The American education system has a lot to answer for. Not only do many schools teach creationist lesson plans while others ban books deemed “offensive” because they feature LGBTQIA+ characters or criticize injustice, many students are missing out on real-world knowledge. However, even geography lessons are falling short, as a lot of people on TikTok are just finding out that Alaska has a land border and isn’t an island.
TikToker Sabriena Abrre (@sabriena_abrre) admitted her ignorance in a now-viral video.
In a clip that’s now been seen nearly a million times, Sabriena said that she grew up believing that Alaska was an island floating in the middle of the sea.
Obviously, she could have just looked at a map and discovered the truth, but somehow, she made it all the way to adulthood with this erroneous opinion.
Hawaii is a group of islands, but not Alaska.
@sabriena_abrre I HAVE NO WORDS – just built in embarrassment and shame😭😭😭 #americaneducationsystemfails #americaneducationsystem #americanlivingincanada #alaskaisnotanisland #greenscreen #useducationsystemhasfailedme
Sabriena went on to say that a lot of US maps show Alaska and Hawaii in separate boxes from the main map of America, which is why she automatically assumed Alaska must have been an island, as well.
She feels that she should have known the truth much sooner, and it’s down to the school system in the States that she didn’t.
“I have so many questions for the US education system. I graduated high school with As and Bs, I was a good student,” Sabriena pointed out.
“This is absolutely criminal, the list of things that I didn’t know about Canada, about the United States, about geography as a whole, it is just appalling.”
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She’s not the only one who believed this.
Sabriena went on to say that while many viewers might simply think she’s stupid or that she knows nothing about geography, that’s not the case. In fact, plenty of people were in the same boat.
“Elyse Myers on TikTok also mentioned that she had this realization in adulthood and her comments are overflowing with people, adults, that have had the same realization after graduating high school,” she said.
Commenters flooded in with support, with one person writing, “I once asked why Hawaii was so warm and Alaska so cold, when they are right next to each other. In front of the whole 10 grade class.”
Another, who works in the education system themselves, said, “As a teacher who has heard this from adult many times, I always tell my students specifically that Alaska isn’t an island.”
A third person agreed with Sabriena not being alone in her ignorance. “Oh my God. Not me JUST finding out Alaska is not an island Near Canada. I’m 33. I’m so embarrassed.”
