Black History Month: TikTok Teacher Making Positive Impact In The Classroom

CHARLOTTE, NC — It’s easy to see why Marcus Bornslater’s students love him. 

He greets his students daily with personality and style and with more than 500,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 250,000 on Instagram he’s making an impact in the classroom and on social media. 

“My first week, the kids in my classroom followed me on there and they check in with me every single week and they really look forward to it,” Bornslater said. 

Bornslater, who is a former division 1 athlete, didn’t always envision himself in the classroom. 

 “Honestly I never really gave it much thought. My friend from my old job was talking one day and he was like you would be a really good teacher and I was like no I don’t think I would be. He said his kids have no role models and he felt like I would be a great fit for the environment,” Bornslater said. 

Nationwide black men only make up two percent of the country’s more than three million public school teachers. 

“So I feel like my relationship with my students is different. Me being a black male, I’m in a minority based school so a lot of kids kind of look up to me more like a big brother or a dad,” Bornslater said. 

He said being a young teacher who is also popular on social media helps him connect with his students. 

“I’m involved in social media and a lot of trends they know so I can relate with them on several different levels.”

However,  his impact goes beyond social media. 

 “You kind of have no idea the impact or the influence you have on their lives,” Bornslater said.