This hardworking Ohio teacher has gone viral after responding to a sarcastic resident who said “it is nice the teachers have decided to work again” on a community Facebook page.
Katie Peters, who lives in the city of Toledo in the US state of Ohio, said she “felt something shatter” when she read the netizen’s comment on the community page.
In response, the 10th and 12th grade English teacher took to TikTok to explain how long and hard she and many other teachers work in a day, and went viral in the process.
In the TikTok video, which has been viewed 2.6 million times, Peters, who currently works for the Washington Local School District in north-western Ohio, says the resident’s sarcastic comment “struck a nerve”.
Peters, who was honoured as Northwest Ohio’s Teacher of the Year in 2012, said: “Today, I taught for six periods and subbed on my planning.
“I helped a young man find safe housing. I found a winter coat for a girl who didn’t have one.
“I located a student’s missing backpack and arranged for a replacement Chromebook for that student. I gave a student a little bit of cash for a haircut, and made sure another student had enough food to last them through the weekend.”
The English teacher continued to describe the students she helped throughout the day, adding: “I don’t want a single accolade. No teacher I know wants a pat on the back or gratitude. What they do need is grace.”
She also explained that she had spent four hours on lesson plans that could “at the drop of a hat, go virtual without any warning” due to ongoing COVID-19 measures.
Peters continued: “I want you to know in your child’s school, 30 to 50 teachers and support staff did that today and will do it again tomorrow.
“It’s what we signed up for; it’s what we love; it’s what makes us fulfilled.
“Loving kids is the purest form of beauty that exists.”
After the video went viral, Peters told Newsweek in an interview: “I just wanted people to remember how far compassion goes, in motivating and uplifting people. I was so happy to see that it struck a nerve because that means other people are also craving this kindness.”
