Chatsworth teacher’s TikTok vid gets a million views ... of course
● Durban teacher Dale Debideyal has gone viral for a TikTok video which has gained his school fans, literally and figuratively. It has been viewed more than 1.1-million times, received almost 97,000 likes and follows the “I’m a ... , of course” trend, which shows creators highlighting a part of their identity and mentioning their daily experiences.
What started as a competition with his wife to get more likes on his video has led to sponsorships from as far afield as Australia for Risecliff Secondary School in Chatsworth, south of Durban.
The video, which also features his enthusiastic pupils, starts with Debideyal — a business studies, technology, natural sciences and economic management sciences teacher — fanning himself with a sheet of paper.
“I’m a teacher in a public high school, of course my classroom does not have a fan,” he says in the video. “I’m a teacher in a public high school, of course my grade 8s are taller than me. I’m a teacher in a public high school, of course I had to learn some isiZulu. I’m a teacher in a public high school, of course I bought my own projector. I’ ma teacher in a public high school, of course I get excited when the girls hype me up.”
Debideyal told the Sunday Times this week he had aimed to get 10,000 views but was shocked when it “blew up so fast”.
“I saw a TikTok trend that my wife did. I did it as a joke and more of a competition with her, as she got 40,000 views.
“The pupils showed me a few videos of teachers doing the trend after I told them what I was planning to do. Every pupil wanted to be a part of it. On the day I posted the video, a lady by the name of Candice Moses offered to sponsor a fan. She came the next day and delivered a fan and stationery for my learners. She is also an educator and I feel like we have the same passion for making a difference.
“The next few day more sponsorships rolled in. There are three more fans from another gentleman and 30 more fans from somebody in Australia named Amanda Doggett. There is also a donation of 30 cupboards from Nedbank.”
Debideyal said many teachers struggled with challenging conditions. “My aim was to show that we, both learners and teachers, are happy, working hard and thriving while making the most of our conditions. Many teachers go above and beyond using their own money to make a better learning environment.”
Grade 9 pupil Akwande Ndhlazi said the pupils really hyped “sir” up because he inspired them to work hard. “He can relate to our personalities because he is one of the youngest teachers in our school. His style is ‘Nca,
Nca’ — it means something awesome. He really leads by example,” she said.
Debideyal said the school’s managers were thrilled. “They saw the humour.”
The principal declined to comment.