“He is my son. Very proud of him. I take no credit; that was all him,” wzleblanc commented on Reddit.
The P.E. teacher took the time to pen Lucas’s parents a letter to inform them about a kind deed he did for a fellow schoolmate with autism during P.E. class.
“I had an experience recently that I just had to share as it warmed my heart in an innocent yet profound way,” the teacher wrote.
It happened one day when the teacher was conducting a partner beep test during the class, which involved one person running the width of the gym and back on an increasingly quicker and quicker signal.
“Pairs make a plan as to how to share the running load,” the teacher explained.
A student in Mrs. Brown’s Life Skills class named Landon saw what the class was doing with the partner beep test and expressed his wish to join them. However, all the students in Lucas’s class were already paired up.
The teacher wasn’t sure “how this would play out” as Landon has autism and has issues making friends. But what happened next surprised the teacher greatly.
Lucas instantly volunteered to have Landon join his team. Moreover, Lucas, who is an extremely athletic and popular boy in school, went out of his way to motivate Landon throughout the challenge.
Lucas encouraged, cheered, and high-fived Landon as he kept up his pace to finish the test. Landon, in turn, was energized by Lucas’s encouragement, and the group went on to have “the top score, not only in the class, but the school.”
“As I watched, I thought that is mostly all Landon wants. To feel like a genuine part of the group while achieving success. I could tell he was so happy to feel just like ‘one of the boys’ so to speak,” the teacher shared.
Seeing how Lucas helped a schoolmate with autism, the teacher couldn’t be more pleased.
“It warmed my heart because your boy made it happen so naturally. I didn’t suggest it. It was all his idea.”
The teacher concluded the letter by applauding Lucas’s parents for raising a “mighty fine child.”
“He looked at me like it was no big deal. It isn’t but it is,” he wrote. “Keep up the great work as parents!”
What a great example Lucas has set for other classmates to follow. Instead of casting judgmental stares at Landon, he chose to show acceptance, love, and kindness—treating him like a friend.
