12 Teachers Who Gained the Respect of Their Students With a Memorable Act

Online, there are touching stories about teachers who deeply impacted their students’ lives with their kindness, dedication and even unique methods. These educators went beyond their duties to support and encourage their students, leaving a lasting impression. Shared with gratitude, these stories highlight the profound influence teachers have on shaping their students’ futures.

• When I was a kid, we had to purchase these red punch cards to get lunch at school. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that much money, so there were times where my punch card would run out, and I wasn’t able to eat for a while until we got enough money to re-purchase another one.
  I had one teacher who noticed I wasn’t eating every day, and she would bring an extra sandwich and offer it to me whenever she saw that. I really didn’t understand how kind that was when I was a kid, but obviously as an adult, that was such an amazing gesture of kindness. © sk8erguysk8er / Reddit

• In my first year of high school, my class decided to play a simple prank on our English teacher, by all laughing when he faced the board, and then stopping every time he turned around to face us. After a few minutes of this, he just left the classroom without a word. We all sat there, confused, until a few minutes later the assistant principal comes in and explains that we’ve really upset our teacher; he made us believe we’d seriously messed up.
  Then our teacher walked in and pretty much went, «Gotcha!»
  That man had our respect from then on. © bi***t***93 / Reddit

• I had a professor that made it crystal clear that if we ever made an appointment and didn’t show up, he’d take 5 points off of our final grade.
  I tried to find him during office hours and he wasn’t available. I told him that I deserved an extra 5 points because he wasn’t available when he said he would be, and he gave it to me in the interest of fairness. © Straightup32 / Reddit

• I moved out of home during high school. It was stressful, to say the least. I started to fall behind in assignments, I would be absent for days at a time, I missed tests, etc.
  I ended up explaining the bare minimum of my situation to my English teacher, and their response always stuck with me — «Just do what you can.»
  It may not seem like much, but right then and there, for a 16-year-old kid who felt like simply living was a burden, it was everything. © jodehleh / Reddit

• Junior year of high school, English class. We were discussing a story we had read. One student (let’s call him Carl) made a point. The teacher was dismissive and basically said Carl was wrong.
  The next day, after we took our seats, the teacher said, «Before we begin, I was thinking about what Carl said yesterday. I was wrong to dismiss it so quickly. Let’s take a look at that again.»
  He then went on to repeat Carl’s point and initiate a conversation with the entire class. After the conversation, it became apparent Carl’s point was indeed off base, but I was impressed the teacher publicly owned his mistake and went down the path he should have. © Andreas_NYC / Reddit

• When I was in the first grade, my mother gave me one of MANY really awful haircuts. The first day back at school afterward, the kids picked on me horribly. So much that I ran out and hid. The principal found me, and we went back to the classroom, and he asked me to wait outside for a minute while he talked to the class. He then walked me to his office and bought me a Coke.
  The next day (first thing in the morning) we had an assembly with the entire school, and he walked up on stage with his head shaved completely bald and talked about mocking and the like.
  Some 20 years down the road he had retired, and I ran into him at the local college. I shook his hand and said, «You probably don’t remember me, but...»
  «Yes, I do,» he interrupted and said my name and the event.
  The man was and is a hero in my eyes. © hopgeek / Reddit

• I remember my first math class in college. I didn’t take any math my senior year of high school because I finished my math requirements my junior year. Anyway, the first math test hit me like a truck after never having to try in high school, and I scored in the low 60’s. The next three tests, I learned to study and got three 98’s in a row.
  The last week of class, the professor (who was very tough, by the way, and would kick you out for having your phone out) called me up to her desk after class and said, «Clearly you were having a bad day that first exam, so don’t worry about that grade because I won’t count it.» It really changed my view of that professor. © PancakesandMaggots / Reddit

• A temporary replacement teacher spend the day recovering my lost sticker collection.
  In the UK, in primary/junior schools, playtime becomes a trading hub on the playground for stickers. Anyway, one particular day I made a massive haul of stickers which I misplaced for a split second, and it was gone. I was devastated, and my teacher saw me in distress when I got back from class, and promised she would get them all back for me.
  True to her word, she did. In fact, it turned out several people had made off with my stash of stickers, and she spent her lunchtime tracking down every one of the children who had them, claimed them back and grilling the kids in turn to who else had my cards and getting them to see her.
  By the end of lunch, she returned them to me, all accounted for. For a temporary teacher to do this, it was a seriously kind gesture, as most teachers would have shrugged their shoulders and carry on as if nothing happened. © Techpreist_X21Alpha / Reddit

• Second year of college and my mom was diagnosed with cancer. As someone who never even boiled water before, somehow I was adjusting to managing everything at home, taking care of mom, taking care of my assignments, etc. I used to get late almost daily. I completed assignments by being up all night, which made me sleep in lectures the next day.
  One day I get called by this professor in her cabin. I was totally expecting to be told off, but she hands me my assignment (I scored full marks) and says, «I don’t have a daughter, but if I had one, I’d wish to have one just like you.» © newsensequeen / Reddit

• We had an exam, saying «I’ll test your honesty and your teamwork, I’m gonna leave the room once your exam starts.» So we thought it’s between honesty that we don’t share answers with each other, and teamwork by cheating.
  We were so desperate, and cheated the exams. Professor came back 5 minutes before the time is up and asked, «So, did you share your answers with one another?» And we said yes.
  «Okay,» he said. «Since you are all honest, and you proved to me that you had your teamwork as a class, I will exempt all of you for this exam.» © paoerfuuul / Reddit

• I had been put in a lower set due to class capacity issues.
  He started off with a speech around what we would be learning this year and then assigned work to the class. After that he walked up to me and gave me a big book with the syllabus and told me he knew I’m too smart for this class and instead of following what the class does he wants me to work through the syllabus at my pace (faster than others being implied) and he would come and check on me after assigning work to everyone else. He said I could do lots or as little each class, but I needed to finish the book by the end of the year.
  Super-duper motivated me to smash his class. © SuperTed321 / Reddit

• I went to a small charter school for middle school. Our English teacher was brand new to teaching, if I remember correctly she was only 22 which seemed old at the time. She always did her best to be so cheerful and make learning fun.
  But the thing that truly solidified her spot as my favorite teacher was that for every student’s birthday, she would give you a personalized mini notebook. It was just a simple small composition notebook, but she had filled the first couple pages telling me how much she loved having me as a student, how far she knew I would go, and other affirmations. It seems small, but as a 13 year-old who had a difficult home life, it made all the difference in how I acted the rest of the year. © Voiceisaweapon / Reddit

Teachers often leave a lasting impression on their students. For a few people, it was the kindness they showed towards them, particularly in difficult moments of their life. Here they told their stories, and we can’t help but once again applaud all the educators in the world for their big hearts.