Guy looked at the homeless man and realized that it was his math teacher. This is what happened next. I’m sure most of you still remember the name of your first teacher. Say what you will. Teachers are the ones who give us some of our first knowledge.
Our socalled start in life. However, we don’t often realize what a great influence each of our teachers has had on our personality until much later in life. Nevertheless, many former students try to keep in touch with their teachers after graduation and even visit them once in a while. But still, most of us tend to forget about the people who taught us for years. Today I’m going to tell you an incredible story of a former student who was shocked to recognize the person who had been living in a parking lot near his house for several weeks.
What came out of this unusual encounter? You’ll find out a little later. Steven Neva from California graduated from a local school a few years ago.
He was an honors student, and he gave his adult life a great start. And a few years after graduation, Stephen had everything he needed to feel good about his life. No one would have probably heard about this story if it wasn’t for one day when Stephen was hanging out around his neighborhood and noticed an old Chrysler in a supermarket parking lot. Steve didn’t pay much attention to it at first, passing it by like hundreds of other store customers. However, several days later, the man noticed that the old sedan remained in the same spot, never going anywhere, and the same elderly man was always sitting behind the wheel.
The old man did leave his car sometimes, but he soon returned with food in various packages. Stephen witnessed it every single day, and he was itching to find out more, especially because the man’s face seemed somewhat familiar to Stephen. I noticed that when the weather was bad, the Chrysler was still parked at the same spot. So at that point, I decided that I had to approach this man and find out if everything was okay, and that was exactly what he did. But the man couldn’t have even imagined what would happen next.
The moment he knocked on the car window and finally got a closer look at the man, his heart sank. It turns out that the stranger was Jose Vario, a high school math teacher whom he and his classmates affectionately called Mr. V. The man’s first reaction was the same as many years ago. He broke into a sincere smile and immediately started asking lots of questions about his former student’s life, all the while awkwardly trying to hide facts about himself.
Of course, Steven noticed that Mr. V was acting strange, and he saw what was inside the car. There were suitcases with clothes, table wear and books in the back seat. That’s when it dawned on Stephen. Yes, his former teacher was homeless.
Nevertheless, the man was ashamed to admit his miserable position, and so he tried his best to pretend that everything was fine. However, Steven was no longer the gullible boy who used to believe his teachers every word, and so he clearly understood what was going on. Despite all the man’s attempts to refuse help, Stephen still forced him to take $300, which was all he had on him. But this wasn’t the end of the story. Soon, Stephen returned to his teacher’s car and told Mr.
V that they needed to get to a certain place. The teacher didn’t understand what Stephen wanted at first, but he still agreed, and soon they arrived at a hotel. Stephen rented a room for Mr. V for the next few days. During this time, the former student visited Mr.
V every day, bringing him food and money. Despite everything Stephen was doing for him, Mr. V was still reluctant to talk about what had happened and how he ended up on the streets. It was painful for him, but Steven understood that he needed to do something about it. After Steven told his wife about his encounter, they decided to create a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Mr.
V. Moreover, Stephen managed to find many of Mr. V’s former students United their efforts and raised as much as $27,000 for the teacher in just a matter of days. It’s hard to believe, but upon learning about the situation Mr. V was in, they all helped without a moment’s hesitation.
But that still wasn’t the end of the story. The news of the homeless teacher quickly spread around the city and reached the local police Department, after which the Sheriff promised to see about placing the homeless man in a shelter care facility. Even the Mayor didn’t stand aside and instructed to hold a formal event in honor of the teacher, during which the man was given everything he needed to live a normal life once more. This day coincided with Jose’s birthday. At that moment, barely holding back tears, the humble teacher told everyone what happened to him.
It turned out that he lost his job because of the pandemic. Since not everyone could teach online, the school asked the 77 yearold teacher to quit his job. And while he could still live on his retirement benefits, he certainly couldn’t afford to pay his wife’s expensive medical treatment. In Mexico, even insurance didn’t cover those expenses, and thus the man was forced to sell his house to save his wife. Like a truly loving husband, he sacrificed everything else and moved into his car.
But if you think that was the end of the story, you’re very wrong. Having learned about the man’s situation, his former students decided not to stop at what they’ve achieved so far and take patronage over their beloved teacher. First they promised to help him get a new job and most importantly to pay all his wife’s medical bills. However, the most interesting part was still ahead. While the humble old man was tearfully saying thanks to his students he heard the most important words in his life.
Don’t cry. We just did as you had taught us. It was your conversation with us that taught us what kindness and compassion are. You showed us the right way to treat people and that was true. Mr.
V poured his heart and soul into teaching and was now reaping the fruits of his work. Emotions got the better of Steven too and he admitted that he was reproaching himself for not learning about Mr. V’s problem sooner. In any case, he was very glad that together with the other students they managed to help the elderly man out of trouble. Now Mr.
V’s doing well. He has bought a new house and his wife is in recovery. His former students often visit the man which is why barbecue parties are regularly held at his new home. As the people from the stories say the wise and humble teacher got to witness the results of his influence on his young students. He once taught them that the most important thing in life was to always remain human.
That’s why it was his students who were the first to come to his aid. Friends never forget those who have shaped you as a person in one way or another and don’t forget to show some compassion to the people around you. If you like the video please give it a thumbs up and consider sharing it with someone who may find it interesting.