Whether it’s setting up the ideal classroom layout or seeking solace after a difficult day, you’re going to find something new on #teachertok.
The #teachersoftiktok and #teacher hashtags have a combined total of 96.1 billion views across all videos, so it’s safe to say educators have carved out a wide-reaching space on the platform. Some teachers say they use TikTok to meet students where they are, and then engage them in deeper learning through other approaches. Many use the video-sharing platform to connect with other educators, discuss their profession, and share lesson ideas or inspiration.
Here are some interesting ways that teachers use TikTok, as well as several of the most popular teaching-related hashtags and searches.
Comedy
Last spring, Education Week reporter Ileana Najarro wrote about how a touring comedy show created by Bored Teachers was helping teachers form connections—and laugh lines—with other educators by creating a space for them to come together and discuss challenges specific to the teaching profession in a lighthearted way.
Perhaps the success of comedic teaching-related outlets is due to a decline in teacher satisfaction and morale over the last decade. The 2022 Merrimack College Teacher Survey, which was conducted by the EdWeek Research Center and commissioned by Winston School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College, found that “[a] little more than half of teachers are satisfied with their jobs, and only 12 percent say they’re ‘very satisfied’ with their jobs, down from 39 percent in 2012. More than half of teachers said they likely wouldn’t advise their younger self to pursue a career in teaching.”
Teachers who use humor on TikTok to reach other educators tend to do so as a form of encouragement for and camaraderie with their peers.
OOTDs (‘Outfit of the day’)
Though teacher dress codes are an often-debated issue among school staff, and attire requirements vary by district, teachers on TikTok bring their followers heaps of fresh apparel ideas to help them put together outfits for the school day.
Discussing serious topics
#Teachertok isn’t all about attractive classroom decorations, creative lesson ideas, or comfy-but-cool outfit inspiration. Many teachers leverage their TikTok platforms to highlight serious issues in education and the teaching profession, as well as advocate for various social-justice topics.
Encouragement
We’ve written about tips to help teachers shake the “October Blues,” that time of year when teachers lose the sense of excitement from the start of the school year and get caught in tangles of stress in the fall. Teachers on TikTok show solidarity for their fellow educators struggling to stay motivated.
Classroom management conversations
Cell phones in class, or no cell phones in class? Should students be allowed to eat during instruction time? How should classroom management strategies differ by students’ age?
Educators often debate the most effective classroom management strategies. (See EdWeek’s Classroom Management tag for more reading.) Some teachers on TikTok share their take on classroom management, offering advice from their experiences with students.
Connecting with students
Last year, we wrote about some of the creative ways that principals use TikTok to help foster a positive school culture. Here are some examples of how teachers are using it to connect with their students, too.
Sharing advice, tips, and strategies
One of the most expansive corners of #teachertok includes teachers sharing advice about all things related to the teaching profession. From tips for early-career teachers to lesson activity ideas, TikTok teachers share it all with each other.
