As Kids Head Back to School, Here Are the Most Popular Teachers to Follow on TikTok

As students across the country head back to school, we're taking a look at some of the most popular teachers on TikTok.

According to a 2023 study, TikTok users are extreme interested in watching teachers discuss their work on the platform — in fact, it was the second most-watched profession on the app, with the #teacher tag garnering over 61.3 billion views.

The popularity of educators on TikTok shines through with these creators. Rather than keeping phones out of their classrooms, these teachers — who work with students ranging from kindergarten through high school — share their journeys using TikTok. These educators' content includes everything from language lessons and science experiments, to sketches about what goes on behind the scenes from both students' and teachers' perspectives.

Here are some of the most popular teachers on TikTok:

Nibaldo Calvo Buides (@spanishforeveryday)

Nibaldo Calvo Buides is a Kentucky-based Spanish teacher known for his hilarious daily videos in which he uses sketch comedy and pop culture to teach his followers common phrases. Buides has over 2.9 million followers and more than 112 million likes.

Ms. James (@iamthatenglishteacher)

Claudine James is here for all your English and grammar needs. James, who has over 5.8 million followers and 36.9 million likes on TikTok, creates content like lessons on common grammar mistakes (like the difference between "they're," "their" and "there") and advice for other teachers dealing with rowdy classrooms. If you struggle with possession and punctuation, her page is for you.

Phillip Cook (@chemteacherPhil)

Indiana-based high school chemistry teacher Phillip Cook creates videos for all your science needs. As his story goes, a student encouraged him to start posting clips of his experiments online, and his page blew up from there. His videos include when he made a fire out of water and a ziploc bag, batteries out of Play-Doh and biodiesel from cooking oil.

"The comments I appreciate the most are the ones where people of whatever age say, 'I wish my chemistry teacher would have done that, my experience was different, thanks for giving me a second shot at chemistry.' Those are why I do this," Cook said of his TikTok page in an interview with The Verge.

Cook has made appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show and the Today show, and has garnered over 3.9 million followers and 59.5 million likes on TikTok.

Jere Chang (@mschanggifted)

Jere Chang, known for giving her followers a behind-the-scenes look into what teaching is like, is a gifted education teacher at an elementary school in Georgia. She also shares her perspective as a queer teacher coming from a conservative background.

"I strive to provide a classroom atmosphere that celebrates differences and creates a safe space for all students to be their true selves," she told TikTok in an interview. "As an openly gay elementary teacher, people often turn to me for guidance and support."

@Mrs.Frazzled

Although she's taken a break from teaching to take maternity leave and pursue a master's in education, fans know Mrs. Frazzled (as she jokingly calls herself online) for her videos speaking out on the struggles teachers face today (she even helms a podcast Teacher Quit Talk, about the burnout and urges to quit that many teachers face). Whether she's making comedy sketches about politicians views on teachers or using a kid-friendly teacher voice in other situations, she's always open and speaking candidly.