‘TeacherTok’ researcher Dr Catherine Hartung has noticed a curious trend emerging amongst social media teacher content creators who are happily sharing videos of their interior set-ups.
“More and more teachers are purchasing cheap classroom supplies from companies that are not renowned for their quality.
“Teachers will share their ‘Temu hauls’ and the haul might include an array of plastic paraphernalia – from colourful whiteboard magnets and plastic clips to fidget toys and novelty pens – with no expectation that the items will last long” the senior lecturer at Swinburne University says.
“I think there’s an intensification of these kinds of classroom displays, and it’s not just TikTok and Instagram and other social media platforms that have created it – it’s the fact that it’s so much easier and cheaper now for beginning teachers to purchase stuff online to fill their classrooms.”
Hartung is quick to clarify that her observation is in no way a criticism of teachers and their dedicated efforts to personalise and beautify their classrooms.
But it does pay to consider the broader impact of this trend within the concept of ethical consumerism, and the implicit message ‘Temu hauls’ and the like might send to students, she suggests.
It’s the lure of cheap convenience that reigns.
“You might be looking for something really specific for your classroom, and in the past you just made do because you couldn't find it, or made your own, whereas now all it takes is a quick Google search and it’s delivered within three days.
“Now you can get items delivered to your door really quickly,” Hartung notes.
Classroom decorations sourced from companies such as Temu and Amazon are usually short-term additions to a learning space, the researcher adds.
“A teacher might see some plastic clouds online and think they’d look fabulous in their reading corner’.
“But then the clouds arrive and they're kind of small and dodgy looking and falling down.
“The teacher is already busy with everyday teaching, so pragmatically accepts it'll do for a term.”
While these items might offer teachers a feeling of creative fun (‘they tick that box’, Hartung says), researchers are becoming more aware of how teachers might be communicating ‘what matters’ to students.
Hartung, for one, would like to see more TikTok content creators showcase classrooms and design ideas that don’t require educators to buy cheap products from overseas companies with questionable ethical standards.
Nor should teachers feel pressured to splash their own cash in pursuit of classroom aesthetics, she warns.
“Analysing these classroom haul videos, it’s evident that many purchases are understandably cheap because the teachers aren’t wanting to spend a lot of money – nor should they!
“Their schools should be providing everything that's needed to set up a classroom, right? But teachers also want to personalise and humanise their space...”
Hartung is working on a research project alongside Dr Natalie Hendry from the University of Melbourne and Monash University’s Dr Rosie Welch, which is investigating teachers’ use of social media with a focus on TikTok teacher content creators and TikTok video anaysis.
This is also not about holding teachers to a higher standard with their consumer choices than the rest of society, Hartung emphasizes.
Indeed, many of us are guilty of loading up our online carts with ultra-cheap, stocking-filler items.
Emboldened by a ‘oh well, it’s cheap’ rationalisation, we fuel fast fashion and that particular kind of frenzied consumer culture every time we hit ‘buy now’.
Yet Hartung believes the growing prevalence of ‘Temu hauls’ on TeacherTok is often something that’s missed out of the conversation.
“A beautiful classroom can be created without these short-term purchases destined for landfill. That’s not to say teachers need to spend hours op shopping instead, but to think about, ‘how can I repurpose stuff?’
“How can I create an environment where I, as a student, would want to hang out and read a book, one that doesn't involve my just putting a lot of cheap and cheerful stuff on the wall? What’s the intent behind my purchases? How can I make environments more home-like or welcoming for students, and thereby make learning much richer and more enticing – a genuine third teacher?”
Above all, it pays to remember that your classroom does not summarise your worth as a teacher, Hartung concludes.
“A classroom does not need to be a curated showpiece to be effective, ideally it will be a ‘work in progress’.
“But the aesthetics of the classroom are still worth considering because they can be a powerful way to enhance students’ sense of belonging and engagement in the learning environment.”
This is the final article in a short series canvassing Dr Hartung’s insights on ‘TeacherTok’, classroom design and decoration when considering cognitive load theory, and trends in teachers’ related spending habits. Read the first article here, and the second here.
