5-year-old brings home first piece of homework, mom spots unexpected error
A photo of a five-year-old child’s homework has gone viral, prompting a heated online debate about mistakes in school materials—and the pressure faced by teachers.
In a video shared on TikTok by a parent in the U.K., the mom shared a small worksheet sent home from a pre-kindergarten class.
At the top, the instructions read: “Please can you help your child to be able to read these red (tricky) words. Its is their challenge for the weekend!” Beneath the message is a list of basic sight words, including “the,” “I,” “he,” “she,” “is,” and “to.”
The post, which has received over 178,000 views, was captioned: “The homework our five-year-old came home with,” alongside a facepalm emoji. While the homework itself is typical for early years education, viewers quickly noticed the grammatical error in the instructions—the phrase “Its is”—which sparked a wave of reactions.
Some commenters criticized the mistake, but the majority rushed to defend the teacher, saying the focus should be on the realities of classroom workloads rather than a simple typo.
“This is so sad,” wrote one commenter identifying themselves as an early years teacher. “I can guarantee that this teacher goes above and beyond every day for your child (and 29 other children). Unfortunately this was probably typed up in a rush, late at night or early in the morning because our workload is crazy. God forbid a busy teacher makes a mistake.”
Another teacher echoed that sentiment, writing: “Teacher here. This is a typo and it’s not very helpful or kind to do this.”
Others highlighted the human side of the profession. “Wow. It’s a typo,” one user commented. “Did you know teachers are human beings, with families and households to run?” Another added: “Cut us teachers a bit of slack. No doubt this was typed late at night after teaching all day, marking then planning for the next day. We are only human!”
How Busy Are Teachers?
According to a 2024 analysis by the Pew Research Center, large majorities of U.S. teachers feel overworked and pressed for time, with many saying the demands of the job routinely spill beyond the regular school day.
About eight-in-10 teachers said they do not have enough time during the workday to complete core responsibilities such as grading, lesson planning, paperwork and responding to emails. As a result, teachers often handle these tasks outside of normal hours. Roughly six-in-10 say they frequently work outside regular hours, and many report doing so simply to keep up with basic expectations of the job.
Majorities of teachers describe their jobs as stressful and overwhelming, and many say achieving a healthy work–life balance is difficult.
Staffing shortages and student behavioral issues compound these pressures, particularly in high-poverty schools, where teachers are more likely to say their schools are understaffed and that these shortages add to their workload.
Newsweek reached out to @riversideredhead via TikTok for comment.
