This High School Teacher at the End of the Year Is Honestly All of Us

“We survive May. We don’t thrive May.”

Still photos from a TikTok about a high school teacher in May

We’re in the final stretch of the school year. And while the last month of school can mean many things, for high school teachers it means this:

  • Students are now very comfortable in your class. While this is lovely for the student-teacher relationship, it also means they are also very comfortable oversharing, not turning in work, and participating in behaviors they would have never attempted earlier in the year.
  • Seemingly endless “Can the rules not apply to me?” questions. Can I leave 15 minutes early? Can I tackle him? Can I see what’s in your purse? Can I text your husband? Can we film a TikTok?
  • PEAK PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXHAUSTION.
  • All the forms. All. Of. The. Forms.
  • Oh, also the whole “pack up your whole room and move it home for the summer” thing.

It’s no wonder this time of year leaves us all frazzled, stressed, and hunting for extremely simple words (“What’s the word for that thing you eat soup with? Circle-stick?”).

One teacher doing the work of illustrating this time of year is our secondary teaching queen, @educatorandrea. We’ve covered other gems of hers, like the differences between teachers in elementary, middle, and high and what it’s like to be a teacher on Valentine’s Day. Recently, she posted this gem.

(Elementary teachers, you may want to cover your ears.)

@educatorandrea

Fun is for the person I used to be. #teacherlife #teachertok #fyp All topics and situations are inspired by either my personal experience throughout my years of teaching or the experiences of other educators. Sometimes they are an amalgamation of both. The anonymity of all students and schools have been protected.

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♬ original sound – Andrea

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“Can we do something fun? No. It’s May. We don’t do fun things in May. We survive May. We don’t thrive May.”

Bookmark this the next time your students complain about not doing “anything fun.”

“Am I going to miss you next year?………Are you going to miss me? Then, yes.”

The pause is *chef’s kiss*.

“I’m your favorite teacher? How do you treat the teachers you don’t like?”

For real, though.

We also loved these comments on her TikTok:

Comment about high school teacher in May from TikTok

I need to remember that one for my toddler.

Comment from TikTok about high school teacher in May

SAME.

We’re grateful for all high school teachers, but especially the ones who can laugh at themselves in such a trying time of year (and make us laugh too).

Also, we’re thrilled for her for pursuing her dream of being a university professor in the fall! Follow her here for hopefully continued TikTok content from the post-secondary realm.

Are you surviving or thriving May? Let us know in the comments!

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TikTok creator @educatorandrea shows what it's like being a high school teacher in May, and trust me, you'll feel seen.