5th grade left me in tears today

I teach 5th grade and we were discussing the posters that the school puts out every year to remind kids that there are trusted adults that they can talk to in the school if they need it. I started talking with my kids about the importance of outside resources and how anyone can be a trusted adult for them when they need help. I started getting choked up, and I told them that they were safe and that no matter what, they have so many people that love and care for them outside of their family and that they always have somewhere to turn. One of my kids raised her hand and asked if I was a safe person outside of school. By that time, I was in tears, so much so that I couldn’t speak, so I nodded, and she said outside of school, you can call us if you need anything, right? I was floored. She started talking about how if they ever felt scared, sad, or like they needed someone to listen, they could call us and we would answer. I'm crying just thinking about it. Kids are so damn intuitive.<br><br>Edit: I did manage to get myself together and told them that yes, they could call me anytime, and I’d answer. I reminded them that there are outside resources that they can call and text in an emergency, and we went over some of those resources. It was a great lesson outside of the curriculum and outside of the poster, and I feel so proud of that student and so grateful for that class. <br><br>Edit 2: I feel like I see a lot of comments saying that I shouldn’t have allowed the kids to get emotional and that they shouldn’t have seen me cry because they are too young to handle it. My point in this lesson was to show them that outside of school, they have so many people that care about them and that they can rely on. I think it’s completely okay to let my students see me be human and see me show my emotions. I’m a person, too, and it’s okay to not be okay all the time. It’s okay to break down and cry, and I think it’s an important lesson for kids to learn that you can see someone, even a grown up, outside of the boundaries of outside of school. I believe in teaching these kids lessons that will help them become empathetic adults.<br><br>Edit 3: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that reached out and sent me such kind messages. I never expected this to get outside of the chamber, and I was overwhelmed by your generous offers and kind words. I didn’t expect this level of response, and I’m grateful for the supportive community on this sub. Please send me a message if you’d like to donate. My DMs are open, and I’ll be responding to all of the messages.