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Teacher starts doing her student's hair everyday after her parent died to take care of her

"I love being the teacher that I needed growing up."

Image via Canva

Elementary school teacher Alice Yates does hair for student who lost a parent.

Teachers play a much larger role than simply being educators. And elementary school teacher Alice Yates (@missaliceinteacherland) understands what it means to go above and beyond for her students, especially those in need.

In a new video shared on Instagram, Yates shared an emotional video about a student who recently lost a parent. After noticing she was coming to school with her hair unbrushed most days, she decided to step in with kindness and help take care of her by doing her hair everyday.

In the start of the video, Yates shows herself brushing out a little girl's hair as she tells her story in the captions. "A few months ago one of my student's parent died pretty suddenly...she was coming to school with her hair not even brushed most days," she writes. "I just wanted to help where I could. So I bought a cheap comb and hair ties so that I could at least do a basic pony for her to get her hair out of her face."


The small act of love did not go unnoticed. Her other students noticed Yates doing the student's hair, and wanted to get their hair done, too. "Then the other girls in the class started asking if I'd do their hair too. Now during breakfast, we have chitchats while we do hair! I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It has helped us all become so much closer.❤️"

She goes on to explain that she wasn't sure if parents would be okay with it, but was put at ease after getting a thankful message from one.

"I was a little nervous some parents might take it the wrong way that I'm doing their kids hair, but then I got this message: 'I just FaceTimed with [student's name] and saw her hair. It was adorable. Thank you for being extra sweet to my girl while I'm away. I don't even know what her hair looked like when she came in lol."

Yates offered more details as to why she treasures the personal interactions with her students. "I love being the teacher that I needed growing up...when I was a kid many of my teachers didn’t take the time to get to know us. They didn’t really show us love, tell us about their family, or even ask about ours," she writes. "They showed up, taught from a McGraw Hill Teacher Guide and went home. I think back on school and I hated it most years. I can count on one hand the teachers that I felt safe and happy with."

It was that experience that made her want to be a different teacher. "School filled me with so much anxiety and I think it’s a huge reason why I pour my heart and soul into teaching now," she writes. "I find so much comfort in looking into a parents eyes and telling them that I will take care of their baby, and they look back and me and know I mean it. ❤️"

Yates' emotional video got an incredibly supportive response from viewers. "And that’s a vocation right there & exactly the teacher our children need 💕," one wrote. Another shared, "This is beautiful bc when I was in 3rd grade my dad almost died in a motorcycle accident. Needless to say with no family nearby, most days I was barely dressed much less brushed. My teacher would bring barrettes to put up my hair and ill never forget the difference it made in my life ♡." And another viewer added, "They will never forget you and the time you took for them ❤️."

If you would like to contribute to Miss Alice's classroom, you can shop her Amazon Classroom Wishlist here.

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Costco employees let nonverbal autistic boy scan items after noticing he's overwhelmed

"Today, two Costco employees showed us what kindness and patience really look like. 💙"

Image via Canva/Wikipedia

Mom shares emotional video of Costco employees letting nonverbal autistic son scan items.

Going to Costco can be an overwhelming experience for everyone. Between dodging shopping carts, weaving in and out of crazy traffic patterns, and finding your way down crowded aisles, there is no denying that Costco can be an overstimulating (and anxiety-producing) place. And for TikToker Kels (@kelsmflee) and her 3-year-old nonverbal son on the autism spectrum, their trip was made much more peaceful thanks to two mindful employees who noticed he was struggling.

Kels shared a touching video to her followers on TikTok showing the kindness they were given while checking out during a busy shopping trip. "Most days, trips to the store are overwhelming for my autistic, nonverbal 3-year-old. But today, two Costco employees showed us what kindness and patience really look like. 💙 Thank you for making our day unforgettable," she captioned the video.

@kelsmflee

Most days, trips to the store are overwhelming for my autistic, nonverbal 3-year-old. But today, two Costco employees showed us what kindness and patience really look like. 💙 Thank you for making our day unforgettable. #KindnessMatters @Costco Wholesale #AutismAwareness #ParentingJourney #NonverbalAutism #KindnessCounts #CostcoLove #SpecialNeedsParenting #GratefulHeart #EmpathyInAction

In the video, Kels' son can be seen helping the Costco employee ring up their items. He holds the scanner as the employee holds each item up to him and shows him where to scan each one. "Most people stare when my autistic, nonverbal 3-year-old son has a tough time in stores..." her caption within the video reads. "But today, two Costco employees noticed his struggle and handed him the scanner and let him ring up every item. Kindness like this changes everything. Thank you for making our day!"

Costco, shopping, costoc tripHype Bryce GIF by GranarlyGiphy

The video got an emotional response from viewers on TikTok. "This is the way our world should be. Slowing down to take a moment like this and create a core memory," one commenter wrote.

Another added, "He did so well!!! Costco is overwhelming a typical person! I can’t imagine how it is for someone with Autism. What a sweet worker❤️He was so patient and kind. Your son is adorable!"

"🥰🥰🥰 he did amazing," said another, to which Kels replied, "Thank you. We were all so proud—he was most proud though and I love that."

Kels also interacted more in the comments, sharing more about their story. "I have a son on the spectrum and it might be a good idea to get some headphones for the little boy when he’s in a loud environment like a Costco. :)," another commenter suggested. Kels shared, "This is my boy. Will not keep them on no matter how much he needs them. Literally. They [end] up broken 100% of the time."

Another viewer wrote, "this is what acceptance looks like🥰," to which Kels replied, "Yes, and we need so much more of it." Finally, another added, "Look at the joy on his face! 🥺", and Kels responded, "Literally so much joy!!"


@kelsmflee

I love how much my kids love each other. #siblings #brother #sister #sissy #siblinglove #proudmom

Kels has three children, and her 3-year-old is her youngest. On her TikTok, she has shared sweet videos of their close and loving relationship with each other over the years. His older siblings are protective and always looking out for him, including during scary visits to Santa Claus. "I love how much my kids love each other," she wrote in another video.

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Missing injured mom survives six days in ditch by using her hoodie to reach water

She fell asleep at the wheel and woke to a crash that seriously injured her legs and wrists.

Photo credit: Canva

Missing injured mom survives by using her hoodie to reach water

Getting into an accident typically isn't on the top of anyone's list of things to do for the day. Most people work very hard to avoid experiencing the trauma involved with colliding into another vehicle or careening off the road. But being human means mistakes are made and car accidents are bound to happen from time to time.

Brieonna Cassell, 41 recently lived through a harrowing accident after she fell asleep at the wheel resulting in serious injuries that left her stranded for six days in her car. It wasn't easy for passersby to spot the vehicle due to her ending up in a ditch under a bridge, though she could hear the nearby cars passing her by.

The Indiana mother of three was unable to escape the car with the extensive injuries to her wrists and legs. Phoning for help was also out of the question since her cell phone was dead under one of the seats in her car. All Cassell could do was scream for help and hope by some miracle someone could hear her cries. But after nearly a week of no one coming to her rescue, she resigned herself to dying there in the ditch.

car in a ditchWhat happens next is a miracle. Photo credit: Canva

Cassell was unaware that her family was searching extensively for her. They'd even included volunteers in the effort to find the missing mom. Her photo was widely circulated in the area in hopes to locate her before it was too late. Still, from Cassell's view, she was running out of time. With nothing to eat or drink and no way to get to sustenance, she had to be resourceful to buy herself more time until someone could find her.

The seriously injured woman used her hoodie to lower it down into the water that collects in the ditch. Once the hood was saturated, she would pull the hoodie back into the car and suck the water out of the material. Finding access to water is what likely kept her alive until the sixth day when a man driving a tall tractor working for a drainage and excavation company noticed her car.

"She was stuck in the car and could not get out. But she was able to reach the water from the car. The only way she was able to survive was using her hoodie and dipping it into the water in a ditch and sucking the water, or bringing the the water into her mouth from the ditch," the woman's father Delmar Caldwell tells ABC News.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of her family and community members to make sure everyone knew her face, the tractor operator, Johnny Martinez, recognized Cassell when he saw her. The woman was flown to a hospital in Chicago to be treated for her injuries and is listed in serious condition. But, she's in good spirits.

gif of firemen saving someone from a crashed carChicago Fire GIF by Wolf EntertainmentGiphy

Jeremy Vanderwall, assistant chief at a local volunteer fire department tells the outlet, "She said, 'I didn't think anybody was gonna find me. I thought I was gonna die in this ditch.'"

Thankfully for all involved, Cassell's grim predictions didn't come true and Martinez was able to call for help, which included his boss, Vanderwall, getting her the urgent care she needed.

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Woman making pitstop thwarted kidnapping after victim passed her a frantic note

The note was in broken English but the message was clear.

KSL News Screenshots

Woman who stopped to use gas station bathroom stops kidnapping.

Pop culture jokes about "girl code" but there's truth to that positive stereotype. Women often look out for other women and are conditioned from a young age to do so. Everything from alerting a stranger if you saw their date slip something in their drink to passing toilet paper to the woman in the next stall are all unspoken parts of girl code. But there are some situations that put this protective layer of community to the test.

Recently in Utah an anonymous woman made a pitstop at a local gas station on her way home. The woman planned to pop in to use the bathroom quickly, but it turned into a situation where she came face to face with what could be a life threatening situation. Upon walking into the bathroom, another woman frantically opened the bathroom stall door, visibly terrified, and handed our anonymous hero a note written in broken English.

"Help [redacted]. Equinox 2017 white. My number [redacted]. He have my phone. Give to police," the handwritten note on torn cardboard reads on the front. The back of the note says, "we come from Vegas he goin Salt Lake."

gif of woman talkingSmall Town Ff GIF by Cruel SummerGiphy

The woman who only stopped to use the restroom asked the frightened woman if she was in trouble, to which the woman replied, "Yes." Instead of passing the information along to a store clerk and going about her way, the woman took it upon herself to help the stranger in distress. Turns out the distraught woman was kidnapped by her boyfriend who was waiting just feet outside the bathroom door, likely in an effort to ensure she didn't get away or call for help.

He didn't count on her finding something to write on and slipping it to a fellow woman in the bathroom. But thanks to her quick thinking along with the stranger's determination to intervene, help would soon be on the way. The anonymous woman didn't want to alert anyone for fear she might tip off the kidnapper, so she patiently waited for the woman and her captor outside before making her move.

gif of an animated policeman answering the phoneseason 13 hello GIFGiphy

When she saw the kidnapper leave the gas station with the victim, the woman pretended to be on the phone but was secretly recording the suspect. Not only did she get a clear video of his face along with the woman's face, she continued recording until she was able to get a visual on the license plate. It was then that she called the police to report what happened.

"As soon as I got the license plate number I called 911. I just said, there's a lady here that needs help," the anonymous woman told KSL News Utah.

The call didn't end the helpful stranger's pursuit of making sure the woman was safe. She hopped in her car and followed the pair at a safe distance while on the phone with dispatch until officers were able to pull the suspect over. The man was apprehended and charged with aggravated kidnapping, assault, and providing false information to a police officer. Thanks to the quick-thinking and determination of both women, the victim was saved from an unknown fate.

"It was kind of wild but I'm glad I was there. You know, it's good to be aware and try to help people in those situations," the anonymous woman tells the news station.

No one ever expects to be in this type of situation and hopefully anyone would do exactly what the anonymous hero did by helping a fellow person escape serious danger.

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