Elementary School Teacher Says Working With Kids Is Too Overstimulating, Leaves Her Tired

A teacher who goes by Miss Hope (@madewith_hope) wanted to give TikTok viewers a taste of what it's like to work, day in, day out, inside of a classroom filled with talkative students.

So she recorded the audio from her classroom, not talking the entire time, in order for folks to see what one minute of what her work shift feels like.

"Next time we come home and we're frustrated and overstimulated, in a grumpy mood and you wanna know why, I want you to picture having to listen to this all day for eight hours a day and think about how you'd feel."

The teacher then records herself leaving a room and walking into the classroom area. The din and chatter of garrulous students intensifies as she enters the room as she adjusts her glasses.

"What it sounds like being a teacher," she writes in a text overlay of the video. Hope stands and looks at the students in her clip with a smile on her face.

She says some of her students are "barking" as she records herself staring blankly at them. She scratches the back of her head. "Let's not forget we've gone over hand-raising procedures like 1,000 times already," she says.

In this other portion of the clip, she poses in front of the camera lens, staring directly into it. Several children repeatedly call out her name — the teacher doesn't answer them and continues to record, pressing her fingers to her face.

This silent treatment toward her children continues as she strokes her chin and looks around the room. She says nothing to the children who keep calling out to her, and then the next sequence of the video shows her returning to what appears to be a back room.

"And this is a chill day. K. Love you," Hope says, blowing a kiss into the camera before the clip ultimately comes to an end.

Hope isn't the first teacher to hop on TikTok to state that they've been stressed out, overstimulated, and over-tired from working their job.

Several TikTokers who responded to the video seemed to agree with Hope's assessment of the kids' behavior. One person said that she deserved an "immediate pay raise" to listen to the sound of children talking day in, day out.

Another person, who appeared to be a teacher themselves, shared a helpful tool that they use in their own classroom in order to cut down on overstimulation and focus on their work: "I wear loop earplugs! It has done wonders for my overstimulation! I can still hear the students, it’s just not as intense!"

Someone else remarked that their favorite part of their job as a teacher is when they're away from the children they studied for years and took several certifications in order to instruct.

"I literally ride home in silence. it’s the best part of my day," she remarked.

One user on the app said that the loud voices of the children, echoing what Hope said, can be much louder: "And that’s without any behavior kids going off. Add that in for most days too. I’m drained."

According to Schools that Lead, 8 percent of educators end up ditching the profession each and every year. What's more is that "younger teachers are most likely to quit."

This creates a widening experience gap, meaning that more and more teachers who stick with their jobs are nearing retirement.

This could create a situation where older, more experienced teachers are ultimately phased out of schools, leaving throngs of younger teachers being put in charge of more and more classrooms.

Younger teachers are statistically at a higher risk of becoming disillusioned with their careers. This has ultimately led to a teacher shortage in the United States that has commanded the attention of the U.S. Department of Education.