Christmas should be a jolly time, but for some, it is a time when sad realities hit extra hard.
Cheri Guy, who works as an English teacher at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas, recently went viral after she shared a TikTok video revealing her students' heartfelt gift ideas.
Cheri explained how her school has a “Wishmas” program to help get children what they want for the holidays.
Highlights
- Cheri Guy shared students' poignant wishes on TikTok, highlighting their personal struggles.
- Students' wishes included basic needs like slippers and food, showing harsh realities.
- Cheri's video led to over 300 holiday wishes being granted through wide community support.
- The Wishmas program caters to 950 students, many from foster care or low-income families.
She said: "Not only do [the kids] say what they would like, but they say why it's important to them.”
But the emotional teacher found herself fighting back tears, as she went on to read some of the wishes that kids were yearning for, with a handful of the propositions shedding light into what their private lives were like.
Cheri Guy, an English teacher in Las Vegas, recently went viral after she shared her students' heartbreaking Christmas wishes
Image credits: english_guru259
Image credits: Марина Вотинцева/Pexels
Image credits: attagirlguy
One child had written: "I would like some black slippers to protect my feet from the cold.”
Another penned: “A bag of takis... It will help me not be hungry.”
Meanwhile, other pupils chose to use their wish to offer a helping hand, with one kid, in particular, expressing hope that all the other students' wishes would come true.
Another student just wanted their sister to have a good birthday.
The emotional teacher found herself fighting back tears, as she went on to read some of the wishes that kids were yearning for
Image credits: attagirlguy
Image credits: attagirlguy
You can watch the moving video below
Cheri went on to reveal that due to the school teaching 3,000 students, she couldn't make all of their wishes come true. Nevertheless, she expressed her hopes to get some assistance from the TikTok sphere.
In her initial video, she asked the internet: "If you're interested in helping, DM me, comment, let me know, spread this around. Maybe we could do something to try and make some of these things happen.”
Other pupils chose to use their wish to offer a helping hand
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Image credits: Any Lane/Pexels
As news spread at an exponential speed online, the caring teacher didn’t have to wait long before the results of her call for help started to show.
She told Today: "We have a lot of kids who are in the foster system, we have a lot of kids who are living in poverty. These kids are facing enormous stress outside of the classroom.”
As a result of her viral TikTok video, the teacher has been able to make some of her students’ wishes come true.
Cheri said: “We have well over 300 wishes granted, which is amazing,” though there are 950 students participating in the Wishmas program in total.
As a result of Cheri's initiative, numerous strangers stepped in to help, sending gifts to grant over 300 of the students' holiday wishes
Image credits: english_guru259
She continued: “A few of the seniors are asking for a yearbook because they can’t afford it. I’m looking at the spreadsheet right now and one kid asked for help paying for their cap and gown for graduation.
“We have a student who asked for a textbook called ‘Lectures on Physics’ because he wants to be an astrophysicist.”
The teacher further stated: “One of the most incredible things about Wishmas is these kids are realizing that they are loved — and not just by the staff at school, but by strangers around the country (who) care about them and believe in them.”
Social media users felt grateful for people like Cheri and her "incredible soul"
