Teacher sees disabled girl sitting alone. His next move leaves everyone in awe: 'A superhero.'

Teachers play a crucial role in fostering an inclusive environment where every student feels encouraged to participate. Beyond academics, a truly dedicated educator supports their students in all aspects of life. This was beautifully demonstrated by Lucas Mariano Salas Aldi, a physical education teacher from Argentina, who helped a specially-abled girl dance by “lending” his own legs. In a widely shared Facebook video posted by the non-profit Un Granito de Arena, Salas fulfilled his student’s dream of becoming a dancer, despite her inability to move her lower body due to a developmental condition.

Salas’ noble act aimed to ensure all his students were included in the school show. The heartwarming incident took place in 2017 in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina. During rehearsals, a girl named Agostina Andreata felt left out of her classmates' activities because of her physical challenges. To support her, the educator found a unique way, including her in the honorary performance dedicated to the country’s national hero, José de San Martín, as reported by Aleteia. His thoughtful gesture uplifted the spirits of the specially-abled student. The physical education teacher creatively modified a harness to strap the girl’s legs to his own. This allowed Andreata to move with Salas’ support, enabling her to join her classmates in the dance performance.

The specially-abled student was seen joyfully grooving to traditional Argentinian music with her teacher’s assistance. She smiled throughout the act, as shown in the heartwarming footage, bringing a wave of applause from the audience. “There is no doubt that the world needs more people like you with an incredible spirit,” read the loosely translated caption, originally written in Spanish. Additionally, the young girl was seen winning over the hearts of audiences through her adorable hand movements. Andreata maintained coordination with all her classmates throughout the performance. In fact, she was the one leading them, confidently dancing and openly embracing all her challenges. Salad also received praise from different quarters for his humble gesture, including from Argentina’s Ministry of Education.

Lauding him as a “superhero” without a cape, the government wing took to Facebook to acknowledge his efforts in building a harness and learning the steps of the choreography for the school event. “(He) gave Agostina the opportunity to dance with the rest of her classmates. Mariano is one of the many superheroes who don’t need a cape,” it said. “I'm very proud of you,” wrote Martin Damian Vizgarra, a friend of the teacher who initially shared the tear-jerking performance on Facebook. Meanwhile, the emotional video garnered massive attention on social media, amassing millions of views. Among the many reactions, Liliana Lopez remarked, “More Martines are needed in Argentina—committed to what they do and dedicated to integrating the entire community. From school and games, this is the only way our nation will move forward: by teaching values and respect for others.” Edith Hernandez Peñuelas added, “The humility and love a person shows to make someone else happy are truly wonderful and worthy of applause.”