With so much doom and gloom in the world at the moment from forest fires through to Covid 19 we thought we would bring you some uplifting and inspirational stories from the classroom. We can always rely on amazing teachers, students and the odd celebrity to spread some love and kindness. So to find out how J.Lo helped hungry pupils in Tennessee or how a teacher managed to help his pupils achieve all A* on a maths exam, read on. Here are our 5 favourite heart-warming news stories from the classroom.
1. Teacher is moved to tears by students replacing his stolen shoes
A class of school children in Bellevue, Nebraska have been celebrated on social media after they replaced their teacher’s stolen shoes. The teacher, Trey Payne was devastated to find out that his expensive trainers had been stolen from the classroom however after hearing the news, his students pooled their money together to buy him a new pair. The children’s act of kindness moved the teacher to tears and the video of the wonderful moment has since gone viral. Watch the heart-warming video here.
2. Science teacher from rural Kenya awarded world’s best teacher title
A physics and maths teacher from a remote area of Kenya has won the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize. Peter Tabichi, a Franciscan brother, was awarded the prize of $1 million after beating 10,000 nominations from 179 countries to become the world’s best teacher. The teacher gives away 80% of his income to students from underprivileged backgrounds which allows them to afford essential school supplies and has created a talent nurturing club to encourage and inspire children.
3. Teacher hailed ‘Maths Whisperer’, as entire class receive A* on difficult maths exam
Maths teacher Francis Elive has guided his thirty students at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff, Wales to the highest achievable grade in their maths examination. The class is mostly made up of second-language English speakers and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For a class to receive 100% A* result is an incredible achievement, while only 13% of Welsh students who sat the exam managed to reach an A* last summer.
Read more on the story here.
4. Deaf teacher wins outstanding contribution award
Alysha Allen, a deaf teacher from North London has been awarded for her excellent contribution to teaching. She teaches her pupils using lip-reading and sign language which has enabled them to become fluent in signing. At Brimsdown Primary School students are taught sign language as part of their learning due to the many languages spoken at the school. Maths Hub, an organisation which recognises maths teaching excellence presented Allen with the Special Contribution Award for her innovative teaching methods. Watch the video here.
5. Jennifer Lopez donated a year’s supply of food to US school
Jennifer Lopez and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez donated a year\’s worth of food to Jacksboro Elementary school in Tennessee, US after hearing about teachers raising money to help feed a hungry child. The pupil had complained about not having enough to eat at home and was depending on food given by the guidance councillor. When the teachers discovered this, they pooled their money together to buy the pupil much-needed supplies. After the teacher\’s Facebook post about the hungry student went viral, Jennifer Lopez and her fiancé were so moved, they donated an enormous amount of food to the school. Read the full story here.
Hopefully those stories have cheered you up a little bit! For more education news and insights, visit our blog today.