Teacher Moved to Tears After Students Pitch in to Replace His Stolen Shoes

Teachers don’t always get the respect they deserve, yet they pour their lives into our children, trying their hardest to impart knowledge and to be positive role models. 

The good teachers eventually find out how much their hard work is appreciated. For example, one teacher’s students showed up at his wedding to sing. He was completely surprised. Another teacher takes it open herself to make sure her students have food to eat and clothes to wear. When Ellen heard about her, she wanted to help.

This next example didn’t make it onto network TV, but it’s definitely going viral.

Trey Payne is a teacher at Logan Fontenelle Middle School. He had an expensive pair of basketball shoes stolen from his classroom.

It’s no secret that teachers aren’t rich, so we’re sure that Payne was not only disappointed that someone would be so bold as to steal his shoes, but he was probably also not in a position to replace them right away since they were expensive.

His students wanted to help, so they decided to surprise him. Surprise him they did! They actually moved their teacher to tears!

In a video recorded by one of the students, Payne is holding a gift bag and a card. Students can be heard telling him to read the card first. They also tell him to read the card out loud, but he doesn’t. He reads it silently, and as he reads, the expression on his face changes. He looks a little bit confused. Then he looks at the gift bag.

As Payne pulls the paper out of the gift bag, he discovers a box, and not just any box, a shoe box. He can be heard saying, “I hope this isn’t shoes guys…Oh my…are you serious?” 

It is shoes. Payne’s students pooled their money to buy a new pair of basketball shoes for their teacher. 

Payne is moved to tears, and he embraces his students in a group hug. It’s really such a touching moment. Watch the video below to see Payne’s reaction for yourself.

Payne told KETV ABC 7, “It’s more than a pair of shoes. It’s about doing things to build everyone up around you. 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.”

Have you ever done something nice for a favorite teacher?