Slime is an intriguing phenomenon. Originally popular in the late 2010s, its fame has died down. But slime has made a comeback, albeit in the digital world.
TikTok is responsible for bringing slime into popularity, as influencers post videos of themselves making slime in their homes and classrooms. Slime has become all the rage online, but its comeback has been slow in classrooms.
Some might say that junior Kat Ellett is leading the slime craze at Wilsonville. As a massive slime fanatic, Ellett uses the sticky substance to help her focus in class and make other people happy, explaining, “I like being able to share [the slime] with my friends because when I’m helping make other people happy, it makes me happy.”
Ellett has received mixed reactions from her teachers, saying that “some teachers make positive comments [and] ask to play with it,” but clarified that some teachers are “upset because I’m using it more negatively.”
Teachers generally support slime in the classroom, although they sour on it when it becomes a distraction. Chemistry teacher Roxanne Kilpatrick can get behind slime but would be less supportive if it took over her classroom.
Kilpatrick said, “I think [slime] is okay, as long as it’s not disruptive… I know some students need to handle and fidget with something tactile.” Different teachers view disruptions differently, but for Kilpatrick, as long as students aren’t “throwing it [or] sticking it to somebody,” slime can be a positive addition in classrooms.
English 10 teacher Chelsee Asher was similarly indifferent, saying that “slime is really cool. I think students need to be mindful of their space and their cleanup when utilizing [slime] as a [fidget].”
However, Asher hasn’t had many students using the sticky substance in her classroom this year. “I can’t believe I haven’t seen [slime] this year… but I’m gonna keep an eye out for maybe the next two weeks.” The same goes for Kilpatrick, who has only seen “one or two” students using slime during class.
TikTok trends often take a few weeks to catch on in the real world and on other social media platforms. Until slime seeps into classrooms on a large scale, the slime faithful will continue using the fidget to ease short attention spans as slime’s popularity grows.