‘Inside Walmart at 9pm’: Teacher goes shopping in her pajamas. Then she hears a familiar voice
The 5 to 9 after your 9 to 5 are sacred hours for decompressing and processing your workday. While most of us try–and fail–to not bring work home with us, there are instances outside our control where it feels like the office is following you. Elementary school teacher Hailee Hannick (@haileehannick) was a victim of such an instance after going on a shopping trip to Walmart.
In a viral TikTok, special education teacher Hannick shared a relatable but dreaded interaction while out shopping. Her clip, which earned 31,000 views as of Monday, shows her in her pajamas while holding various household products.
“Hearing ‘Ms. Hannick!’ inside Walmart at 9pm while wearing your pajamas,” she wrote in the text overlay. Hannick lip-syncs a Hamilton track, saying, “John Adams? I know him…that can’t be…”
She covers her face while sliding out of frame, implying her instinct to hide whenever she spots a student.
Viewers can relate
Hannick’s viewers knew all too well what spotting a familiar face outside of working hours does to any teacher. Several shared their own amusing–and awkward–interactions they’ve found themselves in, especially if their work centered around children.
One user who said they were a special education paraprofessional wrote, “I ran into 2 kids the first Monday of summer break who forced their parents to stop the car so they could yell hello to me out the window… I couldn’t hide.”
Another shared, “My last day of praticum (junior year of college) I was out drunk at a college bar and a child I had stopped to talk to me with her MOTHER. It was mortifying.”
A user shared that this was a major reason they haven’t changed to a school district closer to their home. Another ended up moving after students found out where she lived.
“Last summer, I had my windows open at home and heard two kids on their bikes ride by and say, ‘Mrs. L lives here!’ And had two other students who lived directly next door,” she wrote. “I have since moved to a house in the middle of nowhere in a different town.”
Hannick shared her own anecdote, writing in a comment, “One time in college I saw a child at a Mexican restaurant and I crossed every finger and toe that he would not recognize me.”
@haileehannick This has only happened to me one time while I was student teaching? and because of that I will never live in the city I teach in?♥️ #teacherlife #teacherjokes #teachersoffduty ♬ Original Sound – Unknown
Struggles for the American teacher
While Hannick may have been sharing a light-hearted joke about interacting with students outside of class, the classroom has become bleak for many educators in recent years. Several have gone viral on TikTok for sharing their frustration about Gen Alpha students. Not only do teachers not get paid enough for what they do (some have to pick up second or even third jobs, like this teacher who is a part-time Domino’s delivery driver), but they also have to deal with the decline of respect in the classroom.
In May, Newsweek penned an article titled “Generation Alpha Is Causing Problems for Teachers.” It opened with, “Short attention spans, an overdependence on technology and a lack of interest in learning are all things that Generation Alpha has been accused of having.”
Some surveys shared why teachers were quitting in 2025. One of the statistics listed was that “Approximately 60% of teachers experience job-related stress frequently or always.” The Mary Sue also previously covered a woman being ecstatic to quit her daycare job. She called it a “toxic” workplace.
Fewer and fewer teachers are staying in a profession that requires so much from them. The latest voice to join the fray was a teacher whose video made the rounds on X. It earned over 6.9 million views, and in it, she said she was leaving the profession. Why?
“It’s just been a really poor experience. This generation is really tough,” she said. “And I will admit that I’m just not cut out for it. Anyone who starts now and will be a teacher from here on out with the generation that we’re teaching right now. I commend you.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Hannick via email.
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