Viral TikTok has students struggling to read basic sentences

A TikTok video titled “Can You Read,” where a student asked his peers if they could read simple sentences, has caused chaos at a Philadelphia Charter School and has reportedly gotten the students threats of expulsion.  

The video posted by TikTok user, @whatthevek, has garnered over 14 million views as of today and has education critics and supporters debating literacy in high schools and how it impacts our students.

In one of the  videos posted @whattheevek  had students read the sentence, ‘She wore a silhouette of clothes that were extraordinary but somewhat gauche,‘  which caused many students to struggle to read the words ‘silhouette’ and ‘extraordinary.’ 

Some of the students questioned the point of the sentence. One young woman who struggled to read, “She wore a soooo.. clothes that were… who is this for?‘

Once the first video went viral, the student @whatthevek posted a second video, using another sentence, ‘The colonel asked the choir to accommodate the governor’s schedule.‘ 

Students also struggled with comprehending this sentence.

Preparatory Charter High School serves approximately 600+ students in grades 9-12 in South Philadelphia and represents a diverse student body. The school released a statement today that the videos were taken out of context and did not reflect its educational standards.

Despite the school’s claims of not punishing the student, TikTok user, @whatthevek has claimed to be facing expulsion due to the videos.

In addition, in a social media post from NO GUN ZONE Incorporated, a Philadelphia community advocacy organization, it has been repeated that Preparatory Charter High School is moving to expel the student behind the videos. However, Preparatory Charter High School has said it was not seeking to expel the student who made the videos, contrary to posts circulating on social media.

🚨Philadelphia Student Faces Expulsion for Exposing Classmates Who Can’t Read🚨

The Philadelphia high school student who went viral for showing his classmates struggling to read simple words like “silhouette” and “extraordinary” is now being threatened with expulsion, banned… pic.twitter.com/o4z2zdPXrS

— Reverend Jordan Wells (@WellsJorda89710) May 2, 2026