. -PJ
Posted on 05/03/2026 2:31:29 PM PDT by DFG
A high school student in Philadelphia exposed how his classmates are struggling to read easy words and comprehend relatively simple sentences in a viral series of videos.
And he may have gotten in hot water for his trouble.
The videos, posted on TikTok, show the teenagers failing to read a sentence on a piece of paper while being filmed at the city’s Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers.
In the clip, made by user “whatthevek” earlier this week, not a single high school-aged student was able to read the sentence, “She wore a silhouette of clothes that were extraordinary but somewhat gauche.”
He made a follow-up video a day later in which the students were apparently unable to make sense of the sentence, “The colonel asked the choir to accommodate the governor’s schedule.”
The two videos racked up a combined 1.7 million likes and thousands of comments, but “whatthevek” later claimed he wouldn’t be making a third due to threats from authorities at Prep Charter.
“I would post a part three, but the school board is trying to expel me, stop me from going to prom, and stop me from walking at graduation. I don’t know chat,” he wrote in an Instagram story on Friday.
South Philly-based Prep Charter, one of the most diverse schools in the state, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
State test scores show that just 53% of students at the school tested proficient in reading, and just 19% were proficient in math.
The video has sparked outrage, with many calling out the parents as well as the school.
“Yo late Gen Xers and older Millennials have failed their kids so badly. How can you neglect your child so badly, you don’t make sure they can read?!” one X user wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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The system passes them through and says they have a high school diploma. We need to bring back the failed/repeat school year action so these kids have a chance at getting a job when they get out of school. They are not going to fool any employer and you’re not doing them any favor by pretending they can read. The teachers AND parents have failed them.
“Silhouette of clothes is garment industry jargon that I would not expect a high school student to know unless he was involved in or familiar with that industry. I had never encountered that term before and had to look it up.”
What is a ‘Silhouette of clothes’?
I agree! Yours is a much better sentence. Learning to read involves context; it isn’t all rote.
Get a Job--The Silhouettes
-PJ
Only words with apostrophes should count.
The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.
I don’t know what to make of that (silhouette of clothes), either. Maybe a collection, even a spectrum or a repertoire? On a specific occasion, an ensemble. A melange. But unless you’re referring to a street mime in black spandex head to toe, “silhouette” is not the best choice of word.
“She wore a silhouette of clothes”
Don’t get high in the Custerdome.
Neither. Katy Lied.
Not super easy, but the point is not that ALL the kids couldn’t read the sentence, but that NOT ONE could.
. -PJ
53% reading proficiency? Must be a real serious hall of learning. I bounce around to three PA universities, on a regular basis, and most of the students couldn’t convince me they’ve ever read a book.
See Spot run. 😆
Essentially, the shape that a garment takes when a person wears it. Silhouettes have names like A-line, column, trumpet and cocoon.
Do peoplevstill have silhouettes drawn traced of their shadow profiles? You know, as a cheaper alternative than painted portraits. Haven’t heard much about silhouette drawing latelt.
That is a clothing silhouette.
What is a ‘Silhouette of clothes’?
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