When quarantine started, teacher Rebecca Wallace came down with a severe case of boredom. After hearing many students talking about the app TikTok, she decided sharing her humor with the world might cure her ennui. On April 1, 2020, she decided to post her first video to TikTok. 

In the months that followed, Wallace has amassed over 87 thousand likes, 1400 followers, and more than 450 thousand views. She has done this by blending Family Consumer Science tips (such as how to freeze coffee as ice cubes and the difference between a colander and a strainer) with the latest trends and personal “story time.” 

As of right now, she has 1,451 followers on the app. She enjoys making videos about her FCS classes as a way to connect with students and storytimes about the past drama of her life. Right now, people continue to recognize her prom storytime video, which has over 69,000 likes. 

The four-part prom story started with Wallace agreeing to chaperone the AHS prom. Wallace holds a license in cosmetology and enjoys primping for special occasions. As she curled her long red hair and applied makeup before the event, she recorded herself talking about her experience at her own senior prom. Wallace told the story of how she was dumped by her high school boyfriend two weeks before the dance. Her hairdresser then introduced her son which resulted in them going together. Throughout each video, the audience watches Wallace transform from her typical at-home casual look to that of a glamorous prom chaperone. 

With TikTok comes a flood of comments, both positive and negative. Wallace likes to respond to negative comments with a quick, sarcastic “Thanks!” and then focuses on positivity, which pushes her to make more content. Although she describes herself as introverted, she feels that TikTok is a different environment. Being behind a screen makes her feel more comfortable sharing her “edgy, dad-joke” humor. 

So where does her humor come from? “A traumatic childhood,” Wallace quips. “I’ve always been funny,” she said. “I was bullied and then I became a bully myself,” she said, explaining that humor was a coping mechanism. “I could be mean,” she said, explaining that she is “more secure now, more confident.” She has kept the humor but dropped the meanness.

This is verified by her students. Sophomore Domanic Mullins said Wallace is “super nice and funny, no negativity.” His classmates concur.

“She’s a good teacher. She’s really funny and caring,” said freshman Joselyn Gardner. “She relates to us and makes sure we’re comfortable in the classroom.” Gardner took two of Wallace’s classes this year and has signed up for two more next year, saying the atmosphere in her room is “happy and understood.”

Freshman Claire Pellett said, “She makes a lot of jokes throughout the day, and that’s reflected in her TikToks.” Pellett said Wallace’s humor makes the class “less serious, more of a fun class.” She said students then feel comfortable with what they’re doing.

Wallace will continue to make TikToks because “I like talking about myself,” she said with a grin.

Follow Ms. Wallace on TikTok Ms.RWallace.