I didn't know what TikTok was. My student took my phone, made an account, and changed my career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Phillip Cook. It has been edited for length and clarity.

A physicist or a mathematician might argue with me, but I believe chemistry is the best way to understand how the world works. Once you understand atoms, the underpinnings of the world around us can be explained.

Over the past 26 years, I've aimed to demonstrate this for my students through experiments. One of my favorites involves dissolving an aluminum soda can with sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as lye. Once the can dissolves, students can see the invisible plastic liner inside, which holds the soda.

I've been doing these experiments for decades. In 2019, when a student told me I should film them, I didn't realize that decision would change my life.

It happened at the beginning of the school year, a time when I do a lot of demonstrations to get my students curious about chemistry. That particular day, we were putting a gummy bear in potassium chlorate, which produces a violent reaction.

My student said, "You should put that on TikTok." I asked her what TikTok was. After she explained, I trusted her with my phone, and she set up my account. Then, she filmed the experiment so I could focus on conducting it safely.

Once the demonstration was complete, the class picked music to overlay on the video, and my student posted it. I didn't think twice as I went home for the weekend. I was just humoring my pupils.

Monday morning, kids were asking if I'd seen TikTok. I opened it, and felt a punch to my gut. The video had about 75,000 views, and I had 5,500 new followers. Until then, I thought I'd been doing well on social media with my Twitter account, talking with 200 fellow teachers.

I was struck by how many people were genuinely curious about chemistry. I decided I'd keep making videos, but I soon discovered it wasn't as easy for me as my student had made it look. My videos take time and planning. Because of the nature of the demonstrations, I can't film in bulk as some creators do.

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As my following grew, I felt pressure to constantly be making content. It became unhealthy. Yet, I knew my day job teaching was my first priority, followed by my family. These days I'm good about keeping a healthy balance of teaching, social media, and downtime.

My followers on TikTok are pretty diverse. They're evenly split between males and females, and I have a pretty wide age range. What they all share is curiosity. I've built a following by tapping into things that people are naturally curious about.