Dinosaur-obsessed kid couldn't afford 'Jurassic Park' ticket, so his teacher held a fake contest to send him

When a teacher (u/fudsterwong on Reddit) saw one of their students upset for missing out on a new Jurassic World movie, they stepped right in, surprising him with an unexpected twist of fate. Sharing the post in early July, viewers flocked to express how different their lives would have been with a mentor like them.

The author was a middle school teacher, and their students were mostly from poor socio-economic backgrounds. "Sometimes I can’t help but sympathize with the students," they said, before describing how a boy, obsessed with dinosaurs, was missing out on a new and popular movie because his family couldn't afford the tickets. The student was so fascinated by the whole concept of dinosaurs that even his "assessments" mentioned it. The teacher felt terrible about the situation, so they purchased a 20-dollar gift voucher and informed him about a fake writing competition rewarding kids with movie tickets.

The assignment asked the kids to explain why they wanted to watch the film in the first place, and if their passion were convincing enough, then they'd win a ticket. "The kid poured his heart and soul into his writing, even though this was all a pretense. When I told him he had won and presented the gift card, his eyes shot wide open, and his mouth screamed with excitement," the teacher wrote. Though they realized it might be "off conduct," knowing that the child would be able to catch up on his favorite film delighted the teacher. Having someone root for them and be in their corner like that is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding experiences in a child's life. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, adults who have had a positive experience with their teachers tend to have higher self-esteem and grow up to become better adults.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incredible story, u/lipsnarehai_leyx wrote, "Nah, you got a heart, for real. That’s not misconduct; that’s just being human. People forget how much little things like this mean to kids, especially when they've got it rough." u/comfortablyshy shared, "That’s awesome! Teachers like you ROCK! More teachers should have a heart like yours. It should be mandatory! I’ve had my daughter addicted to dinosaurs since she was 4, not on purpose. She’s 18 now, and whenever anything related to Jurassic comes out, everyone knows it’s already reserved for us to see it together. Even now, she’s already got her t-shirt ready for the next movie."

On the other hand, u/icouldntquitedecide commented, "Don't ever question any 'ethics' of this. We need more teachers like you. More people, really. When I was 6, I drew a picture of the Titanic in class. (Very inaccurate, sinking backward, lol.) My teacher saw it and was very excited to show me the Titanic book she had in her personal classroom library. I read that book 'cover-to-cover' hundreds of times that year. I gave it back when summer break arrived. A month later, around my birthday, she drove all the way out into the sticks to hand-deliver the copy of the book she bought for me. I'm now 36, and I still think of that gesture often and still have the book. It's in a bookcase with many other Titanic books. She single-handedly started a lifelong interest in not just the Titanic, but ships, the water, engineering, history, and architecture. You never know what your gesture could do for this child."