So you’re just doing your job, on a normal day. The boss knocks on the door and says, “There’s someone here to see you. They didn’t give their name.” Well, this can’t be good, right? It has to be someone serving papers, or collecting bills, or delivering bad news. I mean, what possible good could come from an unexpected visitor?
How about a few kind words, a hug, and a hundred bucks? Yes, this actually happened. Over and over, thirty times to be exact at Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School in Hixson.
This proud old school, built in 1937 and soon to be replaced by a shiny new building, is one of my favorite places. The classic auditorium, the creaky wooden floors that amplify every footstep, even the closet that serves as a nurse’s room. It’s a neighborhood school that takes me back to a different era, when parents attended PTA meetings and schools were so small that the principal knew everyone’s name. That’s Ganns Middle Valley.
Allyson DeYoung is in her second year as principal, and like all good leaders, she sets the right tone. When you walk in the building, you feel welcome. So when a total stranger asked to see her last week, Mrs. DeYoung ushered the woman into her tiny office, pulled up a chair, and asked, “How can we help you?”
The anonymous visitor quickly turned the tables and said, “No, I want to help you.” She explained that she was a supporter of education, that a family member was a longtime teacher, and she wanted to do something nice for the teachers. Why Ganns? “She just said she was a member of the community,” Mrs. DeYoung said. “I don’t know why she chose us, but I’m glad she did!”
The visitor said she wanted to give every teacher a gift of one hundred dollars. She had brought enough cash that day for fifteen teachers. “How many teachers do you have?” she asked the principal. Mrs. DeYoung responded that there were about thirty classroom teachers, plus a few who teach classes in music, PE and other related arts. “Let me reward part of your teachers today, and I’ll be back next week to take care of the rest,” the visitor said.
By this time, Mrs. DeYoung was convinced this anonymous donor was for real. “There were no strings attached,” she said. “I asked every question I could to make sure she was sincere, and she convinced me that she just wanted to let my teachers know they were loved.”
So, door to door they went. Starting with the kindergarten teachers, Mrs. DeYoung would knock on the door, and ask the teacher to come out to the hall and meet someone. One by one, the unknown visitor told each teacher the same thing. “I don’t want any attention, and I can’t tell you my name, but I just want you to know that I appreciate you, and what you do every day. Here is a hundred dollars to spend on yourself. Don’t spend it on your classroom, you do enough of that already. Get yourself a pedicure, or take your husband out on a date, or buy something that will make you happy.” With that, each teacher, overcome with emotion, responded with a tearful embrace.
Group hug for 2nd grade teacher Jennifer Fields
Second grade teacher Jennifer Fields told me, “I’m not sure what I said to her. I went back in my room and asked myself, did that really happen? I wanted to thank her again, but by the time I pulled myself together, she was gone.”
First grade teacher Jennifer Rodgers said, “I just hope I deserve this. I guess the best way to say thank you is just to keep working hard every day.” Fighting back tears, she said, “Just the words of encouragement were enough. At first, that’s all I thought it was, and that alone made my day. But then, the money…I didn’t know what to say.”
On that first day, teachers in grades K-2 got their surprise rewards. As promised, a few days later the lady came back to meet the teachers in grades 3-5. Fifth grade teacher Melanie Covert got the same knock on the door, the same words of encouragement, and the hundred dollar bill. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I went back into my class and asked them, do you believe in angels? They said yes, and wanted to know why I asked. I told them I just met one. That’s truly how I feel. She has lifted us up.”
Mrs. DeYoung said the anonymous angel’s work is still unfinished. “She said she’s coming back again, she wants to help the rest of our support staff because they all work so hard too.”
Ganns Middle Valley auditorium (photo from Chattanooga Times Free Press)
The principal said that donors are usually thanked publicly, often on stage in that historic auditorium. “That’s not what she wants, though. She says it’s not about her, and I understand. We will honor her wishes.”
Mrs. DeYoung said, “I watch the news, and it seems like one bad thing after another. This restores my faith in people. All it takes is one person, one random act of kindness to let you know that you’re loved. You may not have money to give, but even a simple thank you can make someone’s day.”
I hope this story will inspire us all to thank our everyday heroes, the people who do the jobs most of us dare not try. The ones who toil each day, underpaid, often under-appreciated, and frequently in dangerous conditions. I won’t attempt to make a list here, because I know I will leave someone out. But you know who they are. An extra thank you, some words of encouragement, a hug, or a pat on the back would be nice. And if you happen to be as blessed as this anonymous angel, who is able to share her wealth: I promise I won’t give your name.
This one made me cry David. You have to quit this. 🙂