This Proud Teacher and the Student She Refused to Give Up on Will Bring You to Tears

Photo Credit: Fill A Tummy via Facebook

Where most people saw a learner with intellectual challenges, Simoné van Niekerk was the dedicated teacher who saw his potential. A video of her sharing her pride in how far her learner has come over the past six years will leave you with all the feels!

Pretoria, South Africa (15 September 2026) – A teacher’s pride is one of those good things that never gets old. One such proud educator, Simoné van Niekerk, has left us, and likely every viewer of her latest video, looking for our tissues.

In a video shared on her feeding charity’s social media just three days ago, Simoné is seen being helped by one of her pupils to bring various food supplies into her classroom. Together, they unpack and sort the supplies into parcels for those less fortunate. While that act is beautiful on its own, it was Simoné’s voiceover sharing the story behind her bond with this specific learner that really tugged at the heartstrings.

In the audio, she explained that for the past six years, she’s had the privilege of teaching this young man. She shared that he is a learner with severe intellectual disabilities and that when they first met, not many people believed he would be able to accomplish much.

Instead of focusing on what he couldn’t do, Simoné chose to see his potential and kept pressing forward with him.

“I’ve always believed that we shouldn’t decide what a child is capable of before giving them a chance. Since starting Fill a Tummy, he has become my helper. Every Friday morning he comes to me and asks ‘how many parcels must I pack?’ and then he gets to work,” Simoné says.

Every Friday, he counts the bags, packs out the correct number and carefully puts the right amount of each item into every parcel.

“Watching him do this makes my heart so incredibly proud because this is so much more than just packing food parcels. It’s proof of what can happen when someone is given an opportunity, patience and encouragement and someone who believes in them.”

Simoné admits that as the years nears its end, she dreads the moment she’ll have to say goodbye to the learner who has become her Friday helper and who has grown in leaps and bounds before her eyes.

Though she doesn’t know what his next chapter will look like, Simoné expressed her immense pride in him and hopes he never doubts his capabilities – even on the hard days.

“Never give up. Keep trying, keep learning and keep believing in yourself. You have already shown us that you can achieve things that people once thought were impossible. I hope your future is filled with kindness, opportunities, happiness and people who believe in you just as much as I do. Go out there and show the world what you can do, my boy,” Simoné said, encouraging the learner.

Her post was both heartfelt and wholesome, leaving countless social media users moved emotionally. They praised the profound impact she made on this learner’s life by refusing to give up on him.

More than just a feel-good viral moment, Simone and her learner’s story is a beautiful reminder that when a teacher sees the light in a child, the whole world eventually gets to watch them shine!