Atlanta’s ‘Teacher Bae’ And His Virtual Classes Have Gone Viral
An Atlanta teacher is going viral after he posted a video of himself enthusiastically interacting with his middle school students.
Emmanuel Robinson, or “Teacher Bae” as he’s been dubbed on social media, says he’s simply a teacher who cares deeply about his students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only two percent of America’s teachers are Black men and Robinson is in that number.
"I’m not doing anything I thought people would be interested in,” he told Fox5. “It was me just going live on my IG interacting with people and saving it and posting to Twitter.”
The video has been viewed thousands of times on social media. Robinson is a Jean Childs Young Middle School math teacher and says it’s his students that keep him going during this difficult time.
"It’s my babies that keep me coming back because we aren’t paid and we work from sun up to sun down but It’s my babies and kids that keep me coming back," he said to the news station.
Robinson says he treats his students like peers or family to help them relate to him better.
"I talk to them like they are at home like I’m their uncle or brother and in doing so, I break the barrier," he said.
Robinson himself tested into the special education program when he was in third grade, so he knows how difficult it can be for some students to learn, especially virtually during a pandemic.
"I was fortunate enough to test out in 8th grade because I had parents that were willing to do the work and were able to buy hooked on phonics and take the time to read with me and ingrained that,” he said. “My babies don’t have that. They don’t really have the opportunities or resources to have a mom who can give her afternoon to help her babies read.”
He added: "For my teaching style it was hard because I’m about connection first and understanding why you are mad in the morning or learning the student hasn’t eaten since you left class yesterday.”
Robinson says he will do whatever it takes to make sure students in his class get a thorough education.
"Education is full circle. It’s the parent. It’s the student and the teachers,” he said to Fox5. “I think if we all get on the same team then we can all help our babies be more successful.”
Watch Emmanuel Robinson’s viral Twitter video of him teaching his math class below:
