I started watching YouTube channels by teachers because I was unable to do my practicum in-person due to schools closing down. I’m really glad I did because I have learned so much from these videos. These teachers have renewed my belief that teaching is for me. I love seeing how excited they are to teach their students and build relationships with them. Tik Tok also has a lot of great teacher content, believe it or not.
1. Real Rap with Reynolds
CJ Reynolds is the YouTuber that inspired this article. I have been watching his videos nonstop lately. I plan to be a high school English in the future, and he teaches freshman and sophomore English in a charter school in West Philadelphia. He has such creative approaches to English teaching that are centered around getting students engaged. His teaching philosophy is also heavily centered around creating relationships with his students. I feel the same way, and it’s helpful to see how he approaches creating strong relationships. He hosts teacher talks every week and has a Facebook group that I am a part of.
2. The Lettered Classroom
Bridget is a kindergarten teacher. I still love to watch her content even though it’s very different from what I will be doing. What I love about her content is that her passion for her job is so clear. I also love the effort she puts into decorating her room.
3. The Caffeinated Classroom
Marie is a high school English teacher, but she has experience teaching many different topics and grade levels. She has exciting ideas for lessons and she stresses student-choice and flexibility. She introduced me to the idea of using “escape rooms” for lessons. It’s so helpful to get advice from such an experienced teacher.
4. Mrs. P.S.
Mrs. P.S. is a middle school math teacher in her first year. It’s great to see the perspective of a brand new teacher because that will be me soon. She took a non-traditional route, so she didn’t take any educational classes in college. It’s interesting to see how she adapted to an entirely new profession. Also, I absolutely adore her classroom.