Making good on your promises is part of the deal when you become a teacher; letting down your students just isn't an option. Joshua Murray is a teacher at Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Arizona, which also happens to be his own high school and he has shown a very permanent commitment to his students.
It's clear that teaching is a responsibility the 25-year-old has taken on with gusto and true commitment; 18 months ago he proposed to tattoo the names of each and every student who who received at least $5,000 in scholarships. The teacher had identified the number one gold mine of teenage motivation with the extraordinary dare, so they set to work to see what they could achieve. It's a promise he has made good on 28 times, with ihs students achieving far and beyond what they imagined.
For many students at Agua Fria High, going to college was something they never really thought of doing, until Mr Murray's challenge. Student Gustavo Cervantes told Fox 10 Phoenix, "None of my family has ever went to college, so I'd probably be another one who wouldn't go to college."
Senior Sierra Espinoza, who also participates in Murray's Agua Fria's Avid College Prep program, expressed her gratitude to the young teacher. "He means a lot to me. He really changed my life. I can't explain it. I have no words."
Murray says has discovered his purpose in life, to make sure his students achieve everything they thought they couldn't. "I know it sounds so corny, but really they are the reason why I wake up every morning and go to work," he says. "I wake up 5am, I'm like, 'let's do this', and I get here early, and I am always happy to do my job because it's for them. This is their future."
Watch the heartwarming video below to see Murray and his students talking about his most unusual dare. It has been shared nearly 1500 times.