PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. – A first-grade teacher’s social media post now has more than 11-thousand shares after her student’s act of kindness leaves her inspired to spread kindness.

Vanessa Schoessel is a first-grade teacher at Crystal Hill Elementary in Pulaski County.

She gives her class “good behavior” points as a way to promote kindness in her classroom.

“That’s the behavior management system I use in my classroom and when you get 200 points you get to go to lunch with the teacher,” says Schoessel.

The point system offers rewards at the end of the week and students can exchange their hard-earned points but small gifts.

Additionally, the first graders are offered the opportunity to save their points as a way to accumulate the required 200 points for the special lunch.

“Every Friday when I would ask Samuel are you cashing out or saving up he would always say saving up,” she says. “Samuel gets a lot of points for being kind.”

Last Friday, Samuel Roberts Jr. reached the 200 points mark and asked his teacher to instead take him to Walmart to exchange his points on food for his sisters.

“We went to Walmart and he bought apples, grapes, and hot takis,” says Schoessel. “He bought everything for his family and chose nothing for himself.”

Schoessel says Samuel’s willingness to give away his points left her in shock – prompting her to share the story on her Facebook.

“They show me how I need to act and how I should be more giving. Samuel just watching him put other people first before himself always is just a daily reminder to me that I need to be more like that,” she says.

Schoessel says the young man’s actions serve as a good reminder to us all that we should always try to keep the kindness in a child’s heart close at bay.