In a world where students often fade into the background, one teacher decided to change the course of a child’s life forever.
Casey Thomas, a fifth-grade teacher in Oklahoma, noticed something troubling during lunch duty. One of her students, Liam, was consistently staying behind after lunch, scouring through the trash bins. One day, she caught him pulling out half-eaten apples and unopened snacks tossed by classmates.
“I asked him, ‘Why are you eating from the trash?’ And his response broke my heart,” Casey said.
“‘Because there’s no food at home.’”
What started as concern quickly turned into advocacy. Casey reached out to school counselors, who confirmed that Liam was in the foster care system and had recently been moved to a group home after his last placement failed.
For weeks, Casey brought him extra snacks, helped with clothes, and gave him attention that he seemed to crave so deeply. But soon, she realized it wasn’t enough.
“He needed stability. He needed love. And I had both to give.”
After a few months of paperwork, home inspections, and countless court visits, Casey officially adopted Liam, becoming not just his teacher but his mother.
“When the judge hit that gavel and said he was officially my son, we both cried,” she said.
“He asked if he could call me ‘Mom’ right then and there.”
Now 13, Liam is thriving. He’s on the honor roll, plays soccer, and helps Casey with advocacy work for kids in the foster system.
“He saved me just as much as I saved him,” Casey says.
“And now we’re both exactly where we belong — together.”
