Social media has found its way into every aspect of life, and school is not off-limits. Teachers’ disdain for phones in the classroom doesn’t always deter students. Holding a phone up to a teacher and taking pictures during class seems especially risky, but not at Osceola Fundamental High School (OFHS) in Seminole, Florida.
The students at OFHS have taken it upon themselves to create fan accounts for their most beloved teachers. It all started with Mr. Rundle.
Pictures of History teacher Eric Rundle appeared on the Instagram account mr_rundle2020 in Oct 2020. The pictures are of Rundle teaching class or standing by the door every day, usually from a distance and a little blurry. Most photos are posted with a short but funny caption.
“I became aware of the account sometime last fall,” said Rundle. He received a message from one of his online students, who was concerned and wanted Rundle to know that someone was taking pictures of him without his consent. Rundle said, “Since I don’t have an Instagram, I asked my wife to look into it to see if it was something bad like photoshopped images, but it turned out to be pretty harmless.”
Rundle started teaching in 2012 after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in history. He said that he originally considered teaching before attending college but decided against it because of the pay. After struggling in the engineering program, Rundle realized he needed to change majors.
“I turned my attention to a major and career I knew I would be passionate about; teaching high school history,” said Rundle. He began working at OFHS in December of 2019.
High school is a time in young adults’ lives where they are trying to figure out what to do with their future. Having teachers that relate to them can make all the difference. Rundle said, “I can talk to them and treat them like they’re almost adults, and it seems to work.”
Mr. Rundle is not the only teacher with a fan account. Jack Mattheus, Steven Ziesenheim, and Kevin Pace are a few others who have pictures of themselves on Instagram.
The student who runs Mattheus’ account said, “I wanted to start taking pictures because I noticed a bunch of teacher accounts were being created and thought they were funny. I wanted to contribute to the formation of an OFHS teacher account ecosystem on Instagram.”
Mr. Pace teaches theatre, and the student in charge of his account said, “I love him. He’s great, an amazing director, and a wonderful person in general.” The response from students is positive, and each account creator enjoys their teacher. “He has a fantastic creative mind and puts out amazing quality work,” said Mr. Pace’s student.
The creators of each account do not reveal who they are, and many pictures are crowdsourced. Mattheus teaches Computer Science, and his student said, “My favorite part of my teacher’s class is the room for creativity he allows when we code our programs. He has allowed me to experience the wonders of programming. I am now looking into the computer science field for my college and future career goals.”
Mr. Ziensenhem teaches AP Stats, and his student said, “I like the enthusiasm he has, and he makes my day better.” Rundle says that teachers discuss the accounts in good humor. “One teacher is disappointed she doesn’t have an account yet.”
Each teacher has created a classroom environment that promotes creativity and encourages humor. Their students can look forward to class every day, knowing that their teachers care about them and want them to enjoy school.
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