An Ohio teacher has admitted that she’s going to go into debt if she continues her career as a teacher. The 23-year-old posted a TikTok video in which she admitted to having a “panic attack” when thinking about how little money she has to work with after paying her expenses.
Lexie Firment is a science teacher at Blufton Middle School in Avon, near Cleveland.
She often films videos documenting her experiences as a teacher as well as her issues with poor mental health. In a recent clip filmed in her car, she broke down her monthly expenses and what a struggle it is to make ends meet.
“I’m a teacher, and I can barely afford to pay rent with my salary,” she said. After paying all of her bills, she only has about $500 to work with for other expenses like food, gas, etc.
Teaching simply isn’t paying Lexie enough to work with.
@missfirment Hey rats, i am a teacher and i can barely afford rent and groceries. This is the sad truth of teaching in 2023. Impossible to do it all. #teachertruth #teachersalary #brokteacher #teachersalaries #teachersalarydoesntpaybills #broketeachers #payteachersmore #payteacherslikeproffessionals #payteachersmoremoney #teachertired #teachermentalhealth #cantaffordit
“Guess how much my car is? $400. Guess how much insurance is? $100,” she explained in the clip.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. You do the math. I’m left with owing money at the end of the month. That’s not even with groceries.”
“Holy [expletive]. That’s not even with groceries. I realize every single month I am transferring money out of savings into my checking account. Just had the realization in the car that I’m actually gonna go into debt if I continue being a teacher.”
This is only Lexie’s second year of teaching.
She immediately entered the profession after graduating in May 2022, and the reality of her situation is alreay getting to her.
“I’m literally having a crisis right now,” she admitted in the clip. “I’m literally having a crisis right now. I’m literally going to have a panic attack right now … I literally cannot do this.”
“I don’t have money … I don’t know how I’m gonna pay off my credit card this month.”
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Many people commiserated with Lexie.
Teaching is an incredibly important career, but it simply doesn’t pay well enough for many people to even consider entering the profession.
People in the comments section who work in the field related to Lexie’s plight, with one person saying, “I wait for payday with a knot in my stomach and then cry on pay day because I have $30 left.”
Another pointed out, “Not to mention gas, student loans, insurance, subscriptions, brb I’m crying in the club.”
A third person said that this isn’t just about teaching — many people who work hard and are underpaid.
“This isn’t just teachers. This is all of us,” they wrote.
