At 70 years old, it is perhaps the most beautiful surprise of his career, and at the same time, it was worth the wait. Jan Pearson taught for 38 years at the same kindergarten in the city of Chesterton, Indiana, USA. Thirteen years ago, she retired, posing for one last class photo while wishing her senior students the best. Children that she has obviously marked a lot, since at the end of the school year, they wanted to surprise her. On the day of their graduation certificate, the equivalent of the baccalaureate, they discreetly contacted his daughter, to organize a visit and come to thank her with their diploma in hand. Scene that was filmed and posted on the TikTok social network.
@kimhamilton15 #kindergartentograduation ♬ Graduation March – Pomp And Circumstance – Instrumental – Zev Weinstein
We see the retired teacher, quietly installed in her garden. She sees a group of graduates pass by with their gowns and square headgear, young people whom she reflexively greets by shouting to them. “congratulations !”, before realizing that in fact they are coming to her house. A first student, Liz, pushes the gate and immediately, the teacher recognizes her and falls into her arms, then a second graduate, then three, four, up to eight whom she greets each by their first names, before throwing very moved,”Of course, we have to take a class photo..”
Because most everything else sucks right now please check out this retired kindergarten teacher being surprised by her final graduating class… https://t.co/5pL5WGwaYi
—Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) June 27, 2022
Barely published, the video was seen more than seven million times, commented on by tens of thousands of Internet users, and it ended up being taken up by the major national TV channels like ABC or NBC, because it actually speaks to everyone. If we place ourselves on the side of the students, because we all have memories of the teachers who accompanied us, and if we place ourselves on the side of the teacher, because this scene tells us that nothing is futile, that it sometimes takes time to see what one has sown blossom, that all the seeds do not germinate right away, but that the effort always bears fruit. Here, it is the smile of these children who have become adults with their diplomas in hand, and their infinite recognition, the greatest reward for all those whose job it is to pass on knowledge.