By skyforbes 
Don’t believe everything you see online.
This week is back-to-school week in my district, as well as many others.
It’s also the time of year when school-related content ramps up on social media — from both parents and teachers.
In particular, a mom went viral on TikTok recently after visiting her son’s classroom for back-to-school night and being disappointed at the lack of decor and personalization.
While there are a lot of people criticizing her reaction to something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t a big deal, it does give a bit of a window into what some parents expect to see when walking into a classroom for the first time.
And often these expectations are influenced — both for parents and prospective teachers — by social media.
Admittedly, not all teachers build teaching up to be a fun and glamorous job, but there are enough of them that do to warrant a reality check.
TeacherTok
“TeacherTok” is the name given to the corner of TikTok dedicated to teacher-related content that is most often viewed by other teachers or by those who would like to go into the profession. However, it can end up in the feed of just about anyone. This is especially true for the incredibly over-the-top videos that gain a lot of traction.
But why are teachers taking time out of their busy school days to film videos and post them online?
Well, for most of them, it’s profit-driven.
They’re looking to supplement their educator salary with some extra money from TikTok, or they’re plugging items that they sell online. Sometimes they even get sponsorships.
For them, their teaching career is just a backdrop for their actual career as an influencer.
And while these teachers often give the appearance of having everything put together and perfect, it’s important to remember that we’re only seeing what they want us to see.
Are these real classrooms? Yes…technically. However, there’s a whole lot that happens behind the scenes that we’re completely unaware of.
Planning Time
Many teachers online don’t even try to hide the fact that they work far more hours than they need to. They’ll casually mention how they had to stay late the night before or how they need to take home items to laminate or cut out.
In order to put together all of the super-cute activities (and parties, so many parties) that they show online, they need to spend hours of extra time outside of the workday getting everything ready.
And believe me, there’s no way that they’re doing all of these cute activities all day, every day.
Teachers are often given roughly 3 hours per week to prepare for the other 25ish hours of instruction. That means 3 hours a week to write lesson plans, prepare materials, grade homework, contact parents, hold meetings, etc.
Even if a teacher stays late, comes in early, and works on weekends (which, obviously, means putting in a lot of time outside of contractual hours), there just aren’t enough hours in the week to make each and every lesson super fun and exciting.
Another thing that parents may want to keep in mind as we head into this school year is that back-to-school night is often held on the first day that teachers are contractually obligated to report back to their classrooms.
Over the summer, most classroom decor needs to be stowed away so that a thorough cleaning of the school can be done.
So even if a teacher is in the same room as the year before, there’s a good chance that when she returns at the end of summer, all of her decorations will be in storage and the desks will be stacked in a pile at the center of the room.
If the teacher is changing classrooms and/or grade levels, then she’s going to have even more work to do.
And she’s only got one day to make everything “parent-ready.”
Now, teachers are allowed to come into school early and start getting stuff set up, but they’re not obligated to give up their last days of summer to do so.
So, if you go to meet your child’s teacher and the room looks a bit unfinished, that may just be because it is.
While many teachers choose to come into school and prepare materials outside of their required hours, they don’t have to. And if they choose to spend that time relaxing or having fun with their families, then that doesn’t make them bad teachers.
Pay
Teachers are notoriously underpaid.
Yet, when you look at teachers on TikTok, they always seem to be bringing in lots of treats, having over-the-top holiday celebrations, creating pricy reward systems, and showing off a lot of really nice decor.
Most teachers are not reimbursed for any of these items, which begs the question: How are they affording all of it?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, their social media and/or online shops may be covering these bills. It’s worth it to them to spend a little extra on their classrooms if it means more views and engagement online.
This is even better if they can sell something to go along with it. That exciting lesson about animals, that cool wall display, and all of the materials for that classroom management plan are available in their Teacher Pay Teachers store.
The better and more exciting they make it look to other teachers, the more likely it is that they’ll get a payday from that short video.
Some videos are even sponsored. If a teacher is thanking Michaels or Oriental Trading for helping her equip her classroom this year, then you can bet she’s getting a lot of free stuff that other teachers just aren’t.
This can set unrealistic expectations for parents as well as young people entering the profession. There’s an expectation that there will be all sorts of cutesy decor and activities, but that isn’t always the reality in classrooms where the teacher’s only source of income is her salary.
And once again, teachers aren’t obligated to spend their own money decorating their classrooms. Many do, but it is entirely possible to be a wonderful teacher without all the extras.
Classroom Behavior
Social media will also have you believe that the school day consists of one fun activity after another with a group of children who are always engaged and excited about everything you’re doing.
It’s in the best interest of these teachers to make their activities appear as appealing as possible, especially if they’re getting some kind of kickback from it.
However, this just isn’t reality.
When you have a classroom full of little humans from all different backgrounds and with varying levels of needs, then there are bound to be times when someone has a bad day.
Particularly in the younger grades, this can lead to items being broken or damaged.
Even if no one is having a “bad day,” fidgety children will draw on the classroom decor, poke holes in the rug, and crumple or tear papers.
The teachers online love to show off how all of the classroom items look when they’re first set up. They rarely show the wear and tear that happens throughout the year.
When you consider the costs associated with making the picture-perfect classroom and the fact that many items will need to be replaced every year or two, it’s understandable that some teachers prefer to go with a more minimalist style.
Those going into the teaching profession also need to be aware that, no matter how fun and exciting they try to make their classroom and lessons, there will be students who struggle, complain, or don’t follow directions.
That’s just the reality of teaching.
If you are going into the classroom expecting the perfection that these teachers portray, then you are setting yourself up for failure.
This isn’t meant to deter anyone from teaching, but I do believe it’s important to understand that students are far more than just props to be used in online content.
Moral Gray Area
Apart from all of the above, many people question whether or not teachers should even be posting videos on social media.
Many teachers do not get permission to show students’ faces, which is clear from the fact that they will hide their faces or avoid having them in videos altogether.
Some teachers will show faces, and I can only assume that they have consent to do so.
However, as a parent, it would make me uncomfortable to know that my child was being used in TikTok videos without my permission, even if his face was hidden, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
In addition to this, there’s the question of whether or not teachers should be filming in school at all, particularly during the school day.
Even if they’re showing themselves decorating or doing a fun classroom activity, they’re still on the clock, and filming this activity so that they can promote themselves outside of school is somewhat…icky.
Some school districts have put rules in place regarding online content, but many haven’t. And there are currently no overarching government policies regarding it.
While allowing teachers to earn supplemental income through their social media accounts, especially when at least some of that extra money is going towards improving their classrooms, can be mostly harmless, there are certainly gray areas where it could potentially interfere with student privacy or their ability to do their job.
But that’s just my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments, and have a great school year!