A teacher from Kentucky went way out of the scope of his duties to make sure that a physically challenged student of his school could be a part of a field trip.
Ryan’s mom Shelly King had to think of some alternative way to take her to a field trip due to her physical disability. The trip was planned to take the children to the waterfalls in the Ohio State park at the border of Ohio and Kentucky.
King posted on “Team Ryan,” a Facebook page created for her little girl who has been suffering from Spina bifida since birth, saying: “I was preparing for an ‘alternate field trip day.’”
Spina bifida is a birth defect which develops due to improper development of the spine and spinal cord. As a result of the condition, the suffering person has to rely on a wheelchair for mobility.
A hiking trip was obviously not the best option for Ryan. “Obviously, NOT accessible,” said her mother.
That was the state of affairs until Jim Freeman, one of the teachers at Ryan’s school, made the irresistible offer of carrying her around throughout the trip so that she could also explore the fossil beds her class was going to.
A number of pics show Freeman carrying Ryan on his back, with Ryan holding onto his shoulders. On the day-trip, Freeman and Ryan explored the state park, river banks, and 390-million-year-old fossil beds in the company of the other students and teachers.
King wrote on Facebook that Freeman’s actions meant a lot for her and her family. She said Ryan did not feel left out and enjoyed the trip with her class rather than being depressed about it.
King explained on Facebook that she shared the photos of Freeman and Ryan to appreciate the great deeds of kindness Kentucky teachers do for their students and how they go out of their way to facilitate them. She added that she wants people to get inspiration from what Freeman did for a student he didn’t even know personally.
“She is sooooo excited to do this independent from me,” Ryan’s mom wrote on Facebook.
“Omg MELT MY HEART … We are sooooo blessed to have an ENTIRE school that is so compassionate and empathetic and NEVER make her feel left out.”
King told USA Today that Freeman’s offer to carry her little girl around for a whole day was “out of the blue,” because Freeman was not even Ryan’s teacher and the two hardly even interacted at school.
“That’s how wonderful this man is,” King said. “We’ve never really talked. I didn’t know his first name before he offered to do this.”
“It melted my heart,” she posted on Facebook, adding that she hopes this will motivate the physically challenged to think beyond their wheelchair and stop feeling left out in life.
“To anybody else who is in a wheelchair, nothing should stop you … and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help,” she wrote. “There are good people out there who want to help you.”
Freeman labeled the whole act as just another incidence of a Kentucky teacher going out of the way to help a student.
“This is just one physical act that you can see, but we do this countless times throughout the school day and throughout the year,” he told WLKY News.
“All the teachers here at Tully and JCPS, they work harder than most people realize.”
Replaced!