Teacher Working At IHop Receives Surprising $2,000 Tip From Customers After Working A Double Shift
She was overcome with emotion after seeing the kindhearted gesture from strangers.
Gorodenkoff | Shutterstock A teacher was left stunned after she received a surprising tip from a table of customers who wanted to bring a smile to her face after learning that she worked another job on top of being an educator.
In a video, influencers and Twitch streamers Emiru and Emily were eating at a popular restaurant when they recognized a public school teacher working there. After talking to her for a bit, they learned that she worked this second job to supplement her teacher's salary, and they decided to step in to help.
Customers left an IHOP employee a $2000 tip after learning she was a teacher working a second job.
In a TikTok video, Emiru and Emily were seated when a woman walked past their table to grab some menus. Immediately noticing her attire, which seemed to be Halloween-themed, they commented about how she was all dressed up. She explained that the outfit was from teaching earlier in the day because of an event for her students.
The public school teacher told Emiru and Emily that she taught high school and would come work at IHop at night after the school day was over.
The customers discussed how 'sad' it made them feel that despite working full-time, she needed a second job because the money from teaching wasn't enough to sustain her.
"She's doing the double shift," they said. "Give her a big tip, okay?"
Once Brenda, the teacher, came back, Emiru and Emily showed her the tip amount that they wanted to give her, which shocked her. With an open mouth, she stared at the screen in disbelief before profusely thanking Emiru and Emily and giving them both hugs.
She called it a "blessing" and even had to take a moment to wipe some tears from her eyes.
Brenda pointed out that the money would make her students incredibly happy, proving that even though the amount was for her, she still decided to spend it on her students.
Of course, that isn't uncommon, considering many teachers spend money from their paychecks on their classroom supplies.
According to the National Education Association (NEA), over 90% of teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies. The amount teachers spend varies, but the average is usually between $500 and $750 per year.
Most teachers work long hours and then have to report to a second job just to make ends meet.
Unfortunately, teachers having second jobs and side hustles is nothing new. Just like Brenda, many public school educators rely on their second jobs to supplement their income because, on just a teacher's salary alone, they are unable to meet most of their needs. According to data from The Hill, during summer breaks from school, nearly half planned to take a second job.
At the same time, 76% would be working in some professional development capacity — and not all of them are even paid by their districts over the summer months. The National Education Association released a similar report about the summer pay gap, and many of the educator's salaries have been a driving factor in the teacher shortage that was at an all-time high during the pandemic and still impacts many schools today.
But it isn't just the summer months when teachers seek a second job. A LendingTree survey via The Hill found that 17.1% of teachers will take on a second job even during the academic year. On top of all the other responsibilities that teachers have, a second job shouldn't be one of them.
It's saddening that politicians and lawmakers refuse to alleviate some of that burden by paying teachers more and giving them better access to resources so they don't have to reach into their own pockets just to fund their classrooms.
As we enter a new presidency, it seems like a lot of those issues may just go unanswered, meaning more teachers like Brenda may have to continue supplementing their income.
But hopefully, there are kindhearted people out there like Emiru and Emily who continue shining a light on many of these educators and refuse to let their hard work go unnoticed.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.