Teacher Reveals 1 Surprising Rule at Her School That Educators Can’t Stop Talking About 

One teacher is sharing a surprising rule at her school, and it’s getting attention from educators everywhere.

At Kelsey Suen’s school in Tennessee, every teacher can make exactly 3,000 copies per month. Each teacher has a personal code for the machine, and once they reach the limit, the code stops working until the first day of the next month.

Over time, the school has raised this limit.

“When I first started, it was around 1,800 copies a month,” Suen told PEOPLE. “Now it’s 3,000. While this video hasn’t started new discussions, I do feel supported by my school, and I think they’ve listened to our concerns over the years.”

Suen, a 4th-grade math and science teacher, recently posted about the policy on TikTok while preparing her classroom. She expected only a few teachers to relate, but the video went viral, with over 1.5 million views.

What shocked her most were the comments. Some teachers said their schools allow even fewer copies — just a few for the whole semester — while others admitted to spending their own money on printing or even buying personal printers for their classrooms.

“As more views and comments came in, I realized teachers everywhere deal with limits and shortages,” Suen, 34, explained. “Sometimes it’s copies, sometimes it’s other resources. I understand why many teachers feel frustrated, because teaching often means doing more with less.”

She added, “For me, I wasn’t upset about our school’s policy. I just shared part of my classroom prep, but it was surprising to see how many teachers related it to their own struggles.”

Suen says the copy limit doesn’t affect her too much because students have laptops and many assignments can be done online. She also uses group activities and interactive lessons to reduce the need for paper. When she does need to print, she often fits two pages on one sheet to save copies.

Color printing is harder. Teachers have black-and-white printers for small jobs, but big projects must go through the main copiers — which also only print in black and white.

“Printing at home isn’t required, but I use my own printer when I want things in color,” she explained. “The district has a print shop for color projects, but it’s usually just for grade-level work, not individual classrooms.”

She also pointed out that new teachers sometimes struggle with the policy.

“It can be frustrating at first, especially if they came from schools without limits,” Suen said. “But teachers from schools with fewer resources often appreciate what we do have here. Overall, most of us adjust and make it work.”

Suen hopes her viral video shows that copy limits are just one example of how teachers adapt to challenges.

“It highlights how educators often work within limits while still giving quality lessons,” she said. “Every teacher faces different obstacles — whether it’s copy limits, budgets, or time. These challenges don’t always mean the school is bad; they’re just part of working in education. What’s amazing is how creative and dedicated teachers are in overcoming these problems to give their students the best learning experience possible. That’s worth celebrating.”