Middle school teacher Trey Payne was moved by his students’ surprise. Image: screengrab via Facebook/@BellevuePublicSchools
A teacher from Nebraska, United States was overwhelmed by his students’ act of kindness after being a victim of theft in his own classroom.
It was about two weeks ago when the basketball shoes of teacher Trey Payne were stolen in his classroom at Logan Fontenelle Middle School.
Unknown to him, his students were upset about the situation and were eager to make things right. They gathered money to buy him a new pair of kicks and surprised him last Jan. 29, according to the Bellevue Public Schools Facebook page on the same day.
Image: screengrab via Facebook/@BellevuePublicSchools
The students handed him a paper bag at school, first asking him to read a card from the class, as seen in a video on the Facebook post. As he dug into the bag and saw the box of shoes, Payne grew emotional and said, “Are you serious?”
Payne was so moved by the gesture that he broke down in tears while opening the gift. Eventually, his students rushed in for a group hug.
“It’s more than a pair of shoes, it’s about doing things to build everyone up around you,” Payne said. “I try to show my kids this and I think the lesson has sunk in for many, in turn, reaffirming my purpose and my ideals.” JB
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