Getting your kid to sit quietly and eat in itself is an early morning battle. No matter how pro you are at parenting, sometimes an external distraction becomes necessary to get your kid to focus.
Instead of showing them cartoons, parents nowadays prefer exposing their kids to educational and interactive content that can stimulate their brains. Hence, Youtube Kids hosts several channels that help the kids to learn while entertaining them.
One such channel, Ms. Rachel – Toddler Learning Videos, has garnered almost 6 million YouTube subscribers. Her videos rack up an average of 50 million views, with consistent uploads, and are liked by both kids and their parents.
The channel curates videos focusing on speech, pronunciation, and musicals for kids’ better learning. Ms. Rachel uses techniques recommended by speech therapists and early childhood experts so kids can learn easily and at their own pace. And not just toddlers; some videos cater to babies by using vibrant colors and hand movements for them to grasp basic concepts.
A large fraction of parents have praised Ms. Rachel for her teaching style and appreciated how her videos have redefined learning and entertainment. Ms. Rachel even has a TikTok account where she uploads short-form interactive content for kids. The wholesome videos, bubbly personality, musicals, guest appearances, and educational content give her channel an edge.
But then why would some people deem her channel problematic?
Since February 2023, some opinions have shifted on Ms. Rachel’s content. The impotent root of this controversy comes from a minuscule demography disagreeing with one of her costars, Jules Hoffman, who goes by the pronouns they/them. Hoffman contributes to Mr. Rachel’s videos as a singer/songwriter and rarely makes appearances.
Since then, Ms. Rachel has announced that she will be taking a break from uploading videos to take care of her mental health amidst the backlash.
Who Is TikTok Star, Ms. Rachel?
Ms. Rachel blew up on TikTok with her charming signature look of a pink shirt and a pink headband, donning a cheerful smile and making videos for kids. Rachel Griffin Accurso, popularly known as Ms. Rachel, is actually a preschool teacher in New York City.
She specializes in teaching kids and also earned a master’s degree in music education.
Accurso is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in early childhood education to get more insight into a child’s learning capabilities.
Besides being a dedicated teacher, Rachel is also a mother to a four-year-old. Her son struggles with delayed speech. She incorporated a few methods, such as slow-paced talking, enunciating her words, focusing on each syllable, and making the conversation interactive using hand movements. She observed significant improvement in her son’s speech. Hence, she decided to use these techniques further for the collective.
She started uploading videos in 2019, while the production quality is indeed commendable. She soon amassed a huge following, partly owing to her genuine personality and proficiency in understanding kids’ learning pace. Parents kept her in high regard as many commented on how her videos helped their children understand easily and induced the talking stage earlier than expected.
Then why would some parents turn against her? Here is the whole gist of the “controversy.”
Rachel Controversy Explained
By the end of February, Ms. Rachel started getting some not-so-nice emails. Rachel posted a statement addressing these sudden criticisms against her–
“Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want. Only love can do that. #mentalhealth #msrachel #tiktokbreak.”
She also posted a video on TikTok with a caption on the video overlay–
“Skipping away from mean emails but also sending love because “hurt people hurt people.”
Ms. Rachel announced that she would be taking a sabbatical from uploading videos on both platforms and shall focus on bettering her mental health instead.
Then, on March 2, her costar, Jules, posted a video in TikTok and said–
“I want to address the in the room in the best way I know how — by teaching kids about love and acceptance. Kids around us, they are absorbing and ing to us for our responses, how we react, how we treat others. They remember what we say and what we believe and it can either bring them closer to us, to share their truest selves with us or push them away. Take care of yourselves and each other. Reach down deep inside you when things get icky, take some deep breaths, sure — be a crabby for a bit, remember it’s ok to cry and then respond with and kindness. Let’s do this fam .”
What was the controversy again?
Well, apparently, a section of parents had an issue with Jules Hoffman going by they/them pronouns. Neither Rachel nor Jules openly advocated or taught the gender rules in any of their videos. However, the conservative fragment of the viewers had a problem exposing their kids to such unconventional narratives. Some even stooped to levels of trolling the creator with disapproving vitriol comments with no logical arguments.
But others stood by Ms. Rachel and Jules following this controversy, defending the creators and praising their contribution to child education.
What is your take on this controversy? Do you think the criticisms hold any ground? As a parent, what are your thoughts on her teaching style?
Are her techniques effective, or are her videos increasing your child’s screen time? Let us know in the comments section below.
