Teaching is a career that can start young. New graduates are often tasked with leading a classroom in their very first year out of school. For high school, that means 21- or 22-year-olds are often teaching teenagers barely a few years younger than themselves.

There’s an uncomfortable tension in these situations where boundaries can get blurry. All teachers, but especially younger teachers, have to learn quickly how to deal with students who get too chummy, or worse, overly flirtatious.

High school teacher reveals mistake she made the first time a student hit on her

Baylee Bretzing, a high school teacher and popular content creator, is 26 years old, married, and a mom. But that hasn’t stopped boys in her class from trying to flirt with her, especially back in her first year teaching.

“I started teaching 17-year-olds as a 22-year-old,” she says in a recent TikTok video. “The first time it happened to me, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do, so I just [laughed] and left the situation. Looking back, I wish I would have stood up for myself.”

@baybretzing I’m definitely late to talking about this but I wanted to share some thoughts #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #haleybeck #boundaries #highschoolteacher ♬ original sound – Baylee Bretzing

I’m definitely late to talking about this but I wanted to share some thoughts #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #haleybeck #boundaries #highschoolteacher ♬ original sound – Baylee........

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