7-year-old writes 'my teacher' when asked to whom she would give $100 in homework — the reason is a cry for help

When it comes to donating money, one would want to give it to a person in need. If we want to donate a few dollars to a good cause, the first idea that comes to mind is to give it away to someone who can’t afford it or who truly needs it. A parent, u/juffsters on Reddit, shared that their 7-year-old daughter picked a surprising person to share money with. The girl was asked in school homework what she’d do with $100 if she had it and her response was, “I would give it to my teacher.” Though she made the choice out of love, her reasons were alarming. 

The activity mentioned a question that asked students who they’d like to give away $100. They couldn’t keep it for themselves and it had to be given away to a person or a charity, per the question. Furthermore, students were asked to share why they’d choose the person and how they’d expect them to spend the $100. The little girl wrote a hopeful yet saddening answer. She pointed out that she’d like to give the money to her teacher. However, the reasons were thought-provoking. “I would give my teacher the money so that she could buy more stuff because she doesn’t have enough money,” the girl wrote. She went on to add specifics of what stuff she meant and that’s when her response opened up an eye-opening discussion about a large-scale disheartening issue.

“For stuff, she needs like apples, strawberries, soaps and things her kids need,” the girl wrote. While the issue of shortage of finances for educators is known across the country, the girl knew another reason. The parent mentioned in a comment that her daughter’s school was shutting down and she was upset about losing her friends and teachers. In a further comment, the parent added that her daughter likely came to know of the financial situation due to the school shutting down and just wanted to help. They wrote, “So, it’s been a big topic of discussion amongst the kids and teachers. It makes sense that she’d know about the financial state. It’s a really sad thing. Alaska is like 15 billion in debt or something and they think saving 4 million by closing schools will help.”

The simple answer the 7-year-old wrote in response to the activity sparked discussion on more serious issues like teachers’ pay, financial issues, and so on. Many people commented about how it is necessary to understand these seemingly trivial issues. u/Gymratchef wrote, “I feel like it’s good for kids to know these things, so when they grow up and can vote they can think about how their decisions impact school funding.” u/peanutbutter_05 remarked, “US teachers are paid next to nothing and then have to buy any supplies they need for their class. Like pencils, paper, books, etc. Schools provide next to nothing. This is for public schools. I think private schools might be better but I don't know for sure.” u/coolbiker exclaimed, “That's a lot of maturity at 7 years. Empathy too. You are doing a good job of raising that kid.”

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.