A TikTok made by one "frustrated" teacher is going viral right now for highlighting a very common issue in American schools — one that educators are honestly tired of talking about. The video, which was posted last month by @progressivemama, shows her soon-to-be kindergarten classroom, which sits nearly empty, aside from some desks, chairs, and a white board.
On the surface, that may seem like "enough"
But in reality, preparing this classroom for the upcoming school year will take time and money — and it certainly won't come from the school budget.
@progressivemama So frustrated going into my classroom today. No shelves for a classroom library. The desks are weird for a Kindergarten class.. No cabinets. No rug. No left over supplies or books. How much of my own money am i expected to spend? My wishlist is in my bio. #SplashSummerVibe #FilmTeyvatIslands #TurboTaxAlphorn #teachertiktok #clearthelists ♬ original sound – Progressive Mama
"So frustrated going into my classroom today," writes @progressivemama in the post's caption. “No shelves for a classroom library. The desks are weird for a Kindergarten class. No cabinets. No rug. No left over supplies or books."
Finally, she asks the million-dollar question all teachers wonder at some point or another: "How much of my own money am I expected to spend?”
Almost immediately, comments started flooding in
Some were left by parents; others by fellow teachers, who were all too aware of this struggle.
"Yup!! That’s all you get," wrote one user. "Desks, chairs, and textbooks. That’s what people don’t realize — we buy EVERYTHING!!"
"How do congressmen get $40k to furnish their office, but school teachers can't even get $1k towards decor?" asked someone else.
This conversation is sadly nothing new
In fact, we've been hearing for years about just how often teachers have to dig into their own pockets in order to stock their classrooms with supplies or to merely decorate them to look like something other than a prison cell.
In 2021, a survey found that the average American teacher spends around $750 of his or her own money on school supplies for their homes, classrooms, and students. But around 30% of teachers spend even more on supplies, laying out roughly $1,000 or more on their classrooms each year.
At the same time, teachers are grossly underpaid
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers in American public schools make (on average) about 19% less than employees in commensurate professions. (This comes to about 81 cents on the dollar.)
It's no wonder then why so many teachers create public wish lists, in hopes that anyone with the time and ability to donate money and/or supplies will chip in.
After posting the TikTok of her empty classroom, @progressivemama did just that — and to her pleasant surprise, the donations started pouring in.
In a follow-up post, @progressivemama revealed what happened next
Thanks to the generosity of strangers — combined with her own contributions — her classroom has now been fully furnished.
@progressivemama Replying to @soph.antoinette ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
Now, instead of sitting in a stale, colorless box, her students will be able to learn in what looks like an actual kindergarten classroom.
Not everyone was empathetic to her story, though
Believe it or not, a lot of people who commented on the TikTok not-so-subtly implied that @progressivemama had no right to be "complaining" in the first place.
"That room is clean with nice desks, tables, and storage," one person told her. "Count your blessings. I have been in rooms with holes in the wall and floors with mice, insects, mold."
"I’d be ecstatic to have such a new, clean classroom!!" added someone else.
"I’ve moved five times in 16 years and NEVER had such a clean, quality space to work with," another person chimed in. "That furniture is amazing! I guess everything is relative."
Still, the vast majority of people jumped in to support the teacher — and once again reiterate what the real issue was here.
"The people commenting saying 'you’re lucky' clearly don’t teach kindergarten," one person wrote. "I hope your administration can get you some better furniture!"
"I’m so sorry people took your vulnerable post as a chance to one-up," said someone else. "Our students deserve better and we deserve better. Period."
