TikTok Teacher

Activist Teachers Cross Lines of Professionalism

I follow a lot of adults on social media who happen to be teachers. Teachers have the perfect skill set to be amazing social media influencers. They have excellent communication skills, they are charming, knowledgeable, interesting, passionate, and provide great educational tips that can be a resource for parents. And becoming a social media influencer today is easier than ever due to an easy user-friendly interface, and the potential for organic reach that is found on TikTok and Instagram. However, it's important for teachers, like anyone else, to consider professional boundaries and ethical standards when using social media platforms. Teachers should be mindful of the content they share and ensure it aligns with their role as educators. As long as they are professional, don’t show their classroom and provide educational value, I think they are a valuable asset to social media.

Recently I came across @Payalforstyle in my feed in both Insta and TikTok with her video shorts about moms teaching kids lessons in social-emotional learning, household tasks, and overall empathy for a future partner. In addition to that, she has an adorable fashion style complete with Amazon shop and an LTK account, which unfortunately includes pictures in her classroom to which I find unacceptable. Far be it from me to stand between an entrepreneur and their side hustle, but I can’t image any employer would be happy with their employee recording inside their worksite, especially a workplace that includes children. She never shows any images of the kids, but it seems highly unprofessional and could put children at risk when she shares her classroom.

You might wonder how on earth she could jeopardize the safety of children by displaying her classroom and providing videos on fashion. Apparently in-between the fashion and cute videos she has somehow managed to enrage some “very angry” men who made comments that were “unhinged”, “toxic” according to her. This is what occurs when you are online and publicly display your life. I warn my children about this all the time. In fact, I do not show current pictures of my children online for this reason.

Payal has 290K followers on TikTok and 302K on Instagram and this puts her at risk for a lot of hate. This is one of the reasons she should not show her classroom, tell people where her school is located and talk about the events that occur at the school.

I found out all kinds of personal information by just googling her name. She’s sober. Good for her. Also it was very easy for me to figure out where she lived (Bizpedia gives out her full home address) and her employer (Fox News article) with little effort on my part. It turns out she actually lives in my small town (small world), which I’m not going to share. I also hemmed and hawed at revealing her New Jersey school district where she works also, but because of the multiple times she shows her classroom and the number of angry male followers that she may have, I decided that it’s just not safe. I don’t feel comfortable sharing the name of school district because I don’t want this article to be found when some hater googles her name.

Below, she outwardly speaks about her “Lock Out” where there was an active threat in the school. Not sure that her large following is the right place to out the details of what happens inside the school.

But if she is nervous about “proceeding with caution” then she probably shouldn’t be showing her classroom, talking about being a teacher and angering adults online.

Recently she has taken her platform as an opportunity to share personal opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, favoring one side and appearing to lack neutrality in the classroom setting.  Also, its unprofessional.

It is important maintain an unbiased and balanced educational environment when discussing complex geopolitical issues such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, especially in her district where there is a heavy Jewish population.

She even goes further and references Israelis as terrorists and indicates that they are committing genocide.  The spread of this type of rhetoric has the potential to incite violence against Jewish students and create a sense of exclusion and isolation, stemming from a teacher's expression of these exact types of opinions. In the below post she even shares her full name, which is really not advisable.

The Board of Education should probably review her accounts to provide a thorough investigation. They should also guarantee that classroom discussions and materials presented are objective, devoid of personal bias or favoritism toward any particular side of this conflict.

Turns out Below is her interaction with a friend of mine, you know how it goes in a small town, people talk and check out your online presence, especially since the algorithms market to people near your location. In our tight-knit community, where everyone's in the loop, folks are starting to wonder why she's so fast and loose with her words, especially with her husband working for an Israeli company.

Teachers play a crucial role in presenting information with fairness and impartiality, fostering critical thinking trying to stay as unbiased as possible. This is particularly important when teachers are making online videos… because the kids are watching.