Teacher learns one of her favorite students was taken out of school. Then finds note that broke her heart.

Some students leave a lasting impact, not because of their grades but because of their kindness. A teacher, u/AC_Slaughter, recently shared a touching story about one such student, a young girl who, despite struggling in class, always put others first. When she suddenly left school, she also left behind a note that revealed the painful reality of her life. The teacher, who shared the story on Reddit, described the student as one of the lowest in the class academically but with "the kindest and most generous heart of any child I've ever met."

She was the one other kids turned to when they were hurt or upset. "She was so compassionate, would get them Band-Aids, escort them to the office, or just rub their backs while they cried," the teacher wrote. But while the child gave so much care to others, she didn’t receive the same love at home. As per the teacher, her mother was "a real piece of sh.... ahem.... Work." The teacher explained, "Her mom never acknowledged me in the morning line or even said hello during Open House. Mom also never answered emails or showed up for her kid in any real way." Then, out of nowhere, the little girl told her teacher it was her last day.

"Cut screen to yesterday. Out of the blue, my student tells me it's her last day and she isn’t coming back anymore. Sure enough, today she was gone," the teacher shared. On the front of her binder, the student had written down her deepest thoughts: that she "feels sad that she is so dumb." The student also wrote how she "feels like she had zero brain cells in her brain, hates her life and herself, and doesn't like sharing a room in a tiny apartment with her mom," who, according to the girl, was often out with her male "friends."

At the bottom of the note, the child wrote something that broke the teacher’s heart.

"Even though I don't have much, at least I still have the best teacher, Mrs. AC." While reading those words, the teacher said, "My eyes welled up in class and of course, my students were all staring right at me, so I had to keep it together,” she wrote. This painful moment reminded her how we never really know what a child is going through. She ended her post with regret, wishing she could have done more, "I'll miss you, little one."

The story touched many people, and commenters shared both their feelings and advice. u/TeenyTinyPonies said, "Awww, poor little thing! At least she knows you cared." u/emilylouise221 suggested, "Honestly, I’d call DCFS about the mom leaving her alone and see if you can get someone else to keep an eye on her." u/PookaRaFo added, "If she says that she hates her life, she may eventually become suicidal. You are supposed to report this stuff within 24 hours. OP should say that she just found the note." u/yourgirlsamus wrote, "You (admin) don’t get to decide if the child is in danger. That’s for CPS to decide. That was one of the biggest notes I took when I did my abuse awareness training. You report what is suspicious, they decide if it is credible."