It was a strange feeling when a pupil came up to me and said, “My mum and I watched all your YouTube videos.”

He paused. “They’re boring.”

He wasn’t wrong, but as I replied back, “I’m not sure a review of 250-dollar running shoes is made for kids!”

For a long time, I’ve had too little energy for online content, caught between my life as a teacher and my life as a father of two small children.

My recent hesitation ran deeper than just time pressure. I looked at what was happening online with teachers, and frankly, I found myself appalled.

This is the story of why I deleted my social media accounts—and why I’ve come to believe that being a thoughtful content creator might be one of the most important things a modern teacher can do.

The Minefield: A Case Study in “Bad Teacher” Headlines

It’s easy to find examples that make you want to log off for good, especially as a teacher.

There was the elementary school teacher advertising her side hustle as an “orgasm pope.” While I found the public reaction exaggerated, it highlighted a weird, uncomfortable mixing of a teacher’s public and private personas.

Then there were the young teachers who had to fight for their jobs in court, arguably because school boards were wary of their status as online influencers. That didn’t sit right with me; it felt like a punishment for being modern.

But it didn’t help when German TV interviewed teachers who filmed videos in their classrooms, failed to protect their pupils’ privacy, and even advertised products in educational settings. That’s not a grey area; that’s just wrong.

Faced with all this, my dabbling on TikTok—a platform my pupils love—started to feel stupid. It didn’t help when I logged on the app after a long time away and found the “For you” all very strange, the videos all starting with the content equivalent of jump scares.

I ended up deleting almost all of my social media accounts. The risk seemed to far outweigh the reward. Things being shared online had all been getting anti-science; social media algorithms felt increasingly anti-social.

The Core Tension: Are You a Person or a Professional?

The real issue goes deeper than just bad examples. It touches the very core of what it means to be a teacher today.

We’re told to maintain a healthy work/life balance, to get a hobby, and to be unreachable when we’re off the clock.

That’s great advice, but it’s a difficult topic for teachers who grade papers at home and whose minds are still on classroom social dynamics long after the bell rings.

We chose our subjects because we have a personal interest in them. If you are professional about your work, you don’t just work as a teacher; in many ways, you are a teacher.

In addition, codes of conduct come in, stipulating standards we must adhere to even in our private lives.

The work wants to determine how you live and how you are allowed to present yourself. The statement, “Teaching is a calling, not a profession,” is horrible, in my opinion. It justifies low pay and long hours while ignoring that teachers are professionals who deserve respect—and a private life.

The Turning Point: Asking a Better Question

During my time offline, as I taught digital literacy and watched the rise of AI in education, I came away with a different perspective. I realized we were all stuck in a loop of fear and criticism.

What if this whole debate is framed by an outdated view of both teaching and the internet? What if, instead of being a risk to be managed, content creation is one of the most powerful professional development tools available to a modern educator?

It’s time we reframe the discussion: teachers shouldn’t just be allowed to be content creators; they should be encouraged.

The Case for the Teacher-Creator

When we look past the scary headlines, the benefits for our students and our profession become clear.

1. It’s Authentic Digital Literacy in Practice

Many teachers are now expected to teach digital literacy. I’d rather have a teacher who is an online creator—who knows the ins and outs of video creation, virality, and online communication—teaching my kids than someone hiding behind a fake Facebook profile with little idea of what the online world truly threatens and offers. When you create, you learn about digital footprints, copyright, and community management from experience, not a textbook.

2. It Models Passion and a Balanced Life

When teachers create content about their subject, they show its relevance outside the classroom and model what it means to be a lifelong learner. And when a teacher creates content about a healthy hobby, they show students that a fulfilling adult life isn’t just a professional role. It’s a powerful, positive example.

3. It Builds Modern Communication Skills

To create engaging content, you have to learn to explain complex ideas clearly, to script a compelling narrative, and to use multimedia tools effectively. These are not distractions from teaching; they are the core skills of master teaching, upgraded for the 21st century.

A Responsible Creator’s Checklist

Of course, this doesn’t mean a free-for-all. Being a teacher-creator comes with non-negotiable responsibilities.

These are the questions every one of us must constantly ask:

• Time & Energy: Is this taking away from my core duties to my students?
• Conflicts of Interest: Is my content monetized in a way that could ever pressure my students? Am I using it in the classroom appropriately?
• Equity: Does my content create an advantage for students with better access to technology?
• Privacy: Am I rigorously protecting the privacy of my students, my colleagues, and my school?
• Longevity: Will this content still reflect well on me and my profession in five or ten years?
• Professionalism: Does this content align with my role as an educator and set a positive example?

The Take-Away: From Consumers to Creators

Personally, I haven’t met these hordes of kids so often talked about, who all want to be influencers and YouTube stars.

I wish I did.

They would be motivated to use the internet for more than banal entertainment. They’d quickly learn that creating meaningful content takes hard work, skill, and dedication—more than just a click here or a dance there.

And that applies all the more to us.

By becoming thoughtful creators ourselves, we don’t just improve our own teaching. We put ourselves in the best possible position to guide the next generation, helping them navigate the digital world not as passive consumers, but as responsible, skilled, and passionate creators in their own right.