The Gaurdian asks its reader to share stories of great teachers.

This is my favorite:

When i was in year seven my mother (a wheelchair user) was made redundant and my dad was unemployed due to a severe motorcycle accident a year before. I was caring for both of them and my younger sibling. We were due to go on an history trip but i didn’t have the £10 the trip cost. A few days before the trip my history teacher rang my mum and asked why we hadn’t paid yet and my mum explained that we had no money coming in at the moment. The teacher said to sign the permission slip anyway and she’d sort something.

the next day the teacher grabbed me at break and handed me a £10 note. “just give it back to me in class with your permission slip. You’re one of the best historians for your age I’ve ever met and if anyone deserves to go on a trip right now it’s you.”

I seem to recall bursting into tears all over her…

So what? Perhaps by the time you are in college, you don’t need emotional support. You just need and want content.

Perhaps. But I’m an old lady and I still need people to believe in and nurture me.