“Please Respect Us As We Mourn During This Time”: Joburg Teacher Crashes Out As School Holidays End

• A South African teacher shared an emotional TikTok video showing his devastation at the end of the winter school holidays
• With schools reopening for Term 3 on 22nd July, educators across the country faced the reality of returning to work
• The relatable content struck a chord with thousands of South Africans, earning over 4,000 reactions

A Joburg teacher left South Africans in stitches after sharing his dramatic reaction to the end of the winter school holidays.

Content creator @riaandurand, known for his entertaining teacher-related videos on TikTok, posted the emotional clip on 21st July with the caption:

"Please respect us as we mourn this difficult time..."

The video featured the educator with a filter applied to his face, showing edited tears streaming down his cheeks while he lip-synced to a melancholy tune. According to Wikipedia, the song playing in the background contained the lyrics "and now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain," perfectly capturing his theatrical mourning for the end of the holidays.

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The timing of the post couldn't have been more perfect, as South African schools were set to reopen on 22nd July for the third term of the academic year. According to the SA Government website, Term 3 runs from 22nd July to 3rd October, spanning 11 weeks with 54 days and only one public holiday, giving teachers just 53 actual school days.

Teachers across the country had enjoyed an extended winter break lasting over a month, making the return to classroom duties particularly challenging. The third term marks a crucial period in the academic calendar, being one of the shorter terms before the final push towards year-end examinations.

Mzansi relates to the educator's pain

The video quickly gained traction, accumulating over 4,000 reactions, 500 comments, and 600 shares as viewers found the content both hilarious and deeply relatable. Many fellow educators and parents joined the conversation, sharing their mixed feelings about schools reopening.

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@phumlam06🇿🇦 reminded excited parents:

"Parents, let's not forget that because of extracurricular activities pick up is at 6 p.m.🤣🤣🤣"

@ntaje0 issued a playful warning:

"Parents! Don't get too excited... We will be flooding them with homework and projects as from tomorrow... Aziwe macala😔😔😔"

@eratosempe808 shared her preparation excitement:

"Uniform ironed, shoes polished, and bags packed 😂😂😂 Waiting to pack lunch box and drive them to school 😂😂😂"

@Pheladi Kgaugelo Rabekane expressed her nerves:

"My anxiety is skyrocketing as I'm waiting for 5 am to prepare my 1st grader😭😭😭"

@عزيز related to the teacher's feelings:

"Us too, sir. Why can't we all just stay a bit longer😭😭😭"

@lucindahb found common ground:

"😂😂😂 My daughter feels the same, she is a grade 3 teacher."

Watch the Facebook video below:

3 Other stories about teachers

• Briefly News recently reported on a South African woman who revealed the secret requirements for landing teaching positions in China, but her most surprising requirement left many shocked.
• A white girl's fluent conversation with her teacher in an African language went viral, though the teacher's unexpected response had viewers questioning everything they thought they knew.
• South Africans couldn't agree on whether a school principal's monthly salary was fair, but the exact amount mentioned in the leaked payslip sparked heated debates nationwide.

Source: Briefly News