Teacher Goes Viral For Revealing Why He Always Eats Lunch With His Students In The Cafeteria
Every day for lunch, Dan Shutes, a teacher from Paw Paw, Michigan, eats a unique meal (chicken and rice), and he has stood out for it. Shutes consumes his meal with his students in the cafeteria.
He goes to the lunchroom with his fifth-grade class and the other fifth-graders at his school almost every day. The custom was initiated a few years ago by the 32-year-old, who has been a teacher for over 11 years.
“I didn’t expect a bunch of kids to say, ‘Hey, can you eat lunch with me tomorrow?’ or ‘Can you eat lunch with me the next day?’ But that’s how it’s been,” Shutes tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I eat lunch in the cafeteria definitely three to four times a week."
Shutes went further to say that this has become something he enjoys, and it’s become part of his routine, especially at the beginning of the year. In fact, it has become a priority for this educator.
"I think it’s an easy way to get to know your students beyond just names and test scores from the previous year,” he continues. Shutes' class is divided into three groups for lunch.
The educator moves from table to table each day, and sometimes, he goes to his teaching partner's class to dine with them.
Dan Shutes started his special lunchtime routine a few years into his role
Teacher Dan Shutes“Sometimes, students from other classes that I don’t actually teach will ask if they can sit with me, and I try to find time to do that too," he continues. "Whether they’re siblings of former students or I’ve just seen them in passing and gotten to know them over time, it’s nice to connect with kids who aren’t in my classes but who I see every morning as they walk down the hallway.”
The positive comments are especially nice to hear
Teacher Dan ShutesShutes recently shared a video about his lunchtime ritual on TikTok. As of right now, the video has received 380k views and close to 2k comments. He believes it's wonderful to know that he's encouraging educators to have lunch with their students not just in other states but even internationally.
“Of course, you occasionally see negative remarks too. I guess it’s a good reminder that there will always be people who disagree or have a problem with what you’re doing," he says. "Overall, it’s been cool and I’m appreciative to have a platform that allows my video to reach so many people. The positive comments are especially nice to hear.”They often appreciate these gestures far more than we realize
Teacher Dan ShutesShutes has a lot of happy memories of his cafeteria meals, but one in particular sticks out.
Find out as you watch the full TikTok video below
Shutes says that if he were to distill this into one central message, it would be this: "teachers, educators and coaches shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the little things — the small deeds we do for our students. He also added that the kids often appreciate these gestures far more than we realize.
