Woman spent years believing her strict teacher hated her and only wanted to punish her — then her foster care records revealed the heartbreaking truth
Strict teachers are often the ones students remember the most, but not always for the reasons they expect. That's exactly what Slaney, who posts on Instagram as @slaneyslay, learned years after leaving school. The woman grew up with the belief that her professor hated her, but a decade later, her perspective changed. In her video posted on June 19, 2026, she shared how reading her foster care records at 24 revealed a heartbreaking truth.
Slaney explained that she became homeless at 14 after her mother kicked her out. She was forced to sofa surf and miss weeks of school at a time. Back then, she remembered believing one of her teachers, whom she addresses as "Miss G," disliked her because she was always handing out detentions and sending her out of class. But when the woman finally accessed her foster care records years later, she found out something she had never known. Her professor had learned about her situation, contacted social services and volunteered to become her foster parent under special circumstances.
Social services did not accept the request because the teacher was not an approved foster care person. The records also stated that authorities planned to take her mother to court for child neglect and abandonment, but that never happened. Looking back, the woman said she still struggles to understand why she was left sofa surfing when someone had been willing to take her in. She later messaged Miss G and sent her a photo of the documents to ask if the story was true. She also told her how she spent years thinking the teacher hated her. The educator admitted that she tried to give her a better life. She added that she was stern because she was trying to look out for her. "I knew you had a bad home life, so I was being strict with you to try and help you because no one else would," she shared.
Today, the two are still connected on Facebook. Knowing her former teacher can see that she built a happy life gives her comfort. Many viewers were moved by Miss G's gesture. @tarah__davis wrote, "Amazing teacher, terrible system." @jbmedia.dnd, asked, "If a teacher isn't allowed to foster a child, then how are they allowed to teach them?" @showabreezy said, "'Sorry we don't have resources for that,' but she was offering to be the resource, jokers." Miss G wasn't the only teacher whose concern for a struggling student went beyond the classroom.
In another heartwarming story, middle school math teacher Finn Lanning learned that one of his students in foster care was about to leave school because of serious health issues. The boy had no option but to stay in a medical facility due to continuous treatment and dialysis. After learning he needed a kidney transplant and no one was willing to take him into their home due to medical bills, Lanning became his foster parent and eventually adopted him. He helped him continue his education and receive the kidney transplant he needed. When asked why, the professor noted, "You just can't sit across from somebody you care about and hear them say something like that."
Follow @slaneyslay on Instagram for more such experiences.