Being a teacher requires hard work, long hours and dedication. For Texas elementary school teacher Jennifer Pope, her job as an educator always comes first — even when she’s giving birth.
Two weeks ago, the mother of four and second grade teacher went into labor with her fourth child. Instead of using the stressful hours to focus on breathing and relaxing, Pope decided to work on a lesson plan for her second grade class, Babble reported.
Pope’s friend, family photographer Andrea McDonald, was surprised by Pope’s decision to work in the middle of her delivery. But instead of just standing by, McDonald snapped a photo of the mother in action and shared it on social media.
In the Facebook post that accompanies the photo, applauds Pope’s serious “dedication” and stresses the need for more people to appreciate the individuals who educate their children.
“Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week here in Texas,” McDonald writes. “Spoil them rotten because even in labor, they care.”
“No lie, she gave birth less than an hour later,” she adds.
Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated across the country from May 8-12, according to PTA.org. This year, the PTA website provided a list of gift suggestions for teachers, including thank-you cards and “appreciation certificates.”
“Having a great teacher makes things possible.” Happy #teacherappreciationweek! Thank you for all that you do, teachers. pic.twitter.com/mjr4gk2QXc
— edutopia (@edutopia) May 8, 2017
Days after McDonald’s photograph and Facebook post went viral, the photographer shared an additional post, thanking her followers, family and friends:
“The past few months have had a dark cloud hanging over them after losing [my] mom so it’s been nice to experience something joyful and not so depressing in the news,” the Fort Worth, Texas-based photographer and owner of Rooted in Love photography writes. “I can’t help but think that my mom and sis were scheming with God. My mom was a teacher for 25 years and she would have done anything to get teachers more love! Jenn is definitely deserving of that teacher love!”
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(H/T: Babble)
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