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Steve Culbert did not always know he wanted to be a teacher. In fact, he tells Babble that he came to work late, after helping his two older daughters through their own school.
,quot;I finally realized what I love and where I belong,,quot; he says.
Now his mission is to make sure his 4th grade students always know that they are part of it.
,quot;I tell all my students from the first day that they are a family,,quot; he says, ,quot;and that we trust each other as a family, take care of each other, and love each other.,quot;
But if Culbert, disciples ever had any doubts about how much they really loved and supported their teacher, they certainly are not, having heard shortly after their father, death what he did for two of his former students.
On September 19, Avery (7) and Alivia Reece (8), both former students of Culbert, lost their father, Luke, as he died of a blood disorder. He was just 32 years old.
Source: Steve Culbert
Culbert, who met the girls,#39; parents at teacher conferences and school events, said he had visited the hospital earlier this month to bring the girls a small care basket that he and other teachers had put together. There he learned that Luke was unlikely to come home, and immediately thought about how he could help.
His thoughts soon turned to the upcoming father-daughter dance the school held, and the thought of how broken the girls might feel if they could not walk.
,quot;When I went home that evening and talked to my wife, we decided to ask her to join in the dance with me and my daughters,,quot; he tells Babble. ,quot;At first, I asked my daughters about the girls who came to us and (told them) what was going on, they really wanted to help someone else feel good.,quot;
And that, exactly what they did.
Source: Steve Culbert
,quot;My wife made four fantastic, homemade invitations,,quot; says Culbert, explaining that two were destined for his own daughters Aliyah (6) and Hailey (8). He wanted to make sure they felt the same way.
The father from Michigan said he originally planned to invite the Reece girls on September 17 when he returned to visit the hospital. He had even discussed it with her mother Shelley.
,quot;The plan was to invite her to Luke and he, with us and part of it,,quot; he says. ,quot;However, this plan has failed … It turned out that this would be a difficult night, as the girls would probably visit their father for the last time.,quot;
Culbert gave them their invitations two days later, on the 19th, while the girls were still at school. Unfortunately, that was the day Luke died, though Culbert heard the news later.
,quot;The girls let me know at school the next day that they could go and that they were excited to leave,,quot; he says. And then the actual planning started.
Source: Steve Culbert
,quot;The whole day was over her and (had to) be a big deal,,quot; says Culbert, who says he picked up the girls at home in the morning and brought them with his wife and two daughters to a place of their choice for breakfast. While he was there, he told the girls that he was ,quot;tired of driving,quot; and decided not to drive that night.
,quot;I said that they drive; You could steer, you could push the pedals, you could honk the horn and the other could give instructions, ,quot;recalls Culbert. ,quot;They were all amused.,quot;
They did not know that he had arranged a stretch limousine to pick her up that evening.
It was not long before the girls finished their hair and nails – which revealed another surprise.
,quot;The lady who runs the salon in the facility (where) Luke worked in, donated her space and time to do the hair and nails of the girls,,quot; explains Culbert.
When the girls finished – and felt like ,quot;princesses,quot; – their former teachers brought the girls back to their home to attend the wedding in their aunt, backyard. (Talk about a big day!)
When the wedding was over, Culbert met the girls in the backyard, put corsages on their wrists, and posed for photos before going to the front of the house. Then he reminded her that he was not driving and watched her jaw drop at the sight of the stretch limousine waiting for her.
Source: Steve Culbert
But that was not the only special moment that surprised the girls. Before making his way to the dance, Culbert handed balloons to the girls to send them off to heaven. Each of them wore the #BeLikeLuke hashtag to honor Luke, great gift as an organ donor. (Incredible, he could help 65 people in need after his death.)
,quot;I wanted to give them the opportunity to show love and respect to their father,,quot; says Culbert. ,quot;We talked about it in the car before we got to the dance. The idea was to send them up to Luke before they go to the dance and welcome him to be there with us. ,quot;
The 4th grade teacher says it was a ,quot;powerful and emotional moment,quot; that he will not soon forget.
,quot;I was grateful to be a part of it,,quot; he shares.
The rest of the evening we spent the whole night dancing in the gymnasium, laughing at a storm and eating ice cream at McDonald, before the girls were dropped off at home.
All in all, it was a pretty incredible evening for everyone involved.
Source: Steve Culbert
Culbert says that part of what drove his little act of kindness is the fact that he knows a little bit what the girls are going through right now. He lost his brother to Ewing, sarcoma (a rare cancer) when his brother was only 14 years old and Culbert was 11 years old.
,quot;I know how much I feel hurt as a child and I hate that one of my students has to endure this,,quot; he says. ,quot;When I learned that her father was in the hospital, I knew that I wanted to be there for them, as someone they could turn to to talk, listen to, or just cry. I have conversations with my students about never missing a chance or opportunity to tell my family that you love them. ,quot;
When it came to unfolding the magic of the night, Culbert said he had not made it on his own. Thanks to a Facebook post and good, old-fashioned word of mouth, so much of that special night went smoothly thanks to the friendliness of friends and strangers.
After all, that really is the centerpiece of what makes this story so touching: that everywhere there is kindness, even in the darkest times, and sometimes even the smallest gestures can have the most impact.
Article posted 12 months ago
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