Mom tried to shame a teacher over a typo, then got a brutal reality check

A mom’s attempt to call out a typo on her five-year-old’s homework assignment unexpectedly ignited a broader conversation about teacher burnout and unpaid labor. What was intended as a lighthearted post instead prompted thousands of people to rally behind an educator many felt was being unfairly scrutinized.

The moment began after a parent shared a video pointing out a grammatical error on a pre-K worksheet, as reported by the Daily Dot. The response was swift, and it focused far less on the typo than on the conditions under which teachers are expected to work. The discussion moved beyond the individual incident, with commenters using it as an example of how minor mistakes can surface amid heavy workloads.

The video was posted to TikTok by Susan LaMarca and in the clip, she zoomed in on her child’s very first pre-K homework assignment, which included a short note asking parents to help practice “tricky words” such as “the,” “I,” and “is.” The message contained a noticeable mistake: “Its is their challenge for the weekend,” with an extra “s” turning the contraction “It’s” into an error.

This reaction caught many by surprise

The post drew close to 180,000 views, but the comments did not unfold as LaMarca may have expected. Many viewers, including a large number who identified themselves as educators, shifted the focus to the intense workload teachers manage daily. Similar frustrations have surfaced in other viral moments, including a Florida teacher who recently went viral for bluntly warning aspiring educators about the financial and emotional realities of the job in a widely shared clip.

One teacher commented that the typo was likely the result of rushing through tasks outside paid hours, adding that mistakes are inevitable when workloads are overwhelming. Other commenters echoed this sentiment, arguing that a single error should not overshadow the effort teachers put into supporting dozens of students at once. Some responses were more blunt, suggesting the outrage over a typo was wildly disproportionate to its impact.

Data from the Pew Research Center highlights how common overwork has become in the profession. In a 2024 survey, nearly eight in ten U.S. teachers reported that their standard workday did not provide enough time to complete essential responsibilities such as lesson planning, grading, administrative paperwork, and communication with parents.

As a result, many educators regularly work unpaid hours just to keep up. The same research found that a majority of teachers describe their jobs as highly stressful and difficult to balance with personal life. These pressures are increasingly spilling into online spaces as well, where platforms like TikTok have become an outlet for discussions about mental health and labor, echoing debates seen after TikTok launched its wellness missions.