Teacher Appreciation: Philadelphia teacher gets Zoom surprise from family who wanted to say thank you

Tuesday, May 5, 2020
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There are so many great teachers in the School District of Philadelphia who make an impact on their students in the classroom, and are now doing the same in the virtual classroom.

One of them is Eric Snipe, a 4th-grade math and science teacher at the Honorable Luis Munoz-Marin Elementary School in North Philadelphia.

"I love changing lives. I love seeing a spark in their eye. I love when the 'aha' moment comes and the lightbulb goes off," Snipe told Action News. "I use music a lot in my lessons. I make real-world connections."

Then, we surprised Snipe when two of his former students and their mother joined the Zoom call without him knowing about it ahead of time.

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They wanted to let him know much they appreciate him.

"He used to push me when I needed it the most," said Lee Vazquez.

"What I like about him is that he's always there for me and he really helped me when I really needed it," said Leejoyz Vazquez, his younger sister.

Their mother, Demaris Santiago, wanted us to know that Snipe always makes sure that his students and their parents understand the lessons he assigns.

"Snipe walked me through everything for me to be able to help my kids," she said. She called Snipe a role model for all teachers.

Snipe was very touched by their kind words. They even brought a tear to his eye.
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