First Grader's Mom Couldn't Make It to the School Dance. Her Teacher Knew Just What to Do (Exclusive)

• When collecting money for the school dance, Emily Gilreath, a first-grade teacher at a school in Birmingham, Ala., realized one of her students, Brooklyn, never brought in her ticket money

• At that moment, the 28-year-old teacher felt bad, especially since she knew Brooklyn hadn’t been able to attend the previous year, either. So, she reached out to her mom to see if she could help out

• The day of the dance, Gilreath brought Brooklyn up to her table and told her that she and her mom thought maybe she could take her to the dance if she wanted to go

• As the two got ready, the teacher recorded it on her phone. Later, she posted the video to TikTok where it went viral, garnering almost 450,000 views

Emily Gilreath, a first-grade teacher at a school in Birmingham, Ala., is showing just what it means to go above and beyond as an educator.

It all began when students were asked to send in $5 for a ticket to the school dance, called the Sneaker Ball, where they dress up and wear sneakers with their outfits. While collecting the money, Gilreath realized one of her students, Brooklyn, never brought in her ticket money. At that moment, the 28-year-old teacher felt bad, especially since she knew Brooklyn hadn’t been able to attend the previous year either.

The situation escalated when, one day, Gilreath noticed the girls in her class talking about the dresses they were going to wear to the ball. Brooklyn started crying because she knew her mom had to work and couldn’t take her. That's when Gilreath decided to reach out to Brooklyn’s mom to see if she could help.

"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," Gilreath tells PEOPLE exclusively.

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Gilreath waited until the day before the dance to tell Brooklyn about the plan she and her mom had come up with. When the time finally came, at the end of the day, Gilreath brought Brooklyn up to her table and told her that she and her mom thought maybe she could take her to the dance if she wanted to go.

"She immediately started jumping, smiling, and then gave me a hug," Gilreath says.

"It was the sweetest moment. We stayed after school and did our hair and makeup in my room," the teacher adds. "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.' "

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As the pair got ready together in Gilreath's classroom, the teacher thought, "I’m actually so glad that I don’t have kids or a husband right now because I wouldn’t be able to do things like this if I did." She then decided it would be sweet to record their time together.

Later, she posted the video to TikTok, where it went viral, garnering almost 450,000 views and nearly 1,000 comments.

"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 says.

"I think the message is more for the single teacher with no kids, who feels alone," the educator adds. "It can be really easy to compare yourself to your coworkers with families, but there are things that you can do that they can’t do. If I had a family of my own, I wouldn’t have had the chance to take her to the dance because I’d be busy taking my own kids. I hope this video shares the message to those teachers that we should take advantage of the opportunities that we have with our students that other teachers don’t have."

Looking back on that day and the dance, Gilreath reflects on how it was a blast spending time with Brooklyn, along with her other students. They danced together, wore light-up glasses and ate snacks.

"The only thing that it has done is help build our relationship. I know, and she knows, I care about her," the teacher adds. "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 adds.

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