This Black Teacher Says She Runs Her Classroom Like a Corporation, But is She Helping or Hurting Her Students?

A Virginia high school teacher has the internet divided after she shared her unconventional teaching style on an education podcast. Leslie Robinson, who teaches culinary arts and hospitality at Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center, runs her classroom like a corporation. But while some say her technique is one of the best ways to prepare her students for life after graduation, others online aren’t so sure.

“I treat my classroom like it’s an office building,” she said during an appearance on the “Teachers Off Duty” podcast where she shared the details of her system.

Each day, Robinson’s class “clocks in” and prepares for a brief lesson. The kids take a break and then finish their “shift” with another lesson before “clocking out.” Daily grades are added to each student’s “paycheck,” on which they have a chance to accrue paid time off (PTO) based on their performance. For example, an A is worth the maximum – 15 PTO points.

“Each desk simulates a cubicle so each student is like, working in a corporate office,” she said in the interview.

Students collect their PTO credits – which are handwritten by Robinson (in cursive, of course) – and can cash them in for time spent reading or drawing when they need a break. The credits can not be used on dates scheduled for tests or other important activities.

“If an assignment is worth 40 points and they only have 20, then they can take half the day off,” Robinson told TODAY.com.

Many who took the time to comment on the interview clip applauded Robinson for coming up with an innovative way to keep her class engaged.

“Shows what happens when you let the teacher teach, innovate and handle things! I love it, “ wrote one person on TikTok.

But while Robinson told TODAY that most of her parents like that her teaching style has some real-world applications, others online aren’t here for it.

“I hate the idea of teaching kids 9 to 5 clock in clock-out culture. Particularly because the world is rapidly changing,” wrote one commenter on Instagram. “A better analogy would be running a business to teach self-motivation and entrepreneurial thinking because those are the skills kids will need. But whatever classroom management tools work for you, I guess.”