We’re all doing our best right now as we toggle back and forth between real and virtual school. Teachers, parents, kids, employers – we’re all putting on those fake smiles and making it work every single day.
Some parents are looking for ways to keep things interesting, and going the extra mile to keep everyone – probably themselves most of all – engaged and entertained.
@jplaf He hates us already 😂 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #momsoftiktok #onlineschool #highschool #backtoschool #viral #hsm #comedy #parents #firstdayofschool
Which is, I assume, how this mother started coming up with virtual “school announcements” for her house every morning.
Deb Plafker – aka Principal Mom – is from Danville, CA. She and her daughter began sharing daily morning announcements for her son Max, a senior who is learning from home at the moment.
The announcements have a spoof style, with fun takes like “drama is canceled for the day because your sister is providing enough drama for the day.”
@jplaf announcements are back! #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #principalmom #principlemom #momsoftiktok #thecoldestwater @thecoldestwater #highschool #SAT #viral
Their daily national anthem is “Baby Shark,” and her daughter Jamie, who’s 22, is totally on board for the madness.
“We were making jokes about all the funny things that would happen during this online coronavirus school time. I started writing them all down and said, ‘We have to put this on TikTok.'”
And that, my friends, is how Principal Mom was born.
@jplaf When her husband is the only parent at back to school night #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #principlemom #momsoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #backtoschool #lol
Jamie shares the videos on TikTok, and people straight up love them – probably because they’re so relatable, but also because we’re all trying to laugh to keep from crying.
Anything that helps us do that, collectively, is ok in my book.
I’m guessing that after you become one of their 4 million views (and counting), you’re going to agree.