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Heartwarming comics break down complex parenting issues with ease

Lunarbaboon comics tackle huge, important subjects with an effective, lighthearted touch that you can't help but smile at.

All images by Christopher Grady/Lunarbaboon, used with permission

Writing comics helped a father struggling with anxiety and depression.

Christopher Grady, a father and teacher from Toronto, was struggling with anxiety and depression. That's when he started drawing.

He describes his early cartoons and illustrations as a journal where he'd chronicle everyday moments from his life as a husband, elementary school teacher, and father to two kids.

"I needed a positive place to focus all my thoughts and found that when I was making comics I felt a little bit better," he says.

He began putting a few of his comics online, not expecting much of a response. But he quickly learned that people were connecting with his work in a deep way.

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@stillateacher/TikTok

Are AP kids as insufferable as they seem? Not according to Ms. C.

Think back to all those centuries ago (kidding), when you were but a wee teen in high school. Suddenly identity exploration and finding a sense of belonging become paramount. In those pivotal years, you meet other like-minded individuals with similar tastes and interests, and those people become your exclusive group of friends, otherwise known as a clique.

High school might look very different now than how it once did, but this rite of passage is still very much alive and well. Just ask Ms. C, who goes by the handle @stillateacher on TikTok.

Ms. C recently went viral for sharing a look at high school cliques from her perspective as a teacher, honing in on what she liked about teaching each clique. Her observations illuminate not only that yes, cliques persist (and with them their inherent problems) but that thereโ€™s something genuine, sweet and loveable about each one.

First on deckโ€”the goth kids, primarily because Ms. C admits to being scared of them when she was a kid. But now, after actually connecting with a few, she insists that underneath those dark and gloomy exteriors lies genuine kindness.

โ€œA common interaction between me and a goth kid is throughout class, they're just kind of like giving me a death glareโ€ฆAnd then after class, they just like linger around by my desk and I'm like, โ€˜Hey, what's up?โ€™ And they'll just like lightly knock over something on my desk and be like, โ€˜You're a really good teacher. This is my favorite class.โ€™ and then just walk out,โ€ she says in the clip.

So yeah, goth kids are just like cats. Misunderstood in the way they show love.

@stillateacher Something loveable about every clique #teacherย #teachersoftiktokย #teachertokย #highschoolย #cliqueย โ™ฌ original sound - Ms. C

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ms. C tackles theater kids next. Sure, this group has a big personality (perhaps too big for some), but Ms. C appreciates their brazen self-assurance.

โ€œThey reeeeealllly donโ€™t care what anyone thinks,โ€ she says, explaining that while other students add well-known pop singers to her class playlist, theater kids will shamelessly put in their favorite show tunes. Why? Because itโ€™s โ€œthe best musical of all time!โ€ Duh.

Plus, Ms. C commends their โ€œreally strong literacy skills from reading and memorizing all of these plays.โ€

For jocks, there are actually sub-cliques within the group โ€œdepending on which sport you play.โ€ But despite each sport team having different personalities, Ms. C notes that a supportive coach makes all the difference.

โ€œI've literally before picked up my phone and called the coach and then like be like, โ€˜So and so is having a tough day,โ€™ and they come and talk to them in the hallway and the student is like immediately changed, inspired, transformed,โ€ she says.

And while she admits that the teacher/jock relationship is often portrayed as contentious, she canโ€™t help but commend jocks for their passion and commitment.

โ€œA lot of the kids are just like die-hard for whatever sport they play. That keeps them coming to school consistently. It keeps them having something to do,โ€ she says.

After her initial post received over 800,000 views, Ms. C began reviewing even more cliques. Like band kids, who are โ€œclever,โ€ โ€œsarcastic," fond of outdated memes and generally โ€œlead a fun, joyful existence.โ€

@stillateacher Replying to @juan pablo Suarez band kids get a 5 star review #teacherย #teachersoftiktokย #teachertokย #highschoolย #cliqueย โ™ฌ original sound - Ms. C

Or art kids, who are โ€œself-deprecatingโ€ but โ€œbrilliantโ€ and โ€œgenerousโ€ and โ€œunproblematic royaltyโ€ overall.

@stillateacher Replying to @Escape_My_Reality โ™ฌ original sound - Ms. C

Ms. C has even advocated for the AP overachievers, who are often labeled as insufferable in their eagerness.

@stillateacher Replying to @520momo_mama I will defend overachievers to the death #teacherย #teachersoftiktokย #teachertokย #highschoolย #cliqueย โ™ฌ original sound - Ms. C

โ€œYou all have an edge and an intensity that you can leverage to lead truly extraordinary lives,โ€ says, before joking that theyโ€™ll โ€œalso need a lot of therapy, so many blessings to you on that journey, and the earlier you start the better.โ€

Requests for more clique reviews are still rolling in, asking Ms. C to cover the skater punks, the nerds, the speech and debate team, cheerleaders and dancers, โ€ฆand a lot of folks have suggested choir kids. So be sure to follow Ms. C for more wholesome entertainment.

High school cliques might evolve with the different generations, but one thing that will never change is that they each have something unique to offer.

Joy

Pre-K teacher stays in character while pretending someone is robbing his home and it's perfect

"Honey, I don't see your getaway car, are you sure they're coming to pick you up?"

He managed to get in ton of teacher-isms and also make it clear how little money he has.

Teachers deserve lots of kudos, but teachers who teach little kids deserve an extra measure of admiration.

I know this first hand, having been a middle and high school teacher who substitute taught a first-grade class once for two days. By noon on the first day, I found myself slumped over the teacher's desk in a daze while the kids were at lunch. Teaching tweens and teens isn't easy, but teaching little ones with their relentless needs and squirrel-like attention requires a whole other level of energy.

Pre-K? Can't even imagine. Give those teachers alllll the money. They deserve it.

Of course, preschool teachers do not get all the money, which is why a video from a Pre-K teacher pretending his house is getting robbed keeps going viral.

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Education

Teacher shares the fabulous call-and-response ways he gets students' attention

How do these kids know the lyrics of a Weezer song from 1994?!

A music teacher has a unique way to get students' attention.

If you've ever taught a classroom full of children, you know that getting them to settle down and pay attention all at the same time is a bit like trying to herd cats. (Seriously, teachers should make six figures. Every single one of them.)

Believe it or not, shouting, "OK, everyone! Time to settle down and get started!" is generally an ineffective way to get kids to settle down and get started. Threatening punishment sometimes works, but that's not very conducive to a healthy learning environment. So teachers often come up with creative ways to grab everyone's attention. There's the ever-popular clap-a-rhythm method, which works well for the youngest kiddos. There's the ear-piercing two-finger whistle for teachers who are talented enough to pull it off. There's the bell or the bullhorn, both of which are as annoying to the teacher as they are to the students.

And then there's the unique call-and-response, which one teacher shared on TikTok to the delight of millions.

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