Student Teacher Was Kicked Out Of School 2 Weeks Before Graduating Because Her Clothes Were ‘Inappropriate’
She had no idea that her life would change for the better.
Ground Picture / Shutterstock A former student teacher turned social media influencer named Mei Mei recounted the story of how she got to where she is now, all due to a moment when she was forced to make a difficult choice.
As a student teacher, Mei Mei was kicked out of school 2 weeks before graduation because her clothes were ‘inappropriate.'
“My life looks completely different from what it used to look like,” Mei Mei said in a post, marking the 2-year anniversary of being kicked out of school.
“This was a time in my life when I thought everything was over,” she said. “I thought I had failed at everything. It was a really scary time where I was unsure of what was going to happen.”
“It turns out everything was gonna be okay,” she continued. “I really have learned a lot since then.”
She shared that she’d been kicked out of school twice, saying, “I thought being a teacher was my entire future, but somehow, on this journey, I decided to start documenting my life online.”
Mei Mei had been in school to become a teacher. She was student teaching and working multiple nanny jobs, saying she was “basically doing everything I could to stay afloat.”
“I was two weeks away from graduating,” Mei Mei said, noting that she’d gained a social media following around the same time, something her school didn’t like.
Photo: Asia Images Group / Shutterstock
“Some people have their opinions on whether or not teachers should have social media, but I was just a normal 21-year-old girl. All my content remained very wholesome, very PG; it was just me sharing my life,” she explained.
“I’m only hours away from completing my student teaching hours, and all of a sudden, one day, I get pulled aside by an administrator and she goes, ‘Miss Mei Mei, your outfit is far too inappropriate for school.’ And I’m like, ‘My deepest apologies, I will not do it again.’ You know, I’m a people pleaser, and I will be the first to apologize, even if I had no idea what I did,” she said.
Mei Mei asked the school administrator what made her outfit inappropriate, but she didn’t get a response, “It was just, ‘Please come to school tomorrow dressed more appropriately.’”
Getting dress-coded was considered her first strike. If she got three strikes, she’d be kicked out of the school.
Mei Mei posted a TikTok of her outfit after being dress-coded, showing what she’d worn that day: A turtleneck sweater, black tights, and a long coat.
“I was dress-coded, and not only that, I was taking inspiration from other teachers working at the school,” she said. She mentioned that she was teaching at “A very, very southern school, and I may have been the youngest teacher there by decades.”
Posting about her experience led to Mei Mei’s TikTok “blowing up like crazy.” Then, she got dress-coded a second time.
Dress coding, in general, has more to do with controlling people’s bodies than with what they're wearing. It’s a way to cut people down and keep them feeling small, which is what happened to Mei Mei during her student-teaching experience.
When Mei Mei asked for an explanation as to why her clothes were inappropriate, she didn’t get a clear answer. Instead, she was told, “We expect you to come to school in a professional manner and come dressed professionally,” which made her feel panicked.
Photo: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock
“A few days later, I walk into school with all of my lesson plans complete, and all of a sudden, I get this call, and it’s my program director,” who told her she was no longer authorized to be in that building.
“My program director proceeds to tell me that the administration in this school, including the principal and vice principal, have decided to strike me from the program and kick me out, meaning I will no longer be graduating,” Mei Mei said.
The school cited Mei Mei’s ‘unprofessionalism’ and how she dressed as the reasons behind kicking her out.
“My heart was completely shattered,” she said. “I think it was especially devastating because I had spent the past four years studying to become a teacher and being a teacher was all I wanted. That was the end goal.”
“I was honestly so embarrassed,” she continued. “I felt like I had that one goal, and I couldn’t achieve it. I genuinely felt like I had failed.”
“Nobody warns you for the moment that you understand that you have no control over the situation that’s going on,” Mei Mei said.
The program director offered to help Mei Mei find another school to complete her student teaching, but the offer came with an ultimatum: Delete your social media accounts.
“I was forced to choose: My social media career or a career that I’d been working on for the past four years,” Mei Mei said. “And both, I was uncertain of. I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Despite her initial confusion, Mei Mei knew that social media gave her “a community where people cared about [her].”
“They cared about what I had to say, and they wanted to listen to my stories,” she explained. She then spoke directly to her followers, saying, “I just knew that I wasn’t going to give you guys up.”
“You all have shown me the kind of kindness and support that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to pay back,” Mei Mei said. “That is love that I’m not really sure that I’m worthy of.”
Photo: Weedezign / Canva Pro
Yet all people are worthy of that kind of deep, abiding love, and Mei Mei getting kicked out of school led her to discover that truth.
“I genuinely believe everything happens for a reason,” she concluded.
Mei Mei’s journey from being kicked out of school to finding her place as an influencer shows that we don’t always know what life has in store for us, yet our paths are always unfolding, even as we walk down them.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.