Scroll through TikTok long enough, and you鈥檙e bound to see a teacher showing off their classroom, performing comedy skits based off interactions with students or administrators, or just sharing a peek inside their daily routines.
The popular video-sharing platform is almost an obsession for many teenagers, but there鈥檚 a growing number of educators on the app, too. Joe Harmon, a 8th and 10th grade social studies teacher at Redbank Valley High School in New Bethlehem, Pa., is one such teacher who enjoys making funny and satirical videos about the classroom. He has nearly 110,000 followers, and his videos have been liked 13.6 million times.
His bio? 鈥淗ere for the: 鈥楿gh, my teacher came up on my For You page!鈥欌��
Harmon has been able to monetize by joining the TikTok Creator Fund, which pays content creators based on how their videos perform. And he鈥檚 also gotten some freebies from brands who follow his account.
澳门跑狗论坛 spoke to Harmon about his experience on the app, and how his students and administrators feel about his TikTok fame. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you become so popular on TikTok?
It started in April 2020, when everyone was home. One of the people that worked at iCivics [a civics education nonprofit and curriculum group], Amber Coleman-Mortley, is big into social media. She sent out a dance challenge about the coronavirus pandemic鈥攍ike, wash your hands, wear a mask. It was kind of centered on how to keep safe. I told my daughter, who at the time was 14 years old, 鈥淟et鈥檚 do this dance challenge, and we鈥檒l put it on TikTok.鈥� She鈥檚 a 14-year-old girl鈥攕he鈥檚 like, 鈥淚 really don鈥檛 want it on my TikTok, why don鈥檛 you create an account?鈥�
I knew about TikTok, but at the time, I thought it was just dance challenges or dance things. When you teach 8th grade, that鈥檚 all you see鈥�8th grade girls during study hall or at the back of the class, doing dances that everyone does. So I made a TikTok, and then I鈥檓 stuck at home during the pandemic, so I鈥檓 scrolling through TikTok, and I鈥檓 like, oh my goodness, this is funny stuff. ... I started dabbling and making some from home.
I started getting some followers, but once I started going back to school and doing more school-related [content] and using that as my niche鈥攗sing [TikTok] sounds connected to funny things that happened in the classroom or just things that I observed as a teacher鈥攊t started taking off. By that fall, I surpassed 10,000 followers, which allowed me to get on the Creator Fund, so I started making money off of some of the videos.
Most of the time, it鈥檚 fractions of a cent鈥攜ou don鈥檛 make a whole heck of a lot. With videos like the BeReal one, that had 500,000-some views鈥攁 video like that makes like $18.
But here we are almost three years later, [I have] 109,000 followers. I鈥檝e made $2,600 in about two years. I turned 50 a few weeks ago, and I told my wife, 鈥淚 want to take my TikTok money and do something fun.鈥� So for my 50th birthday, we flew to Iceland, and spent five days in Iceland using my TikTok money.
Have you found the formula of what makes a TikTok do well?
I can sometimes predict what鈥檚 going to do well. Sometimes it鈥檚 hard鈥攕ometimes I鈥檒l think this is going to be great, and it鈥檚 not. What seems to do well are ones that generate a lot of comments. Anything I do about teaching civics or politics, that always causes comments.
I don鈥檛 take sides鈥擨鈥檓 not on there saying, 鈥淰ote for this or that.鈥� But if I do anything at all that shows anything about politics or voting, that seems to generate comments.
And just being funny. A lot of students will share [my videos] saying, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just like our teacher.鈥� It鈥檚 one of those things where if you can connect, and they鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, we see that all the time,鈥� that seems to do really well.
I鈥檓 not proud鈥擨鈥檒l be a goofball. And a lot of it is taken from what happens in class. Not everything. I鈥檓 not saying everything I do on there is exactly what happens in class. I鈥檒l give you one example.
My daughter got a 49 out of 50 on an assignment, and she had no idea why. [Her teacher] didn鈥檛 explain the loss of the point. I said, 鈥淥h, that stinks, I hate when teachers do that.鈥� ... So I made a video with that concept鈥攚hen a teacher gives a student 49 out of 50 but doesn鈥檛 explain why, and had this ominous music in the background and had this evil smile as a teacher.
Boy, did people get upset with me thinking that I did that. It got 14 million views鈥攊t鈥檚 the most viral video I鈥檝e ever had. But I didn鈥檛 do that [in real life]. I would never do that. I had somebody who duetted me and flipped me off. [Editor鈥檚 note: A user can 鈥渄uet鈥� someone else鈥檚 video by posting their reaction or response alongside the original TikTok.] It was so terrible. People were really like, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a horrible teacher, I hope you get fired.鈥�
So that鈥檚 the problem with TikTok鈥攑eople think that鈥檚 who you are sometimes. Sometimes it鈥檚 parody, sometimes I鈥檓 showing what really happens, but it鈥檚 always in a satirical, funny way. It鈥檚 a platform to show an exaggerated version of what happens in the classroom.
Are your administrators on board with your TikTok presence?
Oh my gosh, they love it. It鈥檚 weird. My principal鈥檚 been in one of my videos. My super hasn鈥檛, but I鈥檝e referenced her in a funny way, and she thinks it鈥檚 hilarious. Not making fun of her, but in every school, there is a dynamic between the boss and the teacher. Like when the boss walks in, and you鈥檙e at your worst moment teaching鈥攖hat always happens! Just that type of stuff.
I think it鈥檚 鈥榗ause they get it. They know I鈥檓 not trying to be controversial. I鈥檓 not trying to get the school in trouble. I鈥檓 not filming during class. I鈥檓 not even including students鈥擨 don鈥檛 have students in my videos. When I film, it鈥檚 either during my lunch break or after school. I鈥檓 not doing it to disrupt school whatsoever.
And they realized, it鈥檚 used as such a connecting point with the kids. The kids have asked me to be in their TikToks, which I will be in theirs anytime, [within] limits. I鈥檓 not gonna do certain things or certain music. But this one girl, she鈥檚 like, 鈥淚 want you to be in one of my videos sometime.鈥� I said, 鈥淟isten, I鈥檒l make you a deal. You get an A on the next test, and I鈥檒l be in your video.鈥� She studied for the test so I would be in her video鈥攕he got an A.
Even the 6th graders who come into our building, it鈥檚 like they already know me. They鈥檒l come up to me like, 鈥淥h, you鈥檙e the TikTok teacher. You鈥檙e that guy, you鈥檙e so funny.鈥� There鈥檚 already this immediate connection and this realization that yes, I鈥檓 the authority, and if I have to get after you, I have to get after you. But that鈥檚 me鈥攚hat they see on the videos. That鈥檚 who I am, I鈥檓 kind of a goofball.
Do your students like being featured in your videos?
It鈥檚 funny because I鈥檝e had students that are older that go to other schools, and they鈥檒l see students who are like, 鈥淥h my gosh, your teacher is TikTok famous, how does that feel?鈥� And they鈥檒l say they鈥檙e used to it鈥攖hey don鈥檛 even bat an eye.
I tell the students, 鈥淟isten, if you inspire something, ... and I make a video about it, and it gets a million views, I鈥檓 buying your class donuts.鈥� I had to do that last year. One girl said, 鈥淒o you want a piece of candy?鈥� I鈥檓 like, 鈥淵eah, I want candy!鈥� And it was pickle candy. It was so gross, I wasn鈥檛 expecting that. I made a TikTok making fun of that situation. It got 1.4 million views, and I had to buy them donuts because [their] inspiration made me money.
I鈥檝e definitely had instances where I鈥檝e had a kid say something, and she鈥檚 like, 鈥淎h, that鈥檚 going to be a TikTok, isn鈥檛 it?鈥� It might be! If it鈥檚 making fun of them, I won鈥檛. Of course, I鈥檓 not going to poke fun and mock them.
What is your advice for other teachers who want to monetize their TikTok account?
Really be careful with how your administration and the school views it. Keep it extremely non-controversial. The fact that I鈥檓 throwing myself out there as a teacher, I鈥檝e got to be careful. I view it as an extension of my classroom almost. I gotta be careful that I wouldn鈥檛 put anything out there that I don鈥檛 want my administration not to see, because I know they鈥檙e seeing it. I don鈥檛 want to have to defend something that I say or embarrass them or embarrass the school. I鈥檝e seen several teachers who have done that, and they鈥檝e gotten in trouble. They鈥檝e had to take their TikTok down, [or] maybe got fired or been let go because of it.
And be unique. I try not to copy what everybody else is doing. I try to find a unique spin to everything, and that鈥檚 when the views come. People seem to laugh at that. They say, 鈥淥h my gosh, that鈥檚 funny. I鈥檝e never thought of that.鈥�
A little over a year ago, T-Mobile started following me, and they sent me a message that they wanted to send me a box of goodies to start my school year and thank me for my TikTok platform. So I get this giant box, and there鈥檚 this brand-new iPad in there and all this cool stuff.
I鈥檝e been to teacher events, and they鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, you make TikToks?鈥� and they kind of furrow their brow and cringe a little bit. I鈥檓 like, 鈥淒ude, I went to Iceland. You do your thing, and I鈥檒l keep being an idiot and going to Iceland and getting free iPads.鈥�
