Indiana special education teacher adopts student, ‘saving’ him from foster care

by: CNN

Posted: Dec 3, 2019 / 03:48 PM CST / Updated: Dec 4, 2019 / 07:44 PM CST

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (CNN) — Deb Schwartz’s classroom may be in an ordinary town, but the extraordinary happens every day.

She’s a special education teacher, with the emphasis on special. Her goal? To make each student feel that way every day.

“When life gets down, that’s when you get up,” Deb Schwartz said. “Be positive. Always look for the good things you have in your life.”

But for 19-year-old Dylan Bridges there wasn’t always a lot of good.

“I wasn’t happy. I was feeling sad,” Bridges said.

Dylan was in foster care and the situation wasn’t the best. That’s when Deb Schwartz took her compassion beyond the classroom.

She and her husband adopted Dylan. And the reason, according to Dan Schwartz, was simple:

“He had a bad situation. We can fix it, let’s fix it,” Dan Schwartz said.

Dylan is now thriving. Not only at home, but in the classroom. And he says it all began that day when his teacher asked if he wanted to live with her.

“It was awesome and I love living with deb and she’s the best,” Dylan said.

Dylan says it is his dream to one day have a home of his own and live independently. Deb and Dan Schwartz say, if that’s his goal, they are going to make that happen. They plan on building him a small apartment on their property.