Teacher kept getting called 'everyone's white mom' by student—then she found the reason

According to statistics shared by We Are Teachers, 98% of people believe that a good teacher plays a vital role in shaping a positive outcome in life. Teachers carry immense responsibility, second only to parents, in influencing a child’s development. Their behavior and treatment of students help form the beliefs and values kids will carry into adulthood. u/Natylit exemplifies this responsibility, taking her role as an educator seriously by leading with empathy and love. Her goal is to instill these same ideals in her students, and it’s clear they appreciate her warmth and care. She recently shared a touching example of this affection on Reddit.

The middle school teacher works primarily with students of color and strives to create a classroom environment that feels like a "home away from home." Her efforts seem to be working. During a visit to the after-school art club, one student affectionately called her "mom!"—a sweet moment that underscored the bond she has built with her students.

As she and the teachers exchanged a warm hug, she told her friends, "See! I told you! Ms. X has the sweetest personality - she's like my white mom!" This surprise nickname gave the teacher a chuckle, but also meant so much more. 

The most satisfying takeaway for her was being seen as a 'mother-like' figure. She felt elated knowing her students were growing into empathetic and loving individuals.

In her own words, "Moments like this are why I love to teach middle school." The impact she can have on students makes all the hard work worthwhile. To further spread the happiness she had received from the girl, the teacher asked other teachers to share funny incidents that made their day.

u/discordany shared how other students came through for them at lunch, "Today, it was my student's reaction to me forgetting my lunch. Was debating whether to just buy school lunch (kids get it free but staff pays) or to try to get to a restaurant off campus and back in time. Kiddos who typically give me a hard time immediately offered to smuggle me sandwiches so I didn't have to pay."

u/BigChiefJoe shares how listening to his students led to a fun-filled day for him, "We just had a 'BBQ Dad' day as part of homecoming, and several of my classes BEGGED me to dress up. I came with a bunch of dumb dad jokes ready, a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt, and sandals with socks... I had a lot of fun that day."

This article originally appeared 1 year ago.