This photo of an instructor holding a student’s baby has gone viral. Here’s why.
“I told her, ‘Bring him in, I don’t want you to miss class.’’’
Three years ago, Thomas Guy — a graduation coach at Springfield Central High School and part of Springfield’s re-engagement program — held Kimmy Lopez’s 10-month-old child so she could focus on her school work.
Lopez, 18 years old at the time, was part of the first summer version of the program, a way to bring kids who have dropped out back into the school system. Lopez was determined to get her diploma, Guy said, but that dream was almost stalled when she wasn’t able to get daycare for her son.
Instead, Guy stepped up himself.
“I told her, ‘Bring him in, I don’t want you to miss class. I want you to finish,’’ Guy told Boston.com.
Some time that summer, Lopez snapped a shot of Guy with her son, Javiour. The boy is happy and clapping. Guy, for his part, looks more like a multitasking caretaker than a teacher.
Guy didn’t even remember the picture being taken, he said, but he’s never forgotten Lopez. She’s never forgotten either, and showed that this week when she made a Facebook post thanking him.
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The post has gotten widespread attention: more than 11,000 people have liked it and more than 3,500 have shared it. Guy said many of the comments were from former students.
“Teachers are the real MVP,’’ she wrote, and referenced a story that gained national attention earlier this year, when a professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University held a student’s baby during class.
“Some teachers go all out for their students, they will do just about anything to help you succeed!’’ Lopez wrote. Currently, Lopez is living in Georgia and attending culinary school. Guy said if she didn’t get a high school diploma, he doesn’t know what her life would have looked like.
He also made note of the program’s communal nature.
“There are people in our district that do the same thing I do on regularly basis. It could have been any of them in the picture,’’ Guy said. “It’s about Kimmy, her situation, and how she used what she had. She’s in a really good spot right now.’’
Guy thinks Lopez is a great example for any at-risk teen.
“I think it’s an awesome story for any kid anywhere to know that if they use the resources they have and find people they can trust, that’s all they need,’’ he said. “She was in a tough spot [back then], but she appreciated any chance she got.’’
Guy has kept returning to the re-engagement program since that first year, when Lopez was his student. The program runs all year round, but he only coordinates during the summer — he coaches football and works closely with kids who are at risk of failing during the school year.
“I still check in on those kids a lot,’’ Guy said. “There are 50 to 100 kids every summer. You get to build a really good relationship with them.’’
Like with Lopez, who he said was a special person with a great personality. Her son was a happy child too, he said, and always smiling.
“It’s a great job,’’ he said. “And it was before this happened, too.’’
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