A Special Education teacher in Mexico has recently gone viral after a photo was taken of her teaching an autistic student in the back of her own truck which she’s transformed into a mobile classroom.
Identified only as Nay, the educator from Apaseo el Alto, Guanajuato, has been using her makeshift class to continue teaching students after schools in Mexico were canceled as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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The photo of Nay, which was taken by a student’s parent, went viral earlier this month after it caught the attention of Kim Kardashian who then retweeted it.
In that picture, the teacher can be seen wearing a face mask while seated at a fold-up table in the bed of her truck with a young student as the pair go over some learning material together.
“This teacher transformed her pickup truck into a portable classroom,” the original tweet reads. “She drives two hours a day to teach children with autism who don’t have books or access to the internet.”
People online were quick to share the heartwarming snap, and have praised the teacher for her selfless desire to continue her students’ education.
“Now this lady is a ‘Real’ teacher,” one Twitter user wrote. “She cares and knows these kids need education.”
Another applauded Nay, adding that their own brother has Down Syndrome, and the lack of one-on-one education as a result of the pandemic has caused him to start regressing.
Since the photo went viral, Nay has come forward and publicly identified herself as the pictured teacher.
In a series of translated tweets , she explained that she is, indeed, a Special Education teacher, and explained that she is responsible for educating students who have a disability or “learning barrier.”
“It was not my intention for this to transcend so much,” she continued. “I wasn’t even the one who shared this photo. The point is that, good or bad, the action I did was always thinking of improving my teaching work.”
On that particular day she was photographed, she was giving her students a test to evaluate how effective distanced learning has been for each child.
Not only was she looking to find out the academic recourse of the school closures, but she also wanted to see how her students have been handling the lockdown emotionally, because “this has not been easy for anyone.”
Nay also said she believes all teachers deserve attention and praise during this time of academic uncertainty, not just herself.
“[All] teachers in one way or another strive every day for our students,” she wrote . “Because although it seems easy, for many it is not since sometimes you neglect your children’s homework to send or review your students’ homework. It is not easy since you become a teacher 24/7 .”
The educator has since set up a GoFundMe campaign with the hopes of raising enough money to provide her students with the resources they need to continue their specialized education.
“Sadly, Special Education is the least endowed with resources, therefore the teachers who work in this subsystem have to make many adjustments to materials, spaces, etc. so that our students have access to learning,” she explained in the campaign’s description.
If you wish, you can donate towards Nay’s Special Education fund here .
h/t: Tank’s Good News
