A poor teacher couldn’t begin thinking of how to feed and raise his five children after he was fired. A couple of days later, a limo picked him up and took him to his dream job.
Tommy Baxter was a 53-year-old teacher who loved his students dearly. He not only taught them math and science but would give his students sound advice, which they’d take to heart and really listen to.
Through the years, the school principal who ran the public school where Mr. Baxter worked noticed a considerable decline in academic performance for students with teachers aged 50 and above. Knowing that Tommy was 53, he was determined to have him retire.
However, while that was the case for most teachers, Mr. Baxter’s students excelled in their classes. He made math and science look straightforward, and thanks to his unique teaching methods, more students understood the complicated lessons.
Because of his “cool” teaching techniques, his students called him the “best teacher in town.” Mr. Baxter’s students always graduated with flying colors and would often get accepted into the country’s top colleges and universities.
One day, Mr. Baxter was called into the principal’s office. “I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news to tell you,” the principal told him.
“Upon speaking with the school’s board of directors, we have decided it’s time to place you on forced retirement. We want to bring in some fresh minds into the school system, and that means hiring younger teachers,” he revealed.
Mr. Baxter was stunned. He did not expect to be fired, mainly because he was doing good at it. “Don’t I bring fresh ideas to the table, too?” he asked the principal. “My students graduate with flying colors, and there hasn’t been a pupil of mine that didn’t go to college,” he argued.
The principal shrugged. “I’m sorry, but this decision is final, and there’s nothing I can do for you. Please pack up your things and head home. You will receive your final paycheck by the end of the month,” he said before opening the door for Mr. Baxter to leave.
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Mr. Baxter was in tears as he left the office. Some of his students saw him crying, and they decided to ask what was wrong. “Hey, Mr. B!” one of them called out. “What’s the matter? Why are you crying?”
Mr. Baxter shook his head. “I just found out that I’m no longer going to be your teacher,” he cried. “I was just given a forced retirement slip.”
The students gasped and were deeply upset by the news. “No way! Why did they do that? They can’t just do that to you. That’s unfair!” his student told him. “We won’t allow it!” another one yelled.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about their decision. You all know how to reach me, right? Whenever you need anything, just give me a call,” Mr. Baxter told his students, giving each of them a hug before packing his things inside the faculty room.
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That day, Mr. Baxter’s students could not focus. They all felt strongly about Mr. Baxter’s firing and wanted to do something about it.
“Let’s sign a petition,” their class president, Miranda, suggested. She got a piece of paper and wrote a petition to retract Mr. Braxton’s firing. All of Mr. Baxter’s students signed the piece of paper, hoping it would make a difference.
“Why don’t we involve our parents? Maybe they can talk to the school district administrators. They need to! Mr. Baxter didn’t deserve to be fired that way. He has five children,” one of the students suggested to the class president.
The parents’ group chat was flooded with messages over Mr. Baxter’s firing that evening. A parent decided to call the school district board for an emergency meeting the following day.
Meanwhile, Mr. Baxter was at home, wondering how he would sustain his five children without a salary. Realizing that he was likely too old to get another teaching job, he had to make do with his savings and the final salary he would receive from the school.
“Dad,” one of his sons called out in the evening. “Did you forget to prepare dinner today?”
Mr. Baxter checked his watch and realized it was already 7:30 in the evening. “I’m sorry, kids. I’ve been so preoccupied that I completely forgot about dinner. Let me check the fridge,” he said.
He walked over to the kitchen and realized they no longer had leftovers stocked in the fridge. He checked their pantry and saw they were down to their last can of corned beef.
Mr. Baxter closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, kids. Dad’s a little short on cash at the moment. We’ll have to share this can of corned beef for dinner. I’ll make it up to you once I have my paycheck in a couple of days,” he apologized.
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Mr. Baxter’s heart hurt seeing his five children having to share one small can of corned beef. They looked both sad and disappointed, and he couldn’t believe that he could not feed his children because he no longer had a job.
He stayed up all night trying to find ways to earn money – he thought about being a private tutor, applying as a substitute teacher at another school, and many more. Before he knew it, he fell asleep on the couch and woke up the next morning.
Mr. Baxter woke up to the sound of a car honking loudly in front of his home. He carefully made his way to the front door and saw a limo parked outside.
As he was about to check why a limo was suddenly parked in front of his house, the tinted window rolled down, and his students started screaming. “Mr. Baxter! It’s us!”
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“What are you all doing here?” he asked them, surprised.
“We have a surprise for you! Get in the car!” the class president, Miranda, told him.
Mr. Baxter grabbed a coat from his rack and walked to the car. He was shocked and touched to see so many of his students inside the car, looking excited.
“Where are we going?” he asked them. They all giggled and said in unison: “You’ll see!”
After a couple of minutes, they arrived at a newly-built building and got off. Mr. Baxter was surprised to see his students’ parents inside the building, alongside a school district board member.
“What are we all doing here?” Mr. Baxter asked curiously.
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The school district board member smiled. “You are one lucky teacher, Mr. Baxter. Your students love you dearly,” he said.
“We’re here to offer you a new teaching and administrative position at this new private school. We’d like you to head it! What do you say?” he asked Mr. Baxter, whose jaw instantly dropped upon hearing the job offer. He was speechless and didn’t know what to say.
After staying silent for about a minute, his students eagerly pressed him to accept it. “Well, Mr. Baxter? What do you say?” Miranda asked.
Mr. Baxter couldn’t help but cry. He shared that heading a school had always been his dream, and now, because of his students, he was able to live that dream.
Upon accepting the job, Mr. Baxter was awarded a medal, which read “Best Teacher Ever,” prepared by his students and parents. “Thank you,” he cried upon receiving the medal. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this kindness from all of you.”
Although he could no longer teach his favorite students, they would visit the new private school often and spend time with Mr. Baxter. They remained close, and Mr. Baxter was able to inspire an entire generation of learners through his new post.
What can we learn from this story?
- Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Mr. Baxter had no say in his firing and simply had to accept the school principal’s decision. In the end, his students decided to step up and do something about it because they knew that he deserved better treatment for his years of service to the district.
- If you’re in the position to help someone, do it. Mr. Baxter’s students did everything in their power to get Mr. Baxter a job, knowing that he needed it to raise his children. Thanks to their initiative, Mr. Baxter received a dream-come-true job opportunity, enabling him to earn while doing what he loved.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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