A teacher encourages students to 'fight' in her class and it's pretty effective

Teachers often try different strategies to help students connect, from icebreaker games to group activities. But sometimes, the usual methods don’t work, and a fresh approach is needed. One teacher, who goes by @sheteachesart on TikTok, has found a hilariously effective way to get her students talking—and it has nothing to do with traditional icebreakers.

"I am a teacher, and I hate icebreakers," she admitted in her video. She acknowledged that this might sound controversial since part of her job is to help students get to know each other. "I still do it. I just don't do it with two truths and a lie, ‘getting to know you’ questions, or ‘what's your favorite color?’" She explained that she dislikes those activities just as much as her students do. Instead, she takes a different route: "We fight."

Of course, she’s not talking about actual fights—she uses a tier list ranking system. In her example, she had students rank different types of chips, from Sour Cream & Onion to Cape Cod to Doritos. The debates that follow are passionate, engaging, and most importantly, they naturally get students talking. “They get very, very passionate about it,” she said. It’s a clever way to spark conversation and camaraderie—without forcing awkward icebreakers.

"This helps me know who is comfortable talking, who's not comfortable talking and who's willing to lay down their life for what they believe in," the woman highlighted. "They are talking to each other in a way that's prescribed enough that there's boundaries to what they need to talk about." It ensures that the kids won't have to come up with things they have to talk about. "It also lets them share things about themselves and their opinions and it just gets them talking." She continued, "I don't really do a get to know me thing either. I just go around and talk to them." The art teacher emphasized how the first day can be similar for a lot of different classes. "You're just trying to build a community. I'd love to know what you do. If you ice breakers or not."

She also remarked that she doesn't look down upon the regular icebreakers but doesn't have the personality for it. "I'd rather be the refree for a verbal argument rather than going, 'Okay' it's your turn to tell us about yourself.'" People took to the comments section of the video to express their thoughts on the same. @tired.of.everrything wrote, "I remember hearing, 'Ok we're gonna go around the circle...' in school and my heart just stopping. I STILL get anxiety hearing that."

@d3ath.the.kidd commented, "A tier list would be great! I can imagine if no one wants to participate, I make some crazy choices on the list that I know would get them to talk." @bobashungminnn remarked, "As someone who was always the quiet kid with severe social anxiety, something like this would’ve got me talking regardless." @greengamer009 shared, "I've done 4 corners over similar things the last 2 years. did super heroes, TV shows, songs and food this year. Gonna steal this for next year though." @kateprice109 expressed, "I hated going around in a circle because I always had anxiety, but I also would have been totally silent during this and would have felt left out. Loud kids always get prioritized."

You can follow (@sheteachesart) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.