TikTok teacher connects with kids through sports, songs

my post that I did. It is conversation starter, and it’s a way to get a few laughs.”

In the future, Meredith plans on releasing more music and making more comedic and musically driven videos on TikTok— with teaching as his main focus.

MICAH MEREDITH ’19 TEACHES P.E.,

Sings

CHRISTIAN HIP-HOP

Micah Meredith ’19 wears many hats: teacher, rapper and TikTok creator. He currently has 1.4 million followers on the social media platform.

After graduating from Messiah with a bachelor’s in health and physical education, he started working at Ballenger Creek Middle School in Fredrick, Maryland, as a health and physical education teacher.

“When entering college, I thought about what my loves were. I love working with kids, and I love sports. I put the two together and decided that teaching P.E. would cater to both of my passions,” he said.

In March of 2020, Meredith started a TikTok account (miccolla4) to help promote his music. His dreams of becoming an artist began in his early years at Messiah University

“I started making music because I knew that I had a gift. I also make music because I know a lot of my students listen to music, and I want to push out positivity as much as I can. It’s another way for me to connect with my students,” he said.

Under the artist name MikeMer, he has several Christian hip-hop songs on multiple platforms.

“My music is for anyone. Because I rap about God, my main audience will most likely be believers, but my music can be for anyone to listen to,” he said.

Soon after Meredith started to post content about his music, he rapidly accumulated followers after posting funny and relatable content about his experience as a teacher in the classroom.

“I love to make videos because it’s a way to connect with my students,” he said. “When I post, my students always like to talk about

“I believe that my calling is to work with the youth. I try to not let anything else become prioritized over that. Whenever I can fit the other stuff in, I will,” he said.

— Molly McKim ’23

CHECK OUT MEREDITH’S TIKTOK ACCOUNT HERE: TIKTOK.COM/@MICCOLLA4

1.4 million followers on

Top 5 ways to connect with middle schoolers

1. Support them in the community.

2. Show personal interest.

3. Show and allow healthy humor.

4. Show some vulnerability and allow students into your life in a healthy way.

5. Be approachable.