About

ABOUT ME

Jane Morris is my pen name, and my real name is Lauren. I grew up on Long Island, New York. I did stand-up comedy in college while I pursued my teaching and English degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz. After that, I moved to the D.C. metro area to start my teaching career. I taught high school English- all grades and levels. I always had a knack for relating to teen angst more than most people could, but as soon as I started teaching, I knew there was no way I could do it long-term without becoming sick or crazy or both.

I needed an outlet for all of the nonsense I experienced every day, so I started venting on social media. My following on Instagram grew very quickly as it became a place where teachers could feel relief that someone was telling it as it really is and connect with others who were experiencing the same misery. Along the way, I got my Master’s Degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University and started to write about my teaching experiences.

I self-published three books: Teacher Misery, More Teacher Misery, and What It’s Really Like, and they are all bestsellers. I also published two hilarious coffee table books: Crap My Students Make and The 'Rona Roundup Book.

I have always been completely authentic about how my day went, what I was feeling, what I found funny or crazy or awful, etc. If I sat in my car in tears at the end of the day, wondering if I could be a teacher for even one more day, I posted about it.

The support and encouragement my audience gave me for truth-telling has been huge. It allowed me to continue teaching for 17 years, whereas if I didn’t have the outlet and supportive community I created, I probably would have quit in my first five years, as many teachers do. I recently left teaching after being diagnosed with PTSD. This led me to open this online store so I could sell funny little reminders for teachers that they are not alone in the madness and frustration they experience! I have two young daughters and a scrappy puppy named Clover Bean McCloverson.

MISSION

My mission is to brighten a teacher's day with my own unique flavor of sarcasm and absurdity. When you purchase from Teacher Misery, you are supporting anti-book banning and censorship and LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC-owned businesses.

Just in case your order doesn’t include enough snark, we throw in a free sarcastic sticker with every purchase.

POLICIES

You can return or exchange any purchase for 30 days after receipt of item, no questions asked. After 30 days, I might have a few questions, but we'll work something out together.