Teacher sparks debate after sharing video of empty classroom

A dedicated teacher's TikTok videos sparked a huge debate this week.

Teachers are basically real-life superheroes, they have more patience than we could dream of and they're genuinely the reason we didn't flunk out.

But, that doesn't mean they can be expected to perform miracles, or magic supplies out of thin air.

However, that's what one kindergarten teacher found when she walked into her new, empty classroom.

The content creator shared her 'frustration' upon entering the room, which had empty cupboards, no shelving, and a few desks.

Taking to TikTok to share her frustration, @progressivemama said: "So frustrated going into my classroom today. No shelves for a classroom library. The desks are weird for a Kindergarten class. No cabinets. No rug. No left over supplies or books. How much of my own money am I expected to spend?"

@progressivemama/TikTok

She then proceeded to pan the camera around the classroom, focusing on all of the 'empty' cupboards. And, unsurprisingly other teachers chimed in with similar experiences.

One wrote: "Yup!! That’s all you get. Desks, chairs, and textbooks. That’s what people don’t realize. We buy EVERYTHING!!"

To which the content creator replied: "My last classroom had furniture like shelves. I don’t know how to make my class library."

However, others weren't so sympathetic, saying they'd experienced much worse: "As a teacher for many years, I wasn’t sure what you were upset over. It looked nice to me. More than I had anytime I moved."

@progressivemama/TikTok

Another commenter made a valid point: "Comments saying that you had it worse are not helpful. The point is that we shouldn’t have to supply or furnish our own classrooms. It’s not okay."

One even made a response video to the initial post saying: "The comments section on that video are trauma dumping saying this person should feel fortunate because the room is not mouldy, or full of rats.

"If you wrote something like that on this video, don't follow me – that is not the vibe bestie."

"We need to be doing better by our teachers, we need to be doing better by our new teachers, just because things were c***** for you, doesn't mean they need to be c***** for everyone."

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Topics: Life, Social Media, TikTok, US News

Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.