12 Stories of Teachers Who Taught Their Students What Is True Kindness

People got together online to share touching stories about teachers who were a beacon of altruism and compassion. These educators showed real kindness by helping students in tough times, and they never forgot it. And these stories remind us of the powerful impact teachers can have in shaping lives and giving valuable lessons to children.

• I broke up with my boyfriend the night before my final and as I was walking to class to take it, my teacher, seeing me, told me that I could take it the following day with his afternoon class without me even saying a word. He was a really great teacher! © sangresangria13 / Reddit

• Senior year, I was placed in a Freshman typing class. Everyone else was chatty and goofed off, but I wanted to learn to type, so I really put in a lot of effort. I only had two classes in the morning, and the rest of the day I was a waitress, as I was pretty much on my own in my Senior year.
  I got called into work on the day of our class final, so I went to work and missed the final. When I showed up to class the next day, I apologized to the teacher for missing the final. He asked me, “Do you want to know the grade you got?” When I replied yes, he said, “I gave you an A because if you had been here, that’s what you would’ve gotten.” I never forgot that. Thank you, Mr. Wyatt. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I faked my way through 4th and 5th grade math. I never understood how to do long division, but managed to hide that from the teachers and answer test questions by reverse multiplication — basically guess a number, and multiply it out and see how close I would get, and keep doing it until I got the answer.
  My 6th grade math teacher figured out that I was faking, and had no idea how to actually divide anything. She had me come in one afternoon to “help with cleaning the erasers” (all the kids fought for this privilege, so I was thrilled), sat me down and tutored me until I grasped the concept. Bless you, Mrs. Gillespie! © SaltyAbility / Reddit

• 3rd grade, Mrs Jones. My dad had just deserted us and we were suddenly destitute. She bought my school pictures for us and paid my lunch bill all year. She never said a word about it. Only found out later. Bless her. © Ljmeeds1 / Reddit

• This teacher was extremely strict and was hated by my class, but loved me because I was one of the few who respected her and did well in her class. When school ended, she gave me a crystal bear. Nothing too fancy or expensive, but I felt as if I was glowing, leaving that classroom with the bear in my hand. I still have it and will treasure it forever. © DragonHeart2006 / Reddit

• My physics teacher in high school hosted an annual trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando for 15–20 kids for over a week. I was one of the better and most interested students in his class. He was an incredible teacher who found examples in physics everywhere. He also used to work for Disney prior to teaching.
  Since my family was not so well off, and I could not afford the trip to Walt Disney World, I declined when he asked me if I was going to join. He probed a bit, and he somehow found the funds to have me join without me even inquiring. I don’t know if he pulled school money or there was a surplus, but either way, that was one of my best memories from that school.
  I still keep in touch with him 15 years later. © marincho / Reddit

• I had spent the past couple years at a private school, trying so hard to prove myself. Despite doing well academically, I didn’t fit their cookie cutter mold, so I was looked down on by other students and administration. When I told the guidance counselor that I wanted to do pre-med and go to medical school after college, she pretty much told me to lower my expectations because I wouldn’t succeed.
  At the end of my college math class on my senior year of high school, I ended up in my professor’s office to look at what I had missed on my final. He told me that I had done well, and that I could do my PhD in math if I wanted. That was not what I wanted to do, but when I told him I wanted to do pre-med, he looked at me and said, “You’re going to well in that. I know you will succeed.”
  6 years later and I’m halfway through my second year of medical school, and his words still ring in my mind. © emmaline_grace97 / Reddit

• At my high school, we had an annual week-long science trip, fully paid for by fundraising. Only 4 people were selected to go each year. My Sophomore year, I was chosen. I knew there was no way I was going to be allowed to go. I had never been out of the state, never been on a single vacation, never been on a plane and never been away from home for more than 24 hours. My parents were incredibly conservative and immediately said no.
  I had a science teacher who just didn’t accept the no. Instead of just giving up and selecting someone else, he called and tried to convince my parents. When that didn’t work, he came to my house and had dinner with my family to convince my dad that I would be an asset, and he would be doing me a disservice by not letting me go. He sat and ate my mom’s terrible cooking and talked to my parents for over 2 hours until he got a “we’ll think about it”. Then he just kept following up.
  I had never had someone in my corner like that before, who was willing to go to bat for me like that. He wore them down, and it was the best week of my teenage life. I’d never seen the ocean. 20 years later and I can still recall every detail of that trip. It was a major pivot point for me. © chrissyv54 / Reddit

• My band teacher drove me home several times after the 7pm Jazz Band practice. My dad was supposed to pick me up, but several times he fell asleep and didn’t answer the phone when I tried to call. © JonesNate / Reddit

• Had a high school art teacher who would let me stay in his classroom during lunches. Always gave me half his sandwich and other extra food because he knew I didn’t eat much otherwise. He would also keep a drawer in the classroom stocked with snacks so that I could swing by and grab something between classes if I needed. © pseudonymous_lemon / Reddit

• Senior year of high school. I was on the wrestling team and I had cut about 30lbs that year, from 170 down to 140.
  I happened to have the same math teacher 3 years in a row, so we really got to know each other. First name basis and all that. She knew how much weight I cut for the season, I told her, and it was obvious just from my face. I wasn’t fat before my cut either, I had a six-pack. She had a strict no eating in class policy. That’ll be important in a minute.
  The day after the wrestling season ends, I walk into math class and sit down. She walks over to my desk and puts a whole apple pie right in front of me (she knew it was my favorite), handed me a fork, and said she’ll ignore the no eating rule for 1 day. I finished that whole pie in maybe 30 minutes.
  Linda, I’ll never forget that. You absolutely made my day. © reusethisname / Reddit

• In 5th grade, I had this teacher who was very gruff. Most of us didn’t like her because she was so tough, especially regarding discipline and homework completion. She wasn’t mean, but she wasn’t nice either.
  Then I found out my parents were getting a divorce. I showed up to school one day visibly upset, kinda shaky, and had obviously been crying. She basically grunted, rasped, “Hallway. Now.” I was so not in the mood to be scolded, and I knew I was a mess. I stomped out into the hallway.
  She told me she knew what was happening at home, asked me if I was ok, then listened to me sob and break down about how I felt. She gave me a hug and asked if I wanted to spend an hour or so in the library since she knew I loved books, and then I could ground myself.
  It was so unexpectedly kind. I will never forget it. I found out later she was so gruff and short with us because she’d been teaching for a long time and kids are mean. She had some sort of health condition that left her in pain most of the time, and she had to use a cane, which caused her to hunch a bit.
  Over the years all the meanness of the kids made her a little hard and cold. But she really did care about her students. © Decidedly-Undecided / Reddit

The internet is full of positive stories that reinforce our belief that kindness is all around us. Those moments are especially heartwarming when they make someone who’s in a relationship believe they have found “the one”. We featured a few of those stories in this article, and they perfectly illustrate the power of love.