Kind-hearted Kentucky teacher carries a disabled ten-year-old on his back for miles so she can attend class field trip hiking through state park
- Ryan Neighbors, a fourth-grade student at Tully Elementary in Louisville, suffers from spina bifida and is bound to a wheelchair
- The ten-year-old thought she would miss out on a class field trip to Falls of The Ohio last week as she would not be able to traverse the terrain of the state park
- However, teacher Jim Freeman stepped in and volunteered to carry Neighbors on his back for the duration of the trip
- Neighbors’ elated mother has since praised the selfless teacher for his actions, with a posting about the kind act now going viral on Facebook
A school teacher is being praised on social media after he helped a disabled fourth-grader attend a class field trip.
Jim Freeman, who teaches at Tully Elementary in Louisville, selflessly carried 10-yer-old Ryan Neighbors on his back last Wednesday so that she was able to join her peers on an outing to Falls Of The Ohio.
Neighbors suffers from spina bifida and has had to miss out on previous field trips as she is bound to a wheelchair.
Last week, plans were in place for the youngster to head out on her own ‘alternate’ excursion before Freeman stepped in to make sure she would not be excluded from the rest of her class.
Pictures posted on Facebook show how Freeman carried Neighbors around the state park in a specialized backpack as she and her fellow fourth-graders explored the rugged terrain.
Jim Freeman, who teaches at Tully Elementary in Louisville, selflessly carried 10-yer-old Ryan Neighbors on his back last Wednesday so that she was able to join her peers on an outing to Falls Of The Ohio
Pictures posted on Facebook show how Freeman carried Neighbors around the state park in a specialized backpack
The snaps were accompanied by a gushing post penned by Neighbors’ mother, Shelly King, which has since gone viral on social media.
‘If I haven’t bragged on my kids’ school enough – well, listen to this,’ she began.
‘They [Neighbors and her class ] went on a field trip to Falls Of The Ohio today. Obviously, NOT accessible. I was preparing for an ‘alternate field trip day’ when a male teacher reached out and said ‘I’m happy to tote her around on the falls all day!’
King continued: ‘Thank you Christie Pile for giving me these back pack carriers, making this possible for Ryan.
‘We are sooooo blessed to have an ENTIRE school that is so compassionate and empathetic and NEVER make her feel left out’.
Neighbors is pictured with her mom, Shelly King, who penned a post thanking the selfless teacher for allowing her daughter to attend the class field trip
Neighbors was elated to join her classmates on the field trip, later telling WLKY News: ‘I got to see the fossils and stuff. I was like, wow, that’s like, really cool. I haven’t gotten to see that before’.
Her mom again lavished praise on the teacher, stating: ‘It melted my heart. He’s not even Ryan’s teacher and he was so pure hearted that he wanted to make sure that she was included and not left out and she got to feel like one of her peers.’
However, Johnson has been modest about his selflessness telling WLKY: ‘This is just one physical act that you can see, but we do this countless times throughout the school day and throughout the year.
‘All the teachers here at Tully, they work harder than most people realize.’
Neighbors was elated to join her classmates on the field trip