This teacher wiped out her savings for attorney fees when seeking custody of the two boys and accumulated debt to afford taking care of them.
At the age of 22, Haley was single and teaching at a Louisiana school when she first met Jerome as a student in her fourth-grade class.
At the time, Jerome was getting into academic trouble and was frequently suspended from school. That’s when Haley focused on being a beacon of support for the young boy by cheering him on at football games and buying him school supplies.
In 2016, Haley got full custody of Jerome, and later took in his younger brother, Jace.
Within two months, she was granted full custody of both Jerome and his little brother Jace. After that, Haley formally adopted the boys with their birth mother’s blessing.
Under Haley’s loving guidance, Jerome grew up to be an honor-roll student. The proud mom said: “I don’t think there are many words to really describe just how awesome it is to celebrate all of Jerome’s achievements,”
“I think it just goes to show that he’s always had the potential, all he needed was the support and the self-confidence to be successful. I’m just really, really proud of him.”
Five years after she adopted a former student and his younger brother, a 29-year-old mother from Georgia has managed to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Teacher Chelsea Haley knocked out $48,683 worth of debt from her student loans and credit cards by working side jobs, such as tutoring and delivering groceries, according to Good Morning America. She also sold her home and moved back in with her parents.
Much of Haley’s debt came from attorney fees she paid while seeking custody of her two sons, Jerome, 17, and Jace, 6.
Haley was teaching with Teach for America in Louisiana in 2015 when she had Jerome as a student in her fourth-grade class, GMA reported.
Source:
dailynet.co.uk, people.com
