Country music star Morgan Wallen made one teacher’s dreams come true by gifting him a significant grant on Friday.
Music teacher Tom Walsh from Adrian Burnett Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee, has a classroom full of instruments for his students, according to Knox News. But it’s not your tax dollars that paid for them. Walsh bought all of the instruments out of his own pocket, because that is the state of education in America, guys.
On Friday, Walsh joined his students in a special assembly, where he received probably one of the biggest surprises of his career. Wallen’s foundation surprised Walsh and his students with a $20,000 grant and an award for his years of educational and financial service to his institution. And yes, the moment was caught on video.
While Wallen is out on his seemingly endless “One Night At A Time” tour, his mother, Lesli Wallen, showed up at the school to present Walsh with the award and grant money. “This teacher really goes above and beyond,” she said. (RELATED: Morgan Wallen Pays For Little Leaguers To Attend World Series, And Their Thank-You Is Adorable)
Walsh and Wallen worked together at the school before she retired earlier in 2023. “He would always ask us other teachers, ‘How can I help? What can I take off your hands?” she told the crowd.
Walsh has taught in Knox County since 2016, after teaching music elsewhere for more than two decades prior.