A good teacher holds a special place in our hearts.
As we grow up, we may forget specifics about what someone has taught us, but not how they made us think and feel.
A middle school teacher in Nebraska touched the hearts of his kids so much, they all got him a new pair of shoes when his favorite ones were stolen.
The video was initially shared on Tik Tok, and reshared by the Bleacher Report on Twitter.
Trey Payne is a teacher in Bellevue, Nebraska. His favorite pair of Nikes were stolen out of his office.
While he was sad about the loss, he didn't think much more of it. However, his students decided to surprise him.
They made a group chat to organize, and all chipped in money to replace the shoes.
Payne said:
"As soon as I picked it up and felt the weight of the bag, I'm like, 'I think this is shoes'."
Another student, Emma Mitchell, shared a video of the reveal on Twitter, and was surprised to see it blow up in popularity.
Mitchell said:
"I just wanted the superintendent to see it, but then I've had reporters from like Wisconsin all over retweeting it."
Her video has nearly 2 million views at time of writing.
"He's gave to us so much that he deserves it more than anyone."
It's adorable to see the lengths these kids are willing to go to make their teacher happy.
Mr. Payne teaches the 'Living' class at the school. You might know it by a different name, 'Home economics'.
He also refereed basketball games and the Nike Zoom KD12 shoes were his favorite for the sport. However, they were stolen from his classroom one day.
Payne says he tries to instill the idea of building up those around you, something that can change your life.
But even he was surprised at the level of the act of kindness.
"They're eighth-graders and for them to think outside of themselves. That's a higher-level thinking skill that technically they are not supposed to have yet."
Maybe, but it's a type of kindness we sorely need in this world.
The videos both end with the kids going in for a group hug. Their love for their teacher is truly inspiring.
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