Colton Major thought he was just venting about parent emails, then his TikToks went viral
Credit: Colton Major
NEED TO KNOW
- Colton Major, a high school teacher, shared the wildest parent emails he’d received on TikTok
- The videos quickly gained millions of views online
- The emails ranged from hilarious to shocking, but highlighted the unseen dedication and patience teachers give every day
When Colton Major, a high school teacher in Georgia, decided to share some of the most shocking emails he’d received from parents, he had no idea it would make him an internet sensation.
But within days, his TikTok videos had millions of views, sparking laughter, disbelief and admiration for the teachers who quietly do so much behind the scenes.
“I watched another TikTok user, @CoachPhilly, sharing parent emails, and I realized, wow — I have a whole archive of these from my first few years teaching,” Major, 30, recalls exclusively to PEOPLE. “I thought, I’ll try this and see what could possibly happen.”
@c_major_44
Nothing prepares you for the wild emails you get as a teacher… not college, not student teaching, NOTHING 😂📨 Just me, my coffee, and a message that could’ve been a meeting… or a therapy session. #TeacherTok #fyp #TeacherProblems #EduHumor #SchoolStruggles
♬ Nocturne (Chopin) calm piano solo – もつ
Major, who teaches 11th grade, had been drawn to education long before he stepped into his first classroom.
“Around 8th grade, I knew I wanted to go into teaching,” he says. “I was the kind of student who could grasp the material and then help others around me. I’d even go back to teachers asking for more — which seemed to shock them!”
That patience and compassion, he says, came from his late grandmother, who cared for him and his sister while their parents worked long hours, and from his parents’ emphasis on the Golden Rule: love thy neighbor and help when you can. “We are all in this together,” Major says. “I want to be a helping hand and show students what compassion and passion look like through teaching.”
The emails he shared on TikTok ran the gamut from bewildering to hilarious.
One parent objected to teaching World War II with too much “graphic detail.” Another insisted the Cold War should be renamed, while a third was flustered over a simple snow day email.
“I remember walking next door to my department head, saying, ‘You have got to see this,’ ” Major says. “We were both in disbelief — hands over our mouths, trying to understand how we got here.”
@c_major_44
POV: you teach History and open your inbox after school l. These are 100% real. Unfortunately they SHOULD also feel 100% fictional. Part 2 because y’all asked! #teachersoftiktok #parentemails #schoollife #ForYou #ViralTeacher
♬ Gymnopedie No. 1, Slowly, image of wave(1180783) – Dai Hentai Fujishima
Over the years, Major had quietly archived every parent email he received, along with his responses. Despite the shock value of the emails, sharing them publicly was cathartic.
However, he never expected the videos to go viral.
“Teaching can be overwhelming at times, and some of these emails made you question everything you thought you knew,” he says. “But sharing them publicly turned the chaos into something funny and relatable — and people responded to that.”
“I was truly speechless,” he adds. “But I also felt grateful, because it showed me what my content needed to be about: education and how we can continually improve it for the greater good of our generations to come.”
@c_major_44
Part 3 of emails I received as a high school history teacher 👨🏫 at this point I didn’t know if I taught history or customer service. Teachers… tell me the wildest inbox messages you ever opened #Teachertok #teacherlife #HighSchoolTeacher #relateable #fyp
♬ If You Want the World – Evermuse
For Major, the viral fame isn’t just about laughs; it’s a window into the daily reality of teaching.
“Teachers willingly give a piece of themselves every day for children who are not their own,” he says. “We deeply love our families, but we choose this profession because we care about every student we serve. Teaching is more than a job; it’s a calling rooted in service.”
He likens teachers to icebergs. “What people see on the surface is only a small portion of what we carry," he continues. "Beneath it is the preparation, the emotional investment, the consistency — the work that allows us to show up fully for our students each day.”
Colton hopes the TikToks help parents, students and the public see the human side of teachers. “Yes, we get wild emails,” he says, “but ultimately, we love what we do. We invest in lives, not just content, and that responsibility is something I carry with gratitude and intention every single day.”
Looking ahead, Colton wants to continue sharing the highs, lows and hilarity of teaching. “If I can make people laugh while giving them a window into what educators face every day, then it’s worth it,” he says. “Teaching is hard, it’s messy, but it’s also beautiful — and that’s what I want people to understand.”
Read the full article here
