Illinois Teacher Goes Viral Asking Parents Not To Bring Kid’s Birthday Cupcakes

One teacher in Illinois has a back-to-school ask of parents.

Ann Brackemyer, a kindergarten teacher in Morrison, is going viral as kiddos are going back to school with what she says is an "unpopular opinion".

Parents love to bring cupcakes to school on the kid's birthday for the class. It's fun and makes the kid feel like a celebrity for the day. But Brackemyer, who definitely supports birthday treats in class, has some alternative suggestions to the cupcakes.

In her viral TikTok that's garnered hundreds of thousands of views, she says:

Please don’t bring cupcakes. They make a ginormous mess and the kids honestly don’t eat them. The frosting gets all over, and … It’s just too much for them.

She said a lot of the kids eat the frosting and nothing else. Instead, she suggests Little Debbie snack cakes, the soft store-bought sugar cookies, mini-donuts, or ice cream cups.

@kbcrayons Lets talk birthdays in the classroom! . These are some great options for birthday treats. Keep it simple. #kindergarten #kindergartenteacher #kindergartenlife #backtoschool2024 #teacher #tiktok #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #kindergartenmom #kindergartenbirthday #birthdaytreats #walmart ♬ original sound - KBcrayons

Like many viral things on social media, the comments are split. Some commenters seem to think it's a ridiculous idea, others think that it's not a bad suggestion. One person suggested mini-cupcakes as a compromise.

But Breckemyer says that multiple kindergarten teachers are agreeing with her on this one. Some of the comments said:

• "I was my kindergartener’s room mom last year and helped with all the holiday parties. I actually said out loud during one ‘note to self, don’t send cupcakes.’"
• "Lunch lady here! The cupcakes land frosting side down on the floor. The red and blue stain the kids and tables and make huge mess. But send what your kid would like to have for their birthday."
• "Is it your birthday? or theirs?"
• "My son’s last year of elementary school we brought in Taco Bell for his birthday. We got a count for hard or soft tacos the day before. The kids and the teacher loved it!! Bring the cupcakes."

Of course, this is for the kids lucky enough to celebrate their birthdays in the school year with their classmates. Some of us didn't have that, not that we're bitter.