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TikTok鈥檚 Star Teacher: Florida Educator Garners 4 Million Likes with Videos Showing Her Unique Classroom Decor and Life-Skills Lessons

Science teacher Yennifer Castillo makes classroom a safe haven with elaborate decorations, weekly life skills projects & a 'Take What You Need' bin


For middle school science teacher Yennifer Castillo, a passion for education and art has made her a social media sensation, with more than 4 million likes on and more than 100,000 followers.

Castillo, who is in her fourth year of teaching, says she finds joy in making her classroom a safe haven not only for herself, but for her students by creating a well-equipped, stimulating and hands-on environment for learning.

Castillo teaches middle school physical science and Earth space science at the Florida A&M University Developmental Research School in Tallahassee. The K-12 laboratory school, located on the campus, is affiliated with the university’s College of Education, Castillo鈥檚 alma mater. She received her bachelor鈥檚 in biology education there in 2021.

During her first year of teaching, she designed her classroom based on the Cartoon Network show Total Drama Island and posted pictures on social media. Her received over a quarter-million likes 鈥 and she’s never looked back. She documents her elaborate, hand-made classroom decorations on TikTok 鈥  typically based on favorite childhood shows and movies such as Stitch from Disney鈥檚 Lilo and Stitch or the characters from Disney Channel鈥檚 hit show The Proud Family 鈥  and posts videos of special Friday projects that teach students essential skills like cooking, sewing, proper table etiquette and balancing a checkbook. 

Would you cook with your students?

Castilllo has received so many messages from teachers asking for tutorials that she posts theme concepts on TikTok and offers custom borders and posters on Etsy.

My classroom reveal for my Proud Family Themed Classroom 馃挄馃懇馃徑鈥嶐煆

Her social media presence also garnered the attention of Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan thee Stallion, who sent Castillo and her students a special in 2021. 

That moment you and your students get a special shout-out from Megan Thee Stallion馃懇馃徑鈥嶐煆煠 @theestallion

Castillo also uses her Instagram account, @ScholarDreams_, to keep her students and parents informed about school events such as sports tryouts, weather-related cancellations and class supply lists.

Making her classroom as lively as possible is no small feat. It typically takes Castillo the entire summer to prepare, and she spends between $300 and $400 for decor each school year, plus about $100 for every 鈥渓ife skills鈥 project. Support from the college and online donations help to offset the cost.

It’s totally worth it, she says, to always make her students feel welcome and know that someone took the time to invite them in and make them comfortable.

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