Graduating seniors pull off a surprise visit to their retired kindergarten teacher in viral TikTok

We all have a teacher or two who we’ll never forget for the tremendous impact they’ve made on our lives. We remember these people for the rest of our lives because they’ve made our learning experience in school fun and memorable.

For eight graduating students in Chesterton, Indiana, that person was Jane Pearson, their kindergarten teacher.

For 38 years, Mrs. Pearson taught in the same classroom at the same school. This was her thirteenth year of retirement, and her last class of kindergarteners had recently graduated from high school.

Before the special day, some of her students planned to surprise their most memorable kindergarten teacher from decades ago.

Mrs. Pearson’s daughter, Kim Hamilton, caught the touching moment on camera and shared the clip on TikTok, where it has gone viral with over 3.1 million views.

The video opens with Mrs. Pearson sitting in her garden with her husband and daughter. She is seen waving and congratulating graduates passing by when she suddenly turns to Kim and asks, “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

In the background, someone is heard saying “hi,” and Mrs. Pearson shouts, “Liz!” as a young woman in graduation attire enters her garden with a few other students trailing behind her.

“Did you know this was happening?” Mrs. Pearson asks Kim, who then explains that the visitors were her kindergarteners.

“Oh my gosh, I love you all! Look at you,” exclaimed Mrs. Pearson, getting out of her chair so she could give everyone a hug.

“You’re all just gorgeous!” she says as she greets them.

“Me too?” a male graduate jokingly asked, drawing laughter from the others.

“I was just on your Facebook,” Mrs. Pearson admitted after hugging another male student. “You know how you snoop around.”

“I gotta have a picture,” Mrs. Pearson tells Kim, who reminds her that this was her last graduating class.

“That’s your last group of kindergarteners,” Kim says from behind the camera. Upon hearing those words, Mrs. Pearson gets emotional, and the video ends.

Kim spoke to Viral Hog about the special moment.

“A student from the graduating class of 2022 (which was her last kindergarten class) contacted me because she wanted to get a group of former students together to surprise her,” she said. “My mom’s passion was her career and her job was everything to her.”

“I spent years of my childhood on evenings and weekends with her at the school prepping so everything was perfect,” Kim added. “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.”

Viewers took to the comments to share how they were moved by the video. Some also talked about the remarkable teachers they’ve had in their lives.

A few teachers also chimed in, with one saying, “Proof they never stop being our kids after they leave us.”

One of her former students commented as well.

It’s heartwarming to see these graduates taking the time to make their kindergarten teacher feel appreciated even though many years have already passed.

Watch their sweet surprise for the kindergarten teacher unfold in the video below.

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