Teacher working at IHOP got a $2,000 tip. Her reaction is why teachers deserve better pay.
Her first thought was for her students…
It's been said a million times but bears repeating until it comes true: Teachers deserve to be paid well. Not just enough to get by or even a decent salary, but a lot. Surgeon-level salaries. Engineer-level salaries. Unless you've experienced first-hand what it takes to manage 25 or 30 of immature human beings and engage them in productive learning all day, you probably have no idea. Teaching is one of the hardest jobs there is and arguably one of the most important for the future of humanity.
And yet, many teachers end up working second jobs because their teacher salary doesn't pay enough. Countless educators wait tables or deliver pizzas or take on other part-time work on evenings and weekends to fill in the gaps.
So when Twitch streamers Emily and Emiru found out their friendly server at International House of Pancakes was a teacher, they decided to do something extra special and give her a large tip.
The server, Brenda, was all dressed up for Halloween and she explained that her school had had a party for the students that day. The streamers told her she looked great, but privately expressed concern about her working a second job after teaching all day.
"That makes me sad, she's a teacher and she has to work at night at IHOP," Emiru said. "Let's give her a really big tip."
@extraemily Emiru and ExtraEmily left her a $2000 tip #extraemily #extraemilyclips #otk #otkteam #emiru #emiruclips #waitress #thousanddollars
They were live streaming at the time and people in the chat started adding money to their tip, which quickly added up to $2,000. The girls helped Brenda get set up on Venmo, then sent the tip electronically with a note that said, "THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST HALLOWEEN SPIRIT EVER [HEART EMOJI] W BRENDA."
When Brenda saw the tip amount, her jaw dropped in disbelief. She called it "a blessing" and hugged the girls, saying, "My students will thank you so much!" After Emily and Emiru told her she deserved it, she added, "I'll be able to do a lot for my kids. They're so precious. I'm grandma to so many kids." She said she was thinking of her favorite student and what she was going to be able to do for them for Christmas.
That reaction right there is why teachers deserve to be paid a salary they can thrive on. The first thing she thought of was her students and how they will benefit from this money, not her.
People have reacted with well-deserved praise for Brenda's selflessness, gratitude to Emily and Emiru for arranging the generous tip, and dismay at how dystopian it is for teachers to have to work two jobs while people donate to them through online streamers. Celebrating the human kindness on display while also lamenting the reality of what we're looking at has become such a common occurrence when it comes to helping teachers out. We have teachers pouring their own limited money into their classrooms. We have events where teachers "win" money for their schools. We have crowdfunding campaigns for school supplies—all in one of the richest countries on Earth.
We can rail about that all day long, but unless we elect legislators who value public education and value what teachers do, things aren't going to change on the compensation front as much as they should. That's a long game, though, so in the meantime, these kinds of gestures can make a real difference in the life of an individual teacher. Kudos to Emily and Emiru for making this humble teacher's day.