The Internet Reacts To Teacher’s Rant About Being Poor
The $1,300 teacher salary of TikTok User Durell Nash is receiving plenty of praise as he calls the work a "poor a** job."
Educators are fighting for better pay. The pandemic uncovered disturbing truths about the state of public education in America. Part of that was how overworked and often underpaid educators are. Many states have taken sweeping measures to increase teacher salary for individuals in the industry, but some feel it is not enough. Now, an alleged teacher is stirring debate on the internet for his rant asserting that teaching is a “poor a** job.”
@rello7414 Teaching a poor ass job fr 😭😭 #fyp #foryoupage #ReTokforNature #PostitAffirmations #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teacherproblems #blackeducator ♬ original sound – Durrell Nash
The video in question was posted by Durell Nash (@rello7414), a man that claims to be a fifth-grade teacher. He begins by saying that he just received his first paycheck as an educator. Not holding back, especially with his choice of language, he tells his viewers that he just received a $1,300 stipend. Complaining about that figure being far too low, he ends the video ridiculing his teacher salary saying, “poor people teach.”
His teacher salary rant has gone viral on the social media platform, with over 420,000 views and more than 1800 comments from viewers weighing in. Many of the responders resonated with Nash agreeing that the work is that of a poor man. Some disclosed their own paychecks, noting how much less they made than him. One user claimed to be an aid, making only $500, and another said she is a PreK teacher that brings home just $692.
Others lamented with Nash over poor teacher salary. One commenter noted that as a parent, they make sure to give their children’s teachers gift cards throughout the year because they understand how little the pay can be. Others pointed out how bad the situation is, considering the fact that many of these educators also have to spend their own money to ready their classrooms for children.
Across the nation, teachers complain about not having needed supplies for their classrooms. Some districts give them a set amount of money each year to spend on supplies, but many complain that it is nowhere near enough to cover what is needed. Often, a teacher’s salary has to pay not only for their life needs but also for their students, with some asserting that they spend upwards of $1,000 a year on their classroom.
Other than posting about his meager teacher salary, Durell Nash has posted several other videos in the past weeks about his journey in his first year in the classroom. In another video, he discussed the stress on the job, stating that a white kid threatened to beat him up. In another, he claims that he hadn’t even had a chance to start teaching in his fifth-grade class yet because the school had him filling in for another teacher in eighth grade. In his latest post, he says he realizes he needs to have a second job to survive.
The average teacher salary in America earns an educator $16.50 an hour, according to Indeed. But the disparity runs deep depending on location. Some can earn upwards of $50 an hour, while others make less than $7.50. It is unclear where in the county Durell Nash is teaching, but what is clear is the fact that he and plenty of other teachers all over the place are fed up with feeling poor and unappreciated.
