People rally around teacher after student brings in stacks of money to mock her 'paycheck'

It has become widely recognized that teachers are consistently underpaid for their vital role in shaping society. Despite their profound influence on future generations, many educators struggle to make ends meet on salaries that often fall far below those of other professions requiring similar levels of education and dedication. What makes the situation even worse for them is when they have to deal with certain student's antics. A student went viral on TikTok when he posted a video revealing how he had mocked his teacher by showcasing her monthly salary in his hand. The video has amassed 5.3 million views and 6146 comments on the platform.

In the video, we can see the boy standing next to his teacher at the classroom's door, holding a big wad of cash in his hands. The text overlay reads, "Showed the teacher her paycheck 'cause she kept kicking me out of class.'" The teacher is trying to handle the situation without losing her cool and tries to look away from the student holding all of the money in his hands, showcasing the frustrating reality that our educators undergo. The short clip concludes with the student showing off all his money to the camera while still standing in the classroom.

People who watched the video criticized the student's actions and expressed their views in the comment section. @mkj657sdf said, "Being humble and showing respect will take you farther in life." Another individual, @titanoba, expressed, "I know he was expecting these comments to be different." @im_in_your_walls69 commented, "Honestly, bro, I was like you. Focus on school; that money is temporary." @iamdavante highlighted, "You're asking to get your money snatched and I hope it does." @andyl_o added, "The ones who show off too much are the ones that have less."

The wage conditions with teachers are depressing. Lexie Firment, a teacher—who goes by @missfirment on TikTok—posted a video a few months back revealing how she was struggling to make ends meet. The caption of the post reads, "Hey rats, I am a teacher and I can barely afford rent and groceries. This is the sad truth of teaching in 2023. Impossible to do it all." Firment starts the video by providing a breakdown of her in-hand salary, which she gets every two weeks. After that, she starts making deductions from her salary based on the bills that she has to pay, such as rent, car payments and insurance.

She states, "Oh yeah, that's right. You do the math, I'm left with owing money at the end of the month." While addressing her audience, she realizes that she's consistently dipping into her savings to cover expenses, fearing accumulating debt. Firment inhales deeply, acknowledging this reality. She admits, "I just had the realization in the car that I'm going to go into debt if I continue being a teacher." Knowing how she was pushing herself into a financially difficult position, Firment also shared that she did not feel like acknowledging the problem, seeing how serious it was.

This article originally appeared 6 months ago.