Teachers are used to odd student behavior, but Max’s daily ritual was different. Every afternoon, without fail, the 9-year-old would sneak off to the far corner of the playground, dig a small hole, and bury something before leaving.
Curiosity turned to concern when one teacher followed him and saw him carefully placing his schoolbooks into the ground. “Max, what’s going on?” she asked.
His answer left her speechless. “My dad gets mad when he drinks,” Max mumbled. “He tears up my books and says I shouldn’t waste time studying. But… I don’t want to stop.”
The teacher’s eyes filled with tears as she realized the lengths this child had gone to protect his education. In that moment, she promised herself—and him—that she would do whatever it took to keep him safe.
