ne first grader had a memorable day with her teacher, who stepped in for her mom in an impressive way. Brooklyn was to pay $5 for a ticket to the Sneaker Ball, a school dance where students dressed up and wore sneakers with their attire.

Emily Gilreath, her teacher, was saddened to learn that Brooklyn had not brought the money for a ticket. Gilreath also remembered that the previous year, the little girl had not gone to the program.

It got out of hand when Gilreath overheard the girls in her class discussing the dresses they were planning to wear to the ball one day. She realized that Brooklyn had broken down in tears knowing that her mother couldn’t take her since she had to go to work.

28-year-old Gilreath told People, “I talked to her mom to see if she was able to take her, and when she told me that she had to work (she’s a single mom), I volunteered to take her. The mom agreed and thanked me.”

The dedicated teacher waited until the day before the dance to inform Brooklyn of the plan she and her mother had devised. Gilreath escorted Brooklyn to her table at the end of class and informed her that she and her mother had discussed taking Brooklyn to the dance if she was interested.

“She immediately started jumping, smiling, and then gave me a hug,” Gilreath said.

The teacher added, “It was the sweetest moment. We stayed after school and did our hair and makeup in my room. She saw me putting on lipstick, so I gave her some to keep and taught her how to apply it. She also wanted some of my blush, so we did that too. She loved being able to wear makeup. She said, ‘Ms. Gilreath, thank you so much for teaching me makeup and taking me to the Sneaker Ball.’”

She stated, “The comments that really stuck out to me were about her ‘always remembering this moment’ and ‘she will never forget you.’ It really made me realize how I have the opportunity to create core memories for these kids and that I truly do make an impact on their lives,” she said.

Gilreath said she hoped the video would inspire other single teachers to go above and beyond for their students.

Reflecting on that day at the dance, Gilreath said she and her other kids had a great time hanging together with Brooklyn.

“The only thing that it has done is help build our relationship. I know, and she knows, I care about her,” the teacher recalled. “I can tell that helps when it comes to her classwork and feeling confident to ask for help.”

“She literally said, ‘This was the best night of my life!’ ” Gilreath added.