Teachers across Canada are turning to social media platform TikTok to share everything from their daily experiences to learning tips and even their classroom outfits. As part of the wider online community known as TeacherTok, some of them have amassed a following that extends beyond the classroom.

The Canadian Press talked to three Canadian teachers, whose TikTok videos have collectively reached millions of views, about how they balance professionalism, privacy and addressing misconceptions about their jobs.

SWAPPING TALES

Julia Adams, a Windsor, Ont.-based occasional teacher qualified to work in both elementary and high schools, said TeacherTok allows educators to showcase their day-to-day life, connect with other teachers and help people better understand what they do.

B次元官网网址淚 think a lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about what itB次元官网网址檚 actually like to be a teacher,B次元官网网址� said Adams, who has more than 51,000 TikTok followers under the username @juliaadams.

Adams, an artist who aspires to be a full-time art teacher, said posting online allows teachers with similar lived experiences to share advice and help navigate various situations.

B次元官网网址淵ou can figure out where to go from here and realize that youB次元官网网址檙e not so alone because teaching can be a very lonely profession.B次元官网网址�

The 29-year-old describes teachers as B次元官网网址渆ver-revolving doors.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e put on multiple hats a day. YouB次元官网网址檙e a social worker one second and now youB次元官网网址檙e a problem solver. Now IB次元官网网址檓 just gonna be a teacher. But then I also have to be a therapist and a nurse sometimes,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just very quick paced so thereB次元官网网址檚 a whole bunch of things that happen even in the matter of five minutes.B次元官网网址�

For Thanksgiving, Adams posted a B次元官网网址済ratitude treeB次元官网网址� she created at her school, which got more than 600,000 views on TikTok and became one of her most viral videos. The activity involved putting up paper leaves and asking students to write something they are grateful for, creating a tree display at the front of the school.

B次元官网网址淚 got comments saying, B次元官网网址極h IB次元官网网址檓 gonna show this to my principal,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址楾his is a great idea,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she said.

Adams also posts videos reacting to other teachersB次元官网网址� fashion choices, discussing pranks on her students and how she decorates her classroom. Going for a B次元官网网址渧ery generalized approach,B次元官网网址� Adams doesnB次元官网网址檛 record her students or mention their names and pronouns when she talks about them.

B次元官网网址淚 always make sure that IB次元官网网址檓 staying professional because itB次元官网网址檚 a public forum. You never know whoB次元官网网址檚 gonna come across your videos.B次元官网网址�

SHARING RESOURCES

Margaret Fong, 36, said her approach to TikTok is B次元官网网址渂eing very candid and almost vulnerable to the sense of sharing what itB次元官网网址檚 like to be a teacher.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 sharing our experiences: our wins, our challenges and next steps of what we can do to be better in the classroom and as people as well,B次元官网网址� said Fong, who has been teaching elementary school for 12 years in Toronto.

Fong said teaching is her calling, which inspired her online handle @mycalltoteach. She has more than 13,000 TikTok followers.

In 2020, when the new Ontario math curriculum came out, Fong said no resources were available to implement the work so she created her own digital slides, editable worksheets and assessments to meet the education standards, sharing both the resources and how she uses them online.

B次元官网网址淚 know what itB次元官网网址檚 like being a first-year teacher or even a 12-year teacher, we are always looking for new ideas,B次元官网网址� Fong said. B次元官网网址淎ll the resources I create I pour time, passion and experience into all of them.B次元官网网址�

Outside of hopping on Tik Tok trends, Fong also has website where she offers Ontario curriculum and teaching resources for a fee or at no cost, depending on the type of slides or worksheets.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 amazed at how IB次元官网网址檝e learned myself by watching other people, becoming a better teacher and even a mom.B次元官网网址�

TRENDY TEACHERS

Torontomiddle school teacher Zahra Hassan is well known on TikTok for her B次元官网网址�90s-style fashion in the classroom. Known as @misswondrousoul, she has more than 83,000 followers on the platform.

Hassan said her students encouraged her to post her fashion choices online, and the style she showcases makes her more approachable.

B次元官网网址淭hey think itB次元官网网址檚 the coolest thing ever. The kids are like 1.7 million views (combined) and youB次元官网网址檙e famous, you know?B次元官网网址�

The 29-year-old, whose parents immigrated from Somalia to Canada, said the need for representation is the reason why she became a teacher and wanted to pursue social media.

B次元官网网址淧eople that donB次元官网网址檛 look like me donB次元官网网址檛 understand the lived experiences of being a Black first-generation Canadian Muslim student in the school systemB次元官网网址� my school journey made me silence my identity and (want to) conform rather than celebrate my identity,B次元官网网址� Hassan said.

She said sheB次元官网网址檚 trying to B次元官网网址渃reate a space where we also can be celebrated for who we are.B次元官网网址�

Hassan has also done collaborations with brands like eBay, Indigo, Walmart and also has a podcast with another Black female teacher from New York called B次元官网网址楾hem 90s Teachers,B次元官网网址� which takes a deep dive into education topics beyond borders and school districts.

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