An Amazing Moment of Humanity I Saw at Mapleton Elementary School

Cherishing the small moments

I consider myself fortunate to be able to take and drop our daughter off at school a few times each week and it's a few moments out of the day I always cherish. During this time is when I get to hear about her friends, the latest 3rd grade gossip, and occasionally she will ask one of those questions I have no answer to.  

We know that our girl has a genuine and sweet heart, and that she has as much compassion and empathy for anyone else. It's natural as parents to think that our child is the best child on the planet and that we have raised her to be a good human. Parents can often fall into the trap of believing their child is the only one around that has a huge heart and is setting a good example for everyone else around her. Yesterday, at drop-off we witnessed the ultimate in human compassion coming from a few other children.

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A short moment that felt like an eternity 

As I pulled into the school and at the drop-off location, we had to wait for a bus to unload along with three other vehicles in front of us. I did my usual routine of making sure she had everything ready to go when it was her turn to jump out of the vehicle and walk into school for her day. Waiting patiently, we watched the older students make their way towards the door when one student had slipped and fallen to the ground. "Oh no!” was exclaimed from the backseat of the vehicle as my girl witnessed the incident. This is where the story will warm your heart!

Some Parents are doing it the right way 

The student who had fallen down struggled to get up as they attempted to collect their belongings and straighten up the backpack. Making multiple attempts on their own, in the span of seconds the student fell three more times. Before myself or any other parent around could get out and get to the struggling child, three of their peers came over immediately to help the student get back to their feet and collect their items. There was not one laugh, snicker, or child just passing by as if nothing happened. Three amazing and young human beings displayed compassion, empathy, and kindness towards their classmates and fellow humans.

Whoever you are, we saw you and you are AWESOME! 

I asked my daughter if she knew who any of the students were and she did not know them because they are the older students in her school. There are three sets of parents who should be extremely proud of the kids they are raising, because they immediately did the right thing without any adults telling them they needed to do the right thing. The reaction was automatic. The help came across as genuine. This is also a reflection of the staff at Mapleton Elementary School and the sense of community they have instilled in the student body.

Thank you for brightening my day; You're the example

It was a highlight of my day, and I know that had our girl been in a position to help, she would have reacted the same way the three superstars did on Monday morning. I've said many times that our world right now could use more leadership from the kids. Thank you to the three young ladies at Mapleton Elementary who showed me and others who witnessed the events, that there is still hope for a compassionate future. I don’t know who you are, but you have a very bright future. To the young student who had a tough start to the day, I hope the rest of your day went well. Things will get better know this happens to everyone!