“The Midnight Teacher Who Saved Test Day in Her Pajamas”

Test days aren’t only nerve-wracking for students—teachers feel the weight too. Middle school teacher Sarah Ashley Winans recently proved that when she went viral on TikTok for a late-night dash to her school in her pajamas and bonnet.

It wasn’t a case of sleepwalking or some strange midnight adventure. Winans suddenly woke up before a big testing day and realized she had forgotten to plug in the Chromebook charging cart her students would need for their exam. Without it, the entire test day could have been thrown into chaos.

So she jumped into her car, drove to the school, unlocked the building, walked straight to her classroom, plugged everything in, and then exited flashing a quick peace sign to the security camera—crisis officially avoided. Her caption summed it up perfectly: “Test anxiety isn’t just for kids.”

In an interview with Today, Winans explained that her stress comes from wanting her students to feel calm and confident. She said that during testing weeks she barely sleeps because she worries about her students being overwhelmed. “I want them to feel okay and not nervous,” she shared, acknowledging how intense standardized testing can be.

The internet instantly related. One commenter joked that she was probably panic-texting her principal, while another imagined her on the phone with someone, terrified as she rushed to the school.

As it turns out, those guesses weren’t far off. Winans said she actually did call her administrator before driving over, and that call led to the video being recorded. After seeing the footage, she realized how funny it was and decided to post it.

Other viewers simply celebrated her dedication. Some compared her to Janine from Abbott Elementary, while others joked that true heroes wear bonnets and plug in Chromebook carts late at night. Many praised her for caring enough to leave her house in pajamas just to make sure her students were prepared.

After the video took off, Winans told Today she hoped it would show people that teachers are human. They make mistakes, forget things, and scramble sometimes—but they always do their best to support their students. “We just do what we have to do so our kids can succeed,” she said.

Beyond teaching lessons, educators often find themselves providing emotional support, guidance, and even performing small rescue missions like this one. It’s just one more reason they deserve appreciation.

Since the viral moment, Winans has continued posting updates from her classroom, including a redesign project and some fun outfit check-ins, showing she’s back to business as usual—just with a lot more people cheering her on.