S2.E11 - Serotonin Saturday: Episode 2: TEACHERS: The People Behind the Desk

In this second installment of Serotonin Saturday, Cat and Rachel are talking about the people who show up every single day and quietly hold the world together - teachers. We start with special education teacher Kati Jo Christensen in Weber County, who went viral for dancing on TikTok to erase student lunch debt - turning a small $4,000 goal into support for multiple schools and recognition from the West Haven City Council. Then we expand to stories like a teacher in Cleveland securing donated washers and dryers from Lowe’s, alongside nationwide efforts through DonorsChoose, programs from Whirlpool, and care closet initiatives like Kids Kloset in Harbor Beach. This episode is highlighting how teachers quietly step in to meet students’ basic needs so they can show up, learn, and feel seen. The world feels heavy. But these stories - the quiet, everyday acts of care - remind us that compassion is still everywhere. Sometimes it looks like a viral dance. Sometimes it looks like a washer and dryer in a school hallway. And sometimes it looks like a teacher making sure a kid can walk into class with dignity. Links We Used:https://www.standard.net/news/education/2025/may/23/west-haven-teacher-eliminating-school-lunch-debt-with-tiktok-dances/https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/tiktok-teacher-dancing-lunch-debthttps://www.news5cleveland.com/a-better-land/lowes-donates-washer-dryer-to-cleveland-teacher-who-started-crowd-funding-campaign https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/teacher-raises-money-for-school-laundry-room-to-help-students https://www.donorschoose.org/project/fresh-uniforms/8107320/ https://www.yourtango.com/news/teen-makes-difference-after-classmates-bullied-wearing-dirty-clothes https://www.whirlpool.com/care-counts.html https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-04-15-students-get-food-clothing-and-more-from-care-closet-built-by-their-teacher https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/harbor-beach-kids-kloset-support-20063523.php https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/paying-pocket-amazon-wish-lists-090327875.html https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/how-school-support-staff-are-feeding-hungry-students-and-families