A Kentucky teacher is being praised for helping his student in the ultimate way by adopting him, along with his three siblings. Justin Padgett of Danville, Kentucky, who teaches fifth grade at Highland Elementary School, was helping one of his students, Jayden, in 2021 when he discovered he needed more than just academic help. “I was helping tutor him, one-on-one with reading and social studies. We were just trying to help support his academics. That’s when he called me over to his computer one day and just said, ‘I have to be adopted,’” Padgett recalled.

He took the student aside to find out more. There, he found out the Jayden’s parents had lost their parental rights, but that his current foster parents couldn’t adopt him and his three siblings. But he already had a parent in mind- Padgett himself. “He was nice to me, and he always helps me. He was a really loving person, so I just wanted him to love me and my family,” Jayden said. Justin and his wife, Kasey, had been praying for a family and were in the process of taking foster care classes. Justin was touched by Jayden’s predicament, and so he decided to call his wife and tell her about the encounter. “I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a kiddo in my class that needs to be adopted, and he’s got three siblings. I asked her, ‘What are your thoughts about that? How would you feel about that?’”

Kasey and Justin decided to step out in faith and began the process of fostering to adopt the children in April 2021. They began by taking them to church, where the two served as youth leaders. At first, they kept the possibility of adoption quiet. “Life can happen, and, you know, we could back out or something could change in the court system. [The kids] ended up finding out, but we were already having weekend visits at that point and getting their rooms ready.” The children moved into their new foster home in July. On March 3, 2022, they officially adopted all four children. “Our lives are complete. We have left it all up to God to put us where we need to be at the right time. I feel fulfilled,” said Justin.

Both Kasey and Justin hope their story will encourage others to consider adopting older children, who are often left floundering in the foster care system for years. “At that age, they’ve been through so much trauma — being removed from their home, going through foster care — that they really need special love and attention. And they are going to need resources for mental health, as well as guidance and assistance getting into college or trade school or wherever they go in life,” said Kasey. And, despite already being a family of six, the couple is open to expanding their family, either naturally or through adopting. “The doors are open for whatever God has for us.”