K.D. Meucci, a dedicated Pennsylvania woman, teaches fourth grade at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in the Bethel Park School District. She rarely takes a day off. In fact, just one day after she underwent surgery for a ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ, Meucci reportedly went Live on Facebook so she could fulfill her weekly promise to her students: reading them a bedtime story before they fall asleep.
Now, the heartfelt moment is going viral across the internet, highlighting the story of yet another educator who’s going above and beyond for her students right now.
Meucci only learned about the ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ recently
Doctors immediately advised swift and aggressive treatment, and last Wednesday, the Pennsylvania teacher finally went under the ᴋɴɪғᴇ.
When she came to, Meucci’s head was wrapped in a bandage, one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, and dark bruises appeared all over her face.
Still, that wasn’t about to stop her from connecting with her students
So, just as she’s done every Thursday night since the start of the school year, Meucci logged on to Facebook and happily greeted her class.
But before she started reading, the fourth grade teacher opened on a more personal note.
Not wanting to worry her students, Meucci tried to calm their fears
“Sorry if I look a little weird, I know I look a little weird,” she said to her students. “I got this black eye right here because again they cut open my head right here to take out my ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ.”
Meucci then went on to read Mr. Walker Steps Out — a children’s book by Lisa Graff that tells the story of a crossing guard who lives inside a traffic signal box. Each and every day, Mr. Walker tells pedestrians when it’s safe to cross the street and when it’s not; but one day, he’s inexplixably gone.
That was the day Mr. Walker bravely stepped out of his “box” and decided to explore the world beyond his tiny corner on the street.
“Strong and brave, that’s what I always tell my kids,” Meucci told her students. “Be strong and brave and do the next right thing.”
Picking Graff’s book was certainly no a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t
In fact, Meucci made a point to drive home the story’s message by relating it back to her own life.
“Don’t you worry friends, I’ll make it back to my corner, too, you don’t have to worry about that,” she told her students. “Because my corner is right where I belong at Ben Franklin Elementary at Room 25 with my friends and Meucci’s Crew.”
“Most importantly, I wanted to see you, to see that I’m OK,” she continued. “I look a little funky, but I wanted you to see it and know that I’m OK. I want you to know that I love you and I miss you, and I know you’re going to have a great day tomorrow, strong and brave, and I’m proud of you, Ben Franklin, so you have a good night, I love you, miss you, and I’ll see you soon, friends.”
Source: littlethings
