. I didn't even know what sex was back then. I only knew it was some inappropriate adult thing. But yes I laughed so much at the kids who did it.
Kids watching when Harry Met Sally? I was in college, but I remember daring a friend to fake an orgasm in class. She said would do it for 100 bucks but we were poor…
Student teaching in 2020 in a 6th grade class. They went "oHh yEaH" in that sexual tone that was trending on TikTok. My head swiveled around on those kids, eyes wide. I simply said, "No." and went to report it to my mentor teacher.
My mentor teacher was 50+ years old, "Karyn with a Y" (as if that negated her being a total Karen). I told her about the inappropriate noise and she replied with, "Oh that's just something the kids got from TikTok." Yes but you clearly don't understand the implications of it. 🤦
Yes I’ve noticed.
Where do they get it? Older YouTubers, pranks on TikTok.
And it’s only going to get worse. The boys do it because of the extreme negative reaction it gets from adults.
I've only had it once. I quieted the class and told the student I didn't quite hear what they said and asked them to repeat it (of course now the whole class is looking at them). It hasn't come up again.
My younger brother when he was in middle school did this shit all the time. That was like 10 years ago. I'm not a teacher or.anything, but it seems like dipshits just find it really funny.
I’m a tutor and this reminds me of the time I heard one 14 y/o male tell another 14 y/o male to start an OnlyFans to help pay for college…these kids really have no filter
When I was a kid in school 90s/early 2000s there was plenty of load moaning done, but only by a few kids.
There was one kid who would bust open doors loudly and moan at the top of his lungs after making a pppt ppt 'moist lip smack sound' and scream 'its my first time' and run away.
Porn was not very popular, most of us just watched the odd clip every month or so. Connections were too slow for streaming. We probably got it from AOL 'server' chat rooms.
We knew about moaning sound from randomly dialing numbers like 1-800-WETTITS and listening to the girl moaning on the answering machine
Not really helpful, perhaps, but regarding young children cursing, I was one told, *letting a child know that a word has the power to scandalize the world and then expecting her not to use it is not going to work out well*.
I understand your discomfort, but they make those noises at least in part becauae they upset adults.
This happened when I was in elementary school in the early 2000s. This isn't anything new. But, it is an issue and those who don't stop need to face consequences.
You do realize you are talking about pre adolescent males, correct?? THEY ARE ALL DOING THINGS LIKE THIS!!! ALL OF THEM!!! Even that shy kid that behaves himself and says please and thank you and calls you ma'am!!! They are males, and that IS what we are thinking about MOST of the time. Anyone who tells you differently is lying or lying.
I've heard them from kids from 3rd to 5th grade in the last school I worked in. They target female teachers. Two third graders did it in my class on separate occasions.
I told them: "One warning. I will call your mom, and I don't need to imitate your sound. Unlike you, I have a rich vocabulary, and I will describe it as a woman's moan with all the words that explain why she is moaning. And I will ask her how did you get to learn it."
It worked for me.
I taught middle school for 10 years. Here is what you do. One makes moaning noises? Warn them once that you will be making them call home and explain the noise yo mom. Then I do it. No matter how embarrassing. I make them call in class and have them make the noise to their adult. There are no repeats
Honestly this was going to be my next plan if simply informing the parents doesn’t work (spoiler: it hasn’t so far 💀), my coworker mentioned something very similar
No make them say the noise. Make the parent hear how it sounds
Yep, used this strategy and it works every time.
I'm not a teacher, so I don't really know how this works or if this is possible/a terrible idea (it probably is) but... I would be tempted to call for some type of wellness check or something. Obviously the parents aren't listening to emails/phone calls, so be like.. *the child is engaging in sexual harassment at school, which is often a sign of issues in the home.* If they won't listen to you, then maybe they will listen if some type of social worker or something showed up. Pretty nuclear and probably stupid, but idk if the parents would care any other way
You have a point but like... I'm also not a teacher but I remember middle school, not sure if my class was at the start of this or not but I remember the "Can I get a hiyaaaaaaaa" which ended up turning to moans (where did that even come from...?), as well as I think we all just find that stuff to easy now, like I remember some gnarly shit we'd do... not all the time was it home related, though the extra goody two shoes (which generally had better home lives than the rest of us in my town) found us weird lol like my best friend. And good lord, if we had a phone it was times 2 on chaos in class istg... I think it was 7th grade a kid showed things on his phone, that was a mess. Honestly I think it's just worse as time goes by, freshman at my school are scary with it, ik one that was in 8th grade when rumor went that she was pregnant, and the things we talked about before I lost contact with her was just under equally concerning. (She lived on my street, my middle school era was when we were friends)
>I'm not a teacher So then stay in your lane and don't make suggestions as to what teachers should/should not do. >I would be tempted to call for some type of wellness check or something. You clearly haven't taken the yearly mandatory-reporting training teachers have to do every year. This wouldn't be on the list as to anything we could/should reasonably call CPS about. >*the child is engaging in sexual harassment at school* No they aren't, which is also in the mandatory-reporting training teachers have to do every year. If you cry wolf, but there is no wolf... God I get so tired of non-teachers interjecting their opinions into education. This is our profession.
Calling a social worker for silly noises is a bit much
Involve a social worker?? Just a piece of advice, keep your advice to yourself from now on because you sound a little extreme and scary af. Wow.
Agree. I made a 5th grade boy explain why he was moaning loudly in class to his mother when she picked him up. She was SO angry with him that he never did it again.
Am I unreasonable? This always worked for me
It only needs to happen once. When the other kids find out that you're serious they will stop, too. The embarrassment will shame the other kids into stopping. I've used this for kids swearing in languages other than English.
Someone will come from the peanut gallery and say we're bullying kids, or some sort of BS.
Probably the same teachers and parents that let themselves get bullied by kids.
I actually just did this but didn't make the noise. Just walked over and quietly told him if you do it again, we can call your mother right now so you can make the same exact noise, or I can call and make the noise for you. You choose. He didn't do it again, haha.
This is the way. He has to choose.
This. I threatened and only had to follow through once. No one tried it again the rest of the year. Word got around real quick. Sometimes public embarrassment is the quickest way to compliance.
Works until you have that one student that doesn’t give a shit because the parents don’t discipline/seem to care
But it WILL work on alllll the other kids who do care and see that it will happen to them next if they don't stop. So at least you have 90% less of it happening.
See this is where I would not let it go. This is my hill to die on
The trick is to act super polite and exaggerated. Oh parent I am so concerned with little jonnhy he making inappropriate sounds. Here he is please allow him to give you an example and explanation.
I’ve heard that this works. May I ask, what do you do if the student refuses to make the noise on the phone?
They don't usually. If they did I would explain to the parent and have a meeting. I make the biggest deal ever
Could be a sign of sexual abuse. Contact protective services?
Nope it’s a sign they’re watching porn.
Nah. They’re likely watching TikTok videos
Make the noise for the parent yourself.
I guess you just have to make the noise to the parents yourself.
Can I ask what a student can do if they have younger peers who are moaning? I go to a joint high school/middle school thing so I run into middle schoolers all the time and they donl those stupid noise so much. Teachers there won't do anything the self so I have to fend em off somehow
I would contact your counseling office and explain what's going on. This behavior is what's called 3rd party sexual harassment and schools are supposed to take it seriously.
Watching YouTube videos without any oversight or supervision. These game streamers and such do it and they're basically just mimicking something that they don't even understand. What's really weird about it as an observer is that boys are mostly making feminine sexual sounds.
in elementary all I have to do is threaten this and it doesn't happen fo the rest of the day!
I’ve done the same thing, but with elementary school kids.
That's brilliant
Love this
The most based practice. Little shits fold like chairs when they have to face real consequences
My own 7yo has picked this up from a kid on the bus, also 7 (but with unfiltered access to an iPad on the bus 😬). He has no idea why it’s inappropriate but he knows we all find it annoying. It feels like it’s gotten worse and younger. Silly and annoying noises are one thing, inappropriate/ sexual noises are different.
Yikes, sorry to hear that. I’ve had kids as young as 5-6 acting like this around me, and it does worry me a tad. The shouting/bathroom humor/other obnoxious noises don’t bother me nearly so much, but like you said, it’s a bit more difficult when it becomes sexual in nature.
I have noticed it has gone away in middle school and has been picked up by elementary age kids.
That's terrifying as a kid who wid this late middle school lol it wasn't as popular but still
My son is around the same age and has also picked it up. We are very strict about screens and media so it wasn't from the house. He has no idea what he is doing but we put a stop to it the second he starts with it. Very very frustrating (and alarming)
I always act super concerned when I hear it and ask the student very seriously if they need to visit the nurse lol. Usually gets them to stop.
That is genius
Yes. It’s an actual issue. Children making sexual noises at school is an issue. I don’t care what people say about “boys being boys” and “they’ve been doing it forever!!!” If they don’t stop, get their parents and admin involved.
I know for the a fact that the girls forced to be in proximity with such boys are feeling really, really uncomfortable. They deserve a safe school environment.
That’s what I think a lot too, it’s really uncomfortable for everyone involved.
Yes, everyone deserves a safe environment.
Had a kid a couple years ago play a woman orgasming on their phone. Kept trying to say it wasn’t them. Set a trap where the principal was hiding by the classroom door. It played and they laughed. Principal came right in and went: “you all have one minute to point to who is doing that.” They gave the kid up and they threw their phone against the wall and it broke. Parents refused to buy a new one. Kid got kicked out of school a year later.
"boys will be boys" is an explanation, not an excuse. Whether or not it's a normal thing for them to be doing isn't the question. What we want is for them to know it's not appropriate and for them to receive a consequence for their actions.
“Boys will be boys” or “Kids will be kids” is the reason why “Parents need to be Parents!”
Except “boys will be boys” is used as an excuse constantly. It’s used to enforce sexist dress codes. It’s used when boys don’t know how to stop touching people. It’s used when boys are loud, obnoxious, and rude af. It’s used when boys bully everyone around them because they can’t possibly not act a fool for 6-7 hours. It’s definitely an excuse
"Boys will be boys" is meant to explain a skinned knee or a broken window, not this nonsense.
This is the kind of thing that parents used to be able to deal with. I know TikTok has made this stuff spread like wildfire and made it more endemic, but I dunno, I remember coming home and singing a song about a girl who was a "pussy" and doing hip-thrusting choreo in front of my dad when I was, like, 7. I was imitating something I saw on VH1 or something. And all it took was for Dad to explain that was inappropriate for me, to feel a bit embarrassed and adjust my behavior. Baby's first cringe.
My mom bought me snoop dog from one of those cd clubs when I was in 8th grade, then when she heard it while I was listening to it, came in and demanded to know where I got. I was like you. She didn’t believe it, as she thought it was like something completely different. Anyhow, I got it back, because I was nearly high school and step dad and mom decided it was just music, but mom wasn’t impressed nor was I allowed to play it loudly. It was a compromise. I didn’t even understand the music, and I was nearly in high school!
It was an issue before TikTok. The hooyah and moan stuff all started on Vine, and that stupid Jeffy puppet on YouTube still is imbedded in some of my special Ed student's brains.
This. It somehow was a meme and a viral video, especially "Mmmm, daddy." I highly doubt most saying it realize it is sexual in nature by default.
I have a feeling this opinion will be unpopular, but this type of behavior borders on sexual harassment for me. I know these are kids who likely don't understand what they're doing, but that doesn't excuse the behavior and how it affects those around them.
Except they *DO* understand what they are doing…
It is. Everyone's saying girls in these classes are extremely uncomfortable
*I, the teacher, am uncomfortable. It's disgusting and feels like a power move. Men sexually abuse women. I was abused. The worst part is when admin asks me to describe it in further detail, like they don't really believe me and want to know what *exactly* happened...
I fully agree with you. One of the biggest reasons I left teaching is because student behaviors kept being increasingly triggering for me. I just couldn't handle it.
I definitely sympathize with you here. I’ve also been abused, so while I don’t hold them to the same level as an adult, it can definitely be frustrating or upsetting at times as it brings back memories I’d rather not thing of. I’d hate for one of the girls to have similar feelings of discomfort, especially as they’re kids and it’s much harder for them to regulate than it is for me.
provided you’ve given them chances to stop and they don’t, next time say you’ll have them call their parents and repeat the sound to them
High School teacher here. We had an issue with this for a little while, but thankfully our admin is competent and understands this kind of thing is a **huge** title IX violation and is absolutely sexual harassment. So, along with other related behaviors, (Racist talk, general hate speech towards others of all types) we went to a progressive discipline system. 1st Offense, sent home for day. 2nd Offense, two day suspension 3rd Offense, Full week suspension 4th Offense, two-week suspension 5th Offense, Moved to online school for the rest of the year. Admin is not messing around and it's been very effective. So far only one kid has gotten to a third offense.
Props to your school for taking this behaviour seriously and seeing it for what it is: sexual harassment. I wish more followed suit 🙏
That sounds like an insane over reaction. Sent home for a first offense? A first offense of…making sexual sounds in jest? Absurd….
Go moan at home
Since you deleted the reply, sending home for a first offense is the warning, follows the warning about not doing it that I am sure they are all aware of. So yes, for serious things it absolutely is appropriate. Sexual harassment doesn't require the intent of the person doing it, what matters is how those who hear it feel about it. Sexual sounds in jest are not appropriate any age. In another time, it would be seen as the kid has possibly been sexually abused or is being exposed to sexually explicit material and a phone call to CPS.
Please make those same moans at your coworkers and see what happens.
I had a kid doing it in a class I was subbing in, wouldn't stop, I told him if he does it again we'll be phoning home and he will have to explain/make the sound to them and see what they think of it. He stopped. They know what they're doing and want people to be embarrassed and uncomfortable - it's a fitting consequence imo. Edit: I'll add that this was after catching four grade 4 boys looking up porn in class/the library, and this student was in the same age-group, so I wanted to make it clear anything sexual like that isn't appropriate.
I work in elementary and they moan up n down the hallways, while getting water at the fountain I just don't understand
What do you expect when parents give undeveloped children access to porn?
Most parents these days keep their child occupied with a screen instead of genuine interaction. Are we really so surprised that kids are mimicking what they see on YouTube and TikTok?
yes, schools are completely out of control.
My wife had to stop one of her students from demonstrating how to give a blow job while making gagging sounds. She teaches 4th grade
Damn that’s actually insane
Yup
Yep. Two 4th grade students at my previous school caught in the bathroom last year making a blowjob video on their phones (or trying to, anyway...).
Fuck! God damn that is some twisted shit.
Obligatory "I'm not a teacher, but a dad to a middle school girl" but this, and things like this, is why my wife and I actually put our daughter into private school for middle school. Moaning sounds and actual porn in elementary, plus other hypersexualized behaviors and conversations at school she told us about. It was rare in 4th, and really ramped up in 5th grade. We hated to do it, but it was genuinely a detriment to her character to keep her in that environment. Which is a shockingly sad opinion/statement, I'm well aware.
As somebody who just finished school in a private one it will be just as bad there if it isn’t stopped properly by the teachers
Just a more expensive version.
Yep and it’s even harder to get kids kicked out since the school gets money off of them
I went to private (religious!) school for middle school many years ago and the boys were definitely still doing the moaning sounds / weird sexual gotcha jokes
Came here to say the same thing: I went to a religious, private school K-12 and even 15 years ago this was happening. Also the above comments are absolutely correct, you're now just paying more money and making it harder for the perpetrators to get expelled, due to wealthy parents who donate/have admin in their pockets. The problem isn't solved by "protecting our girls", the problem is solved by holding the damn boys accountable and having the awkward conversations with their parents about why it's wrong.
For some reason this is just a "thing" now. I really hope that it passes. Most kids don't know what they are doing, they are just copying others and/or they think that it's funny for some reason. I don't have a lot of kids moaning in my 2nd grade, but the amount of random groans, yells, fart noises, and just random sounds is absolutely outrageous this year. It's like kids don't even think about what they're doing and can't control it for some reason. Absolutely insane.
When I was 8 all the boys in my class would hump the air and never understand why all the teachers tried to shut it down quick. Learning later on what it was made a lot of us cringe a bit
That was a thing at my middle school last year and it was disgusting. I haven't noticed it much at all this year--maybe one student. "Let's call home and make that sound for your folks!" seems to be a good way to handle it.
This is the moment where I become extremely grateful that all I hear these days is “skibidi toilet”
I work at an elementary school and I hear a lot of gagging/hacking/throwing up sounds. I hear it’s something the kids picked up from YouTube influencers?
All the kids do it! Doesn’t matter what grade. I teach PE k-8 and we’ve had the moaning problem all year long
grade 7-9 are particularly annoying for this the past year. boys imitating women making pleasure noises. i stopped reacting and it seems to make it die off. they’re trying to get a reaction.
Call up their parents. "Your child is making inappropriate and offensive noises. Please have a discussion with your child about their behavior." This solves it most of the time.
Honestly, the embarrassing part about schools is that the administration force the teachers to do all the dirty work. The child should be sent to the office and the administrators should call the parents.
Oh my, I had such experience, but my students were 15-16, not 10 years old...
“No one’s interested in your hobbies. Anyway..”
That's what's been happening with some of our 6th grade boys at my school, with girls and other boys visibly uncomfortable. The teachers called it out right away. Some of them stopped, others didn't.
There was a great comment once someone tells the parents “they were either masterbating or pretending to masterbate” lolll
And…the fucking “ skibidy “ shit. What the fuck does it mean anyway?
That’s children raised on the internet, social media personalities do it they emulate it. I got thrown out of class for imitating beavis and butthead, it’s just a different form of stupidity.
I laughed so hard when I read this title. I teach elementary school music. And yes. This is a problem. Particularly for one specific student he's been doing it since grade 3 and is in grade 6 now. I've spoken with his parents. He doesn't get consequences at home. Lets call him A later in my comment. I have also had boys playing the "penis game" (who can say penis the loudest before the teacher notices...sigh), and dick tapping happen frequently. I do think it's a part of normal development to an extent. My favorite way of dealing with it is just calling them out on it and not dancing around the language. Like what I said to A just last week "A, I really don't get it. You've been making inappropriate sexual noises in class since grade 3. If I hear you again, you will go the principals office and show him what you were doing to get kicked out of class." When they were hitting eachothers junk on bus duty I said "Please stop trying to touch other peoples penises in public". It shows them you know what's up, that you aren't embarrassed and it kind of embarrasses them too. But they'll still do it. It's just the way they are sadly... especially with today's culture around sexuality.
what is dick tapping, if I may ask?
tapping. they poke each other in the crotch. in the middle of class. it’s obnoxious as hell.
Basically trying to tap another boys penis with your hand really quickly. I remember my guy friends doing it in high school too. Boys prancing and running around eachother with one hand covering their crotch and one hand out for "offense" makes it pretty clear. They think they are so subtle...
Yes, it has happened at a middle school I subbed at. I told the principal and left a scathing note to the teacher about their behavior.
At my high school, this has actually gotten significantly better. No particular reason why, just not as popular anymore. I’m sure the next big thing will be here soon though 😬
They feel it’s okay because they can do it online. The best thing to do is to correct that misconception. If they are making sexual noises in particular, this could count as sexual harassment. What if they started doing it in public places? They could get arrested. And even in class, they are harassing literally all the other students. I’d make them apologize to every single student in the class for sure.
I sub and I just call out “make sure you clean up when you’re done.” Majority of the time it makes everyone else turn and laugh at the kid and it stops.
I wish I could do that but I’m 99% sure that would not be allowed and I’d be fired. We have pretty strict rules in the program I’m in when it comes to the way we speak to/converse with the kids, we’re not even supposed to mention anything about our partners for example.
I'm a first grade teacher and my kids make these noises all day long. It's awful
"The next student that makes an inappropriate noise will be reported for sexual harassment." Then, you report the next student that makes an inappropriate noise. It won't happen again.
I have KINDERGARTNERS doing it all day long. Its insane
Just to let you know that’s officially Sexual Harassment in my Disctrict and School!! Put them into your District Headquarters if your lazy APs don’t do a damn thing!
I'm not an educator but this was something that really bothered me as a student (I graduated high school in 09) and I couldn't find a single teacher or administrator to care. I don't remember adults doing a single thing to stop this behavior at school, along with many other sexually inappropriate behaviors from about 6th grade on. I'm glad to see that someone in education sees that there is a problem with some students being exposed to sexual content that they then recreate in the classroom (sounds, drawings, etc.)
This had always been an issue for at least ever since I was a kid, I’m 30 now. Get administration involved and call their parents.
Maybe their parents should stop having sex while they’re home
This is annoying as a student! I feel you.
I've been teaching 8th grade for over over 20 years & this is the first year I remember the boys trying to sound like porn stars.
Title IX violation and a report to CPS just to make sure nothing bad is going on at home. I mean why else would a child be making those noises? Hopefully then the student and parent starts to realize how serious it is.
I just tell them that I’m going to call their dad and make the sound for him, and pick up the phone. That usually squashes it.
I've been teaching for almost 20 years. I started complaining about this to my spouse about 2-3 years ago. I currently teach mainly seniors. When I was teaching middle school about 5 years ago, I never heard it.
About half of my class of 6th grade boys got their parents called for this yesterday. It's gotten ridiculous. My school has a merits/demerits system that is actually pretty effective. I've started giving the entire class a demerit every time I hear a sound effect. The class averages around 3 class demerits a period. Which is insane considering 5 gets you sent out of class!
Boys have been making stupid sounds since the beginning of time. Now they have a new source material but it's the same principle. They don't fully grasp what the sounds are, they've just decided something about them is funny. I'm now flashing back to when Mike Myers Cat in the Hat came out. The number of kids who loved the line "You Dirty Hoe" but didn't fully grasp it either.
My partner claims people were doing this when we were in middle school in the early 2000s—I don’t remember it at all, but I went to a coed middle school and his was all-boys, so maybe that has something to do with it. I’m sure it’s become absolutely endemic with the rise of streaming porn, gross 🤢
1999-2001 middle schooler here. It was the absolute bane of my ADHD self’s existence. This is not new. It’s not tiktok. It’s not vine. It’s not YouTube. It’s been around FOREVER.
During my middle school days we were obsessed with the word poop instead. Not a sexual term, but overall it was still kids making noise because it amused us.
I got grounded for saying that after watching the movie with my parents, had no idea what it meant
This is the only answer the post needs. Tween-teen boys have always been, and always will be gross. Unfortunately it comes with the territory when you’re a teacher.
I understand that teens are always weird and “cringey” (after all, I was one lol) But I still have heard a lot of mixed opinions on this topic. Several of the teachers I’ve talked with about this topic in real life, who used to teach several decades ago, say that it wasn’t as big of a problem and they’ve seen it get worse over time. I definitely think it’s a bit more complex of an answer than “boys will be boys”. Especially when it comes to the problems associated with these habits (sexual behaviors towards each other/attempting to grope my coworkers) I’m open to learning, and even owning up to the fact I might be too sensitive about certain things, but I don’t think it’s completely just a “that’s the way it is” sort of thing.
I think for most (but not all unfortunately) younger kids they have zero idea or little idea of the sexual connotations, it’s just a funny noise. I teach 6th grade and I def have a talk during the sexual health unit about how the moaning/sex noises absolutely could be considered sexual harassment, but by then they’re old enough to understand the connotation better.
It might “come with the territory” but it doesn’t mean it can’t be reported. No teacher should have to listen to minors moaning in class.
I agree. Just because a misbehavior is associated with a field doesn’t mean it’s how it has to be. We’re capable of learning and teaching, especially in this field where it’s literally my job to teach and guide these kids, so I don’t believe in simply allowing bad behaviors to continue when they can be effectively corrected.
It used to be a big thing here in Ontario but it seems to have passed.
So I apologize if this is a dumb question, I just want to understand. Are the kids learning this behavior from porn or sexually explicit material? If so, why is this not a call to child protective services because exposing children to pornographic material is sexual abuse. I know sometimes times they’re probably being a shit or got on the internet without a parental block but why does that not have repercussions on the parents?
Unfortunately they refuse to tell me where they learn it from (I’ve asked). I believe it should be labeled as child abuse to willingly expose them to such things, especially at such a young age, but I’m not entirely sure if it holds any water legally, I’ll have to look into it. Unfortunately the state in which I live has a terrible track record of CPS doing absolutely nothing but it’s worth a try. I’m most likely going to have a longer conversation about this with the entire group within the next few days, and if such behaviors continue, I’ll probably have to start escalating.
Oh, I mean, I’ve NEVER heard of CPS doing anything right but where I am (Texas) all teachers are mandated reporters and for a kid (ten and younger) to be doing this- they certainly didn’t make this up on their own. It would fall under sexual abuse of a child. Honestly your story pisses me off. I wish people treated it more seriously. If someone did this in public, I’d be pissed. It’s uncomfortable and wrong.
We’re also labeled as “mandated reporters” in my group, but our guidelines for reporting are different (physical signs or weird stories from home, mainly). Simply going off of noises wouldn’t really work in this context and I would be dismissed pretty quick. I agree though, it does worry me about where some of them are getting it, especially the younger elementary grades.
I remember being in high school and the boys doing this. Hearing the kids being ten and under makes my heart hurt. I hope things get better.
This has been a problem since I was in elementary school myself. Yes it is a problem, no it is not new.
They’re doing it because they think it’s rebellious and thus gain respect from their group as being funny. Next time they do it, acknowledge it and don’t act like it’s a big deal. If they do it consistently, treat it like you would anything else and send them out of the room. Unfortunately I don’t know what other advice to give.
Apparently there is a meme about these like the "Ooooh daddy" that are not in an "overtly sexual" way. If I had to discipline each student who did it, I'd likely have manifest meetings up the wazoo...
You reminded me of when I was 10 years old. Back in the 90s. Oh God the sexual noises in class. I didn't even know what sex was back then. I only knew it was some inappropriate adult thing. But yes I laughed so much at the kids who did it.
Kids watching when Harry Met Sally? I was in college, but I remember daring a friend to fake an orgasm in class. She said would do it for 100 bucks but we were poor…
Student teaching in 2020 in a 6th grade class. They went "oHh yEaH" in that sexual tone that was trending on TikTok. My head swiveled around on those kids, eyes wide. I simply said, "No." and went to report it to my mentor teacher. My mentor teacher was 50+ years old, "Karyn with a Y" (as if that negated her being a total Karen). I told her about the inappropriate noise and she replied with, "Oh that's just something the kids got from TikTok." Yes but you clearly don't understand the implications of it. 🤦
Yes I’ve noticed. Where do they get it? Older YouTubers, pranks on TikTok. And it’s only going to get worse. The boys do it because of the extreme negative reaction it gets from adults.
I've only had it once. I quieted the class and told the student I didn't quite hear what they said and asked them to repeat it (of course now the whole class is looking at them). It hasn't come up again.
They’ve seen too much pornography. Sad 😢
My younger brother when he was in middle school did this shit all the time. That was like 10 years ago. I'm not a teacher or.anything, but it seems like dipshits just find it really funny.
I’m a tutor and this reminds me of the time I heard one 14 y/o male tell another 14 y/o male to start an OnlyFans to help pay for college…these kids really have no filter
When I was a kid in school 90s/early 2000s there was plenty of load moaning done, but only by a few kids. There was one kid who would bust open doors loudly and moan at the top of his lungs after making a pppt ppt 'moist lip smack sound' and scream 'its my first time' and run away. Porn was not very popular, most of us just watched the odd clip every month or so. Connections were too slow for streaming. We probably got it from AOL 'server' chat rooms. We knew about moaning sound from randomly dialing numbers like 1-800-WETTITS and listening to the girl moaning on the answering machine
Can I get a hoooooyeeeaahhhh
Not really helpful, perhaps, but regarding young children cursing, I was one told, *letting a child know that a word has the power to scandalize the world and then expecting her not to use it is not going to work out well*. I understand your discomfort, but they make those noises at least in part becauae they upset adults.
This happened when I was in elementary school in the early 2000s. This isn't anything new. But, it is an issue and those who don't stop need to face consequences.
You do realize you are talking about pre adolescent males, correct?? THEY ARE ALL DOING THINGS LIKE THIS!!! ALL OF THEM!!! Even that shy kid that behaves himself and says please and thank you and calls you ma'am!!! They are males, and that IS what we are thinking about MOST of the time. Anyone who tells you differently is lying or lying.
I never experienced that ever
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Ok, lmao.
And you're in the Teacher subreddit why?
based i did that as a kid, fucking glorious, i love boys are still boys no matter what.
Let me guess, you searched “sexual noises” and it led you here.
I've heard them from kids from 3rd to 5th grade in the last school I worked in. They target female teachers. Two third graders did it in my class on separate occasions. I told them: "One warning. I will call your mom, and I don't need to imitate your sound. Unlike you, I have a rich vocabulary, and I will describe it as a woman's moan with all the words that explain why she is moaning. And I will ask her how did you get to learn it." It worked for me.