Graduating seniors give their old kindergarten teacher the surprise of a lifetime in viral TikTok

While most teachers are pretty amazing, it takes a particular brand of special to be a kindergarten teacher. You always remember your first teacher, and if you’re the graduating class of 2022 in Chesterton, Indiana, you love her so much you decide to give her the surprise of her life, too.

Jane Pearson taught kindergarten for 38 years at the same elementary school in the same classroom, and, according to her daughter, Kim Hamilton, she retired 13 years ago. Hamilton tells ViralHog that this year the school celebrated its 50th anniversary, and Pearson was there when the school first opened. The last kindergarten class she taught were seniors this year, and they decided to surprise her on graduation day.

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The video quickly went viral on TikTok, and it’s not hard to see why.

In the video, we see a very sharp and put-together Jane Pearson sitting in her beautiful backyard with her family when she looks away from the camera because she hears a knock at the gate. A young woman wearing her cap and gown comes through, and Mrs. Pearson immediately recognizes her.

“Liz!” she says, getting up to greet her.

But it’s not just Liz who showed up in Mrs. Pearson’s backyard. Soon, nearly a dozen students are all standing among the flowers, ready to shower their old teacher in affection.

“Did you know this was happening!? Oh my gosh, I love you all,” Mrs. Pearson says, growing emotional as she hugs them one by one. “Oh my god, you’re all just gorgeous.

Related: Teacher has the PERFECT response when students ask ‘Where do babies come from?’ in viral TikTok

“That’s your last graduating class, mama,” her daughter says from behind the camera. “That’s your last group of kindergarteners.”

Kindergarten should be a magical experience for little ones, full of imaginative play and learning in a place where kids feel safe and cared for. It seems like Mrs. Pearson’s classroom was very much that kind of place for her students—so much so they remember it all these years later, and wanted to make their old teacher feel special on their special day.

“My mom’s passion was her career and her job was everything to her,” Hamilton tells ViralHog. “I spent years of my childhood on evenings and weekends with her at the school prepping so everything was perfect. She made special memory books for each child that she bound and presented at the end of the year to each student. She truly was a one of a kind teacher. She deserves this recognition.”

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