Notre secret

The negative reviews on this clearly show the state of our society that doesn't understand Power Dynamics and how victims, students (whether girls or boys), high schoolers, should not be blamed for the inappropriate relationships and abuse that goes on. It's disgusting to read some of the comments blaming the girls that have had this happen to them. They are TEENS. The adults know what they are doing and it is not okay.

It's time predatory behavior is held accountable and schools are safer for children. Obviously the hypersexualization of teens in the media and especially now with social media such as tiktok etc doesn't help anything and aids in making children more vulnerable and susceptible to abuse. It's sad. Parents and adults that care, watch out for the signs. Take care of our kids.

This docu-series is truly eye-opening and does well to call attention to a disturbing trend that, unsurprising to me, has been going on for some time. I could relate well with this doc because the central story happened in rural Texas, a culture I'm very familiar with. Grooming teenagers sexually in schools is a problem that seems to happen often under our noses. While I believe that the teachers doing this need to be exposed and held accountable, I don't believe that we should gloss over any responsibility the victims might have had in the situations. The filmmaker, Cheryl, doesn't seem to claim any responsibility for her part in the affair with her teacher. He did manipulate her as a teenager but it seems that she, if no one else, should have realized "this isn't right and he's a married man". She allowed this affair to carry on into her early 20s. I realize a young person's brain isn't fully developed until early to mid 20s but it seems that an alarm should have sounded at some point. I'm glad that the girl Heaven in Miami was able to share her story but I think this doc should have been expanded to include other accounts.

I do not believe that Tom Warrick was not sexually involved with any students as he claims. From looking at the photos, there seemed to be at least some boundaries pushed. As someone who works with young people, I would not spend much unnecessary time outside the classroom with them much less be photographed shirtless with them under my arm in bathing suits. The comments (by a white woman) about the toxicity of white men being in charge were inappropriate and irrelevant to the topic at hand. All together, this was a well-meant attempt to uncover a serious matter though I believe more time and scrutiny could have been used in the production.

The male teacher who agreed to be in the documentary should have refused. He's so obviously lying. He and his buddy were both attracted to young girls and acted on it. The teacher on camera did not get caught. He was in the principals office more than once over inappropriate relationships with female students. (By his own admission) He makes excuses by saying he wasn't trained and he was young. Pffft! Pathetic. He was an educated professional responsible for younger people. Backing that girl into a corner to tell he to shut her mouth about the rumors is and was bullying, intimidating her to protect his bro.

I don't have kids and this topic was shocking and thought provoking. The influence teachers have, usually good, to conduct this grooming in scary. These are young girls, not women, being grinned and taken advantage of by grown men.

The way school boards handle the misconduct of these teachers is a disgusting display of passing the buck. The laws need to change. So many more students traumatized because proper action was not taken. The victim blaming must stop! This should be required viewing for all school personnel. I

Cheryl is incredibly brave to share her experiences. Obviously, she's not the first or last victim. I hope she gets an Emmy nod.

I found this documentary refreshing; it's honest and necessary, and it's smart. The documentary doesn't tell the viewer 'what's happening, what to think, who to judge'...the takeaway is up to the viewer. There's plenty to observe if you enjoy abstracting themes. Cheryl and her team did a great job revealing the many nuances embedded in society that feeds misogyny, abuse, chauvinism... This isn't a story about one person's experience - that's the starting point. I thought the timing and placement for how each person was introduced was spot on, particularly the teacher with red hair (I can't remember his name) and the scene where him and Cheryl are talking outside - that was 👌.