This Teacher Discovered an Accessory that Makes Wearing a Mask Easier

For teachers who are back in the classroom this school year, supply lists look very different. While they’ll still need pens, pencils and crayons, one new essential item is a face mask. Faced with the reality of having to teach with her mask on, one resourceful teacher found the perfect accessory to make mask wearing a little easier on everyone.

Angie Madden is a teacher in Georgia and, when she shared her latest Amazon find to Facebook, it quickly went viral. Madden shared a handy device called a face mask bracket.

"To all my teacher friends, I ordered the coolest thing on Amazon,” Madden said in her now viral video. “It's called a face bracket and you stick it on your face, and you put your mask on… It keeps your mask off your face."

After seeing Madden demonstrate using the bracket and offer such high praise, many began sharing the video. Since, the clip has been viewed over 300,000 times.

While wearing the bracket, Madden can be heard clearly and said she breathes easier because it helps keep the mask from her lips. Considering everything teachers are juggling this year, using the bracket to make sure students can clearly hear them is very valuable.

So, while the bracket can make mask wearing easier, is it safe? That depends on the fit of your mask before and after.

“A bracket may make a face mask easier to wear, but the issue is that it may reduce fit and decrease effectiveness,” Amesh Adalja, M.D., an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University with the Center for Global Health, told Verywell. So, make sure that your mask remains a proper fit while the bracket is in place. You may want to try different sized masks and give them a trial run before wearing the bracket in public.

If you are looking to get a face mask bracket, here’s where you can get one:

They even come in kid’s sizes!