A teacher asked for school supplies instead of flowers at her funeral and the response was amazing

Earlier this year, the US federal Department of Education released a study which reported that around 94 per cent of public school teachers had been using their own money to pay for school supplies.

The study showed that teachers were shelling out more £400 of their own salary a year in order to properly supply their students with the correct equipment and stationery.

It's debatable that these selfless acts should even be happening in 2018, but they rarely go unappreciated.

Tammy Waddell of Forsyth, Georgia, was one of those special teachers who went above and beyond for their students.

Tammy passed away on 9 June, aged 58, after a battle against cancer. She had spent the previous 30 years of her life working in education and helping improve the lives of young people.

In a testament to her character and dedication to education, at her funeral she requested that people bring school supplies instead of flowers.

The response at her service, which was captured by her cousin Dr. Brad Johnson, was overwhelming.

The heartwarming story was soon shared far and wide on social media and Brad has since shared the address of the school to where others can donate supplies.

Tributes have been paid to Tammy on social media where her incredible spirit and kindness has been transcendent amongst many people who never met her.

Her online obituary describes Tammy as someone who had a "passion for literacy and believed that every child deserved an opportunity to learn".

It adds:

Those around her recognised Tammy by her generosity, selflessness and unconditional love.

Though her achievements and accolades are numerous, none are greater than the many lives that she changed over the course of her three decades in education.

An online guestbook has also been launched to pay tribute to Tammy.

HT UniLad

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