A Professor Told Her Class Christmas Is Hard For Her And They Surprised Her In The Best Way

What these kids did for their professor is in the true spirit of Christmas

Getting caught up in the spirit of Christmas, it can be easy to forget that the holidays are not an easy time for everyone. Professor Wharton (who didn’t want reporters using her full name) teaches dual-enrollment English at a Texas high school, and she is one of those people.

Wharton made a “casual comment” to her class that the holidays are “difficult for her” because most of her immediate family has passed away. Both her parents and her only sibling have died. She has some cousins, but said she’s not close with them.

So her teenage class organized a sweet surprise that’s now going viral. On the last day of class before the holiday break, they got a counselor to distract Wharton outside the room while they covered her desk with gifts. Many of the gifts were personalized, or horse-themed, since the class knew Wharton loved horses. One student filmed her reaction when she entered the classroom and saw what the kids had done. The video will definitely bring tears to your eyes.

In the video, one of the students speaks “on behalf of the class.”

“We all had an idea because we had heard you talking about how — I’m trying not to cry — how this is a sad time for you because you don’t really have that much family,” the student said.

“You’re going to make me cry,” Wharton interrupted.

The student continued, “We just wanted to make your Christmas a good one.”

Our entire hearts.

Wharton told Buzzfeed she was blown away by the gesture.

“I was just completely overwhelmed by their compassion for me,” she said. “Not as student-to-instructor, just as human beings.”

She added, “Teenagers, many, many teenagers, are so much kinder and more compassionate than their public reputation. These students did this out of their own generosity and the kindness of their hearts. They know me well enough to know it won’t influence their grades.”

Twitter was also totally in love with what the kids did for her.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1073413789423493120https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1073426764624486402https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1073475459059499009

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1073513009815838721https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1073633937006710784

The professor encouraged being there for others around the holidays, because you never know what could make that difference for another person.

“Even if it’s just a ‘hello,’ or ‘Merry Christmas,’ that can mean so much,” she said.

On top of that, as replies to the very viral video poured in, many were offering money for Wharton. Her response? Donate that money to the American Cancer Society instead or, simply “reach out to others who are alone,” she said. “That can have an impact in our world.”

We’re sure glad so many wonderful students reached out to Wharton.