I’m a teacher at a school with a lot of low income families, and you start to notice which kids carry more weight than they should. One of my students, a middle school boy, is completely obsessed with dinosaurs. I mean, it’s his entire personality.

His notebooks are covered in T. rex sketches, his assignments usually include at least one prehistoric creature roaming around in the background, and he talks about Jurassic World every single chance he gets.

Right before the holidays, he came to class looking crushed. You could tell something was off. When I asked him what was wrong, he admitted he couldn’t afford to go see the new Jurassic World movie during the break. He tried to play it off like it didn’t matter, but the disappointment was written all over his face. It honestly hurt to watch, because this kid lives and breathes dinosaurs. That movie was everything to him.

So I made a decision that technically wasn’t part of any curriculum. I bought a twenty dollar cinema gift card and created a fake writing competition. I told him the theater was running a contest where students had to write a short piece about why they wanted to see the movie. I said he could send me his entry and I would submit it for him.

He lit up immediately. He took the assignment more seriously than some of his actual graded work. He poured so much heart into that little piece of writing that I had to stop myself from tearing up. He described how dinosaurs made him feel brave, how movies helped him forget everything stressful at home, and how seeing the new Jurassic World would be the highlight of his entire year.

When I told him he won, his reaction was something I’ll probably never forget. His eyes went wide like he was witnessing magic. He actually gasped and yelled in excitement. He held the gift card like it was treasure. For a moment, he didn’t look like a kid weighed down by life. He just looked happy. Pure, childhood happy.

I know this wasn’t exactly standard teacher behavior. Some people might say I crossed a line. I get that. But sometimes you see a kid who deserves a win and you give it to them because the world has given them far too few.

He told me he is going to be at the theater the moment the doors open. Eight in the morning, front row, ready to watch the thing he loves most in the world.

And honestly, it makes every risk worth it.

Dinosaurs truly rock.