Teacher issues wholesome warning to colleagues: 'Be careful what you leave on your desk'
The kids are definitely alright.
A teacher issued a tongue-in-cheek warning to her colleagues about leaving things on their desk.
If you believe the headlines, "kids these days" are the worst. Teachers are quitting in droves in part because the Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids are disrespectful, lazy, and downright unteachable. And that's to say nothing of systemic issues in curriculums, school budgets, politics in the classroom, and more.
But the kids, apparently, aren't making it any easier.
A story from author, mom, and educator Megan Davidhizar, shows that not everyone's having a bad experience with the younger generations. Her story begins with a tongue-in-cheek warning for her fellow teachers.
A veteran educator who teaches high school, Davidhizar shares on TikTok all about her journey as a teacher. She has a great sense of humor and seems to really understand today's students and trends. And so when she set out to warn her colleagues about a potential issue, people listened up.
"When I went to school to become a teacher, no one ever told me that I needed to be so careful about what I put out on my desk," she says in one recent video.
Davidhizar knows what the narratives are. She knows what's expected of kids today, and she knows the people watching her TikTok video are going to brace themselves for a story about kids stealing from her or ruthlessly pranking her. She plays on those expectations beautifully here.
"Some students who, after I recently got married, gave me these two cute little rubber ducks," she says, holding them up to the camera. The ducks were meant to represent Davidhizar and her husband. "So I put them out on my desk. You wanna know what my room looks like 16 years later?"
Watch to the end for the surprise ending:
@megan.davidhizar Wait til the end. What teacher at your school has a room filled with hundreds of the same thing? (Also, I love every one I’ve been given. I write the names of who gave them to me on the bottoms) #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #teacherwarning #rubberducks #newteacher #veteranteacher #teacheradvice
Yes, after keenly observing that Mrs. Davidhizar likes rubber ducks, her students began bombarding her with more and more ducks. Her classroom is now full of them, including a drawer that contains all the ones she doesn't have room for on her desk and shelves.
All in all, it has to be hundreds of ducks and hundreds of little gifts from the students she's crossed paths with over the years.
It's adorable and absolutely incredible. The video racked up 5.7 million views and commenters couldn't help but chime in with their admiration for Davidhizar's dedication. Clearly, it said a lot about her as a teacher to receive so much love from her students.
"that says your a good teacher that your students saw that and then saw a duck for sale and thought of you and wanted to get that for you" one commenter said.
Many people had similar stories of the same phenomenon happening to teachers over the years.
"My history teacher had a flamingo, he now has thousands"
"The same thing happened to my English teacher ... Someone bought him a little owl ornament for his desk... Then it became a thing & EVERYONE bought him owls"
"I taught kindergarten and wore an apron over my clothes. through the years, moms & grandmas noticed and would make aprons for me. I have such an apron collection"
"Those kids LOVE you," one person wrote. "I love them too," Davidhizar responded.
There's no denying that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are different. Maybe not all teachers are set up to succeed in this new and challenging environment where they have to compete with social media, phones, parents who coddle, and overwhelming workloads.
@megan.davidhizar Why else would someone become an English teacher? #elateacher #highschool #middleschool #teacherlife
Those teachers need better support: healthier budgets, better pay, and more support from the administration.
But you still have to hand it to teachers like Mrs. Davidhizar who have found a way to make it work. They've come up with creative and engaging ways to cut through the noise and connect with their students. Even though it's arguably harder than ever, teachers like Davidhizar are showing us that it's still possible to connect with the right approach.
They say teaching doesn't pay, but of course, they must not be counting all the free ducks.