School Forces Teachers to Work At McDonald’s to Raise Money for the School: 'What a respected profession.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 26, 2026 5:15 PM EDT

While I understand why teachers participating in a volunteer event for the school can incentivize kids and their families to attend, I also understand why teachers would find this particular event to be degrading. 

If you were a certain age or in a certain socioeconomic class as a child, you were told again and again that if you didn't go to college, you'd end up flipping burgers. If you were a kid post-2008, it's more likely that you were told that if you didn't major in the "right thing," you were going to end up flipping burgers. If you're a kid in 2026, you might be told that going to college isn't necessary, because people who got the "right" majors in STEM are still struggling to get any jobs, let alone a job in their field. 

While it can be cruel and classist to scare your child into doing something to keep them from becoming a fast-food worker, everyone who has worked in fast food knows it isn't a sustainable career. You work so hard, hurt your body from being on your feet all day, and you get paid next to nothing. Some jobs require you to wear down your body, like trades, but they pay much more and often have unions that protect workers. If you work at McDonald's, the chances that you're going to get benefits and make enough to support yourself and your family are extremely slight. If you're determined to climb the ranks at your fast-food job, then more power to you, but for most employees, it's not a sustainable long-term career. 

There are some jobs that will likely not go extinct due to AI, so if you're a risk-averse person, they are solid fields to enter. Not all of these fields guarantee high incomes. A doctor is going to make more than a teacher, but if you are a doctor or a teacher, you probably won't have the problem that some Computer Science new grads are having right now, where they are struggling to find any kind of job, even in fast food, after graduation. People will always get sick, children will always need teachers, and the public will always want fast food. These consistencies show up in the job market. 

In most areas of the United States, teachers are paid very little, get little respect, and work extremely hard. That combination is sure to breed resentment, especially since teachers didn't always face this. Once upon a time, teachers got pensions, and parents cared more about their opinion than their poorly behaved child's. Today, parents, students, administrators, and the public at large disrespect teachers. Do you know how many people think teachers don't deserve to be paid more than $50K because of summer break? Way more than you'd think.

If you work as a teacher and your school asked you to work at a McDonald's to raise money, would you agree? Or would you take it as an insult? 

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  • 01
    Workers preparing food in a busy restaurant kitchen
    via Cheng Shi Song

    Employees working at McDonald's.

    Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.

  • 02

    They’ve got us cosplaying as McDonald’s employees to raise money for the school

    Teachers at my school this week got asked to volunteer as McDonald's employees. They want us to clock in at a McDonald's for free for a few hours and they'll give a portion of the profits to the school. Something called McTeachers night. You can't make this sh up. What a respected profession.
    via u/echeveria123
  • 03
    RevolutionaryBat3787 Did this once at a different school I taught at like 20 years ago. What struck me was how many families showed up, when we had a hard getting them to come conferences and back to school night.
    via u/RevolutionaryBat3787
  • 04
    WatcherintheNorth Buying a happy meal is easy. Having a serious conversation about their kid when they know they arent doing what should be done is hard.
    via u/WatcherintheNorth
  • 05
    woohoo789 Probably because the kids and parents wanted to laugh at teachers working in fast food
    via u/woohoo789
  • 06
    viola 1356 So in elementary, a lot of our K-2nd grade teachers do it and the kids are SO excited about it. There's no pressure to do it but those who do sign up apparently have fun because the kids act like they're seeing a celebrity at McDonald's.
    via u/viola1356
  • 07
    PsychologicalBug8017 Omg. My school does this and I have never participated. One of my coworkers thought I was being horrible when I told her that I found it insulting. I have genuinely had no one agree with me about how demeaning it is. People already have such a low view of teachers— parents won't come to conferences but they sure will bring their kids to eat mcnuggets and gawk as their teacher cosplays as a fast food worker. We already do so much unpaid labor for our actual, real jobs. I feel
    via u/PsychologicalBug8017

    I do think it would be different if the principal worked this event, because parents and teachers see principals in a better light than they see teachers. If you're a teacher who is respected by students and peers, you probably wouldn't see this as demeaning. 

  • 08
    Fickle_Watercress719 I actually work part-time at a restaurant on the weekends. I cannot imagine doing that for free. The whole point of working there is that I get money for it.
    via u/Fickle_Watercress719
  • 09
    gwotphilosopher Just need to remind you where you'll be if you don't submit your lesson plans on time.
    via u/gwotphilosopher
  • 10
    NewDay042 Clock in for free is an oxymoron. I left teaching (in part) when I realized how normal the insulting expectations were for teachers to do things for free. In what corporate world are we asked to work for free? Becoming a teacher was a h I of a lot of work and expensive. Yet, we're not treated like professionals.
    via u/NewDay042
  • 11
    I loved my students deeply, I loved my job. I would show up to a sporting event here and there for sure. I offered my classroom and supervision for a student club on Monday afternoons without extra pay because I knew there was misfit, non-athlete crew that needed a safe space after school and it would help them learn feeling more connected to my classroom. But no, I'm not covering someone's class on my prep if I'm not getting paid, and I'm sure as h_ I not going to McDonald's for my free labor.
    via u/NewDay042
  • 12
    AryaLily My school has participated in McTeacher Night for the past 12 years that I've been there. We are in a very high poverty area with mostly minority students. Most of the workers there are parents of students or previous students.
    via u/AryaLily
  • 13
    I've worked a 2-hour shift each time. It's supposed to be 30-minute shifts. The issue we have is that only about 2-3 teachers at my school are willing to participate, so those of us who do participate need to be there the whole time. I have a feeling that part of it is that every teacher at my school, including me, is white, and they see this as beneath them. I do it because the kids genuinely love to see us there and come out just to order from us.
    via u/AryaLily
  • 14
    The past 2-3 years, we've had a different issue. When the employees know it's a McTeacher Night they all call out thinking we will do the work. Then, because no teachers actually signed up, we've got to cover things that are definitely not allowed. I've spent an entire shift on the fryer, having never touched one in my life, because if I wasn't there making the fries there wouldn't have been any fries. I've also been the sole "employee" running the grill. It's a hot mess and I love it
    via u/AryaLily
  • 15
    Ucscprickler Honestly, as a parent, I'd prefer to just donate a lump sum to the school that's in need of money rather than have some middleman or company step in and take a large portion of the profits from whatever they are selling or promoting. I don't want to take my kids to McDonald's and spend $50 on dinner when only $5 is going to the school. Just take my $50 and I'll cook something healthy at home.
    via u/Ucscprickler
  • 16
    CoffeeB4Dawn While I'm not "above" it, I feel like I served my time in such jobs, and frankly, I resent that a teacher is expected to do this on top of everything else. The parents need to vote for people who will fund the schools.
    via u/CoffeeB4Dawn

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