After performing some dance moves on campus, Tenaya Middle School, Fresno (California) has become an overnight internet hit.
Before all this happened, teacher Austin LeMay didn’t even understand TikTok, but he recently opened an account to share more similar scenes with the internet. He has already amassed 102.7K fans with just four videos.
LeMay’s dancing video was captured by onsite school counselor Jenny McCauley, who said that the gathering is a regular Friday occurrence. The video was posted by Jenny McCauley to highlight the positive things that are happening at the school.
“This was totally by accident,” she told The Bee. “It’s something that we do every Friday. This isn’t out of the ordinary. It’s just an ordinary Friday with millions and millions of views.”
LeMay, the school’s Campus Culture Director, dances every Friday with students. Teens can show off their moves outside the classroom, or watch LeMay do his own.
“This is my job and this is my career,” the teacher said. “More than anything, this is my passion as it is with every other teacher and adult here on campus. These kids are our passion.”
The clip has been viewed 33.9 million times as of this writing.
“This year, especially coming off from COVID and coming off of not being at school for a year and a half, we’ve really gone above and beyond to make every week a good fun week, and so we’ve been doing dance-offs and dance battles and group dances all semester,” LeMay said.
McCauley said LeMay dancing with the students isn’t out of character. It just so happened that the song “You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz was trending online when she posted the video.
“This is my seventh year teaching, and I have a bit of a long-standing tradition at the schools that I’ve worked at to act a fool from time to time and dance when I hear music, and when the time calls for it,” the dancing teacher said.
The dance, dubbed Jerkin’ or Jerking, started in Los Angeles in 2009 when hip hop group Audio Push dropped their song, “Teach Me How To Jerk.” That same year, New Boyz released their track “You’re a Jerk.”
LeMay knew this dance because he had it as a senior in high school.
They are now TikTok-famous and want to continue their momentum.
“We’ve been really trying to let people in our community know exactly what we’ve been doing on campus,” McCauley said. “Coming back on to campus and making sure that we do put fun as a priority as well as academics, but we want fun to be up there too.”
The school’s teachers place a great deal of importance on engaging the children and having fun.
“It’s been very important to us to provide an environment where kids want to be here, they want to come and connect with other people,” said principal Armen Torigian. “I feel like if kids’ heads are in the right spot, they are feeling safe and they are having fun, then we can teach them anything that they need to learn.”
For McCauley and LeMay, the video’s virality comes down to the “positive culture” that teachers at Tenaya Middle School have been fostering for the students.
LeMay credits his parents with his amazing dance moves and willingness to cut a rug. He hopes to keep creating a positive environment at the school for both the students and teachers.
Here’s Mr. LeMay’s viral TikTok video for your enjoyment.
@tenayas_msjennyWhen Lemay out jerks students! ##fyp♬ You’re a Jerk – New Boyz
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