Teacher Mocks Poor Girl Who Has No Money to Pay for School Party, Dad Learns about It — Story of the Day

A school teacher looks down upon a girl and humiliates her because she's unable to pay for the school party. The tables are turned when the girl's father learns about it and confronts the teacher.

"I'll announce the names of the students who have paid their fees. Those who haven't yet can do so now. Is that okay?" Cassey's teacher, Mr. Morris, called out, pulling a list from his attendance book. Cassey knew she wasn't on the list.

"Okay, so I see that all of the students except Cassey Turner have paid!" What's your excuse this time, Miss Turner? "Are you not interested in attending the school party?" He looked at her incredulously, delighted at the chance to mock the poor girl in front of others.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Morris," she replied, teary-eyed. "Mom said she'll pay next time. Things are not well for us financially right now."

"And here the same story goes again! You know your scholarship won't cover your school fees from next year, right? Are you going to show this pathetic face of yours and beg for deduction the next time?"

"Well, Mr. Morris…" Before she could say anything, he cut her off.

"You know what, Cassey. It's not your fault. After all, your father is still behind bars, and your mother…ugh…it must be hard for her to face all of that while providing for you."

"That's not true, Mr. Morris!" Cassey screamed nervously. "NO, MY FATHER IS NOT IN PRISON. He's away on business! And he'll be right back!"

"You wish, girl!" Mr. Morris laughed sarcastically. "Now, return to your seat." And don't you dare yell at me again!" he cautioned her.

But Cassey couldn't keep her rage in check when she heard her teacher say that. "YOU'RE A LIAR! YOU ARE LYING ABOUT MY FATHER," she screamed as she stormed out of class.

A week ago…

Cassey was no longer interested in playing with toys. The girl sat for a long time on her room's windowsill, waiting for her father to return home. Her mother had told her that her father was on a business trip and would return soon, but it had been several months, and he wasn't home yet.

"I don't want to go to school, mom," Cassey told her mother, Marisa, "I will wait for dad until he comes back! I want him to accompany me to school."

Marisa put her book down and looked at her daughter worriedly. "What's wrong, honey? Did someone say anything to you at school?"

"It's not like that, mom. We have a party at school, and…."

"And what, honey?"

"They're asking us to pay some fees, mom, but I know we can't."

Marisa's eyes welled up when her 10-year-old daughter said that. It had only been 6 months since she had received a call from law enforcement informing her that her husband, Tyler, had been arrested for selling prohibited items.

Tyler worked as a truck driver in Janesville, Wisconsin, and was in charge of pharmaceutical delivery across state lines. But once, he simply did not return home from work, and his phone was unreachable.

Marisa contacted Tyler's friends and colleagues and even filed a complaint with the police station. The search went on for a week, only for Marisa to learn that her husband was behind bars.

However, the woman refused to believe that Tyler would've done something like that. He had previously served in the police department and had received several commendations for his bravery. But then his life took an unexpected turn, and he ended up as a truck driver.

Marisa spoke to Tyler about what happened and how he ended up in the ugly situation, and he told her it was a fabricated case by one of his colleagues who was jealous of him. However, he was unable to prove this in court and was sentenced to 6 months in prison.

"It's alright, honey," Marisa said. "I'm sorry, I can't pay the fees this month, but I'll make it up to you next month for sure! I promise!"

Cassey didn't say anything in response to her mother. She nodded her head and continued looking out of the window, waiting for her father to return.

The present-day…

As Cassey ran out of the classroom, her classmate Jake followed her. "Cassey," he cried. "Wait for a moment!"

Cassey turned around, wiping her nose with her hand, and saw Jake standing behind her with a postcard and a bouquet of lilies. "I got these for you. My birthday is coming up next week, and my parents have asked me to invite all of my friends. I'd like you to come as well!"

Cassey burst into tears, unable to say anything, and dashed out of the school, taking Jake's invitation with her.

As she reached home, she heard a familiar, long-awaited voice. "Cassey, honey, how have you been?" it said. "I didn't expect you to be home so soon!"

Cassey couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her father at home. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, not uttering a single word and sobbing uncontrollably.

"What's the matter, baby? Did something happen at school?" he inquired, worried.

"Everyone makes fun of me, dad," Cassey sobbed. "My teacher always says bad things about mom and me! I don't want to go to school, dad!"

"It'll be fine, honey," Tyler reassured her. "Would you please tell me exactly what happened at school?" Cassey wiped her tears and began telling him about how Mr. Morris mocked her because she couldn't afford to pay for the party.

"How dare he do such a thing?" Tyler said, furious. "I believe he has forgotten how a teacher is supposed to interact with children! Just let me remind him."

Tyler quickly changed his clothes and joined Cassey at school. Mr. Morris was in the middle of a lesson when they entered the classroom. He was taken aback when he saw Cassey's father with her. "Mr. Turner, what a pleasant surprise! I didn't know you were…."

"Well, Mr. Morris, you don't know a lot of things. That is why I have come today. It appears that you have a problem with my daughter!"

"Not at all, Mr. Turner…" Mr. Morris started speaking when Tyler cut him off. "You don't need to lie, Mr. Morris. I've come here today to make it clear that any scumbag like you can't treat my daughter the way you did. So get out of my way."

Tyler took Cassey's hand in his and walked straight to the podium. "I'm sorry for interrupting the class like this, children," he began, "but I had no choice but to come here and talk to you."

"It's true that I was in prison, but I served my sentence and I'm now home with my daughter and wife. When you reach adulthood, you will encounter situations over which you have no control. I faced it, and you may face it as well.

"In that case, please refrain from passing judgment on anyone until you have learned the entire truth. I received a prison sentence because someone plotted against me, and I fell into the trap. It was my fault. My daughter should not have to pay for it.

"In my absence, Cassey's mother worked tirelessly to ensure that our daughter would not miss out on anything. Some people looked down on us because of me, and some of them began to label our family as poor.

"You are the future generation. You must understand that judging someone based on their financial situation is not good. Yes, we are experiencing financial difficulties, but poverty isn't as bad as looking down on others and mocking them. IT'S NOT A SHAME TO BE POOR, BUT IT'S INDEED A SHAME TO BE CHEAP. And…" Tyler shifted his gaze to Mr. Morris. "Cassey's father is always by her side, whether he's physically present or not!"

As Tyler finished, the entire class applauded and began apologizing to Cassey. "We're sorry if we offended you, Cassey. We're not going to do it again!" Meanwhile, Jake yelled at Mr. Morris from his seat. "You should apologize to Cassey as well, Mr. Morris! You troubled her a lot!" But Mr. Morris, unable to bear the humiliation, quickly grabbed his bag and ran away from the class.

However, Tyler wasn't going to let him get away with it. He went to the principal's office and complained about him. The school began an investigation, and all of Cassey's classmates testified against Mr. Morris.

A few days later, he was fired from his position on account of irresponsibility, with a negative character report.

What can we learn from this story?

• A teacher is supposed to guide their students and not humiliate them. The way Mr. Morris humiliated Cassey wasn't right at all, and he was punished for his actions in the end.
• Never pass judgment on someone based on their appearance or financial situation. Mr. Morris humiliated and mocked Cassey because she was not as wealthy as he was. We should all try to be like Jake, who attempted to befriend Cassey regardless of whether she was rich or not.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about parents who kicked their pregnant daughter out in the cold and approached her for help years later.

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