Black teachers matter!
During a recent ITV concert special, “An Audience with Adele,” the British soul singer who is known for surprising fans at her concert got a surprise of her own. During the taping of the concert, Adele took a question from award-winning actress Emma Thompson, who asked the superstar if there was anyone from her past who supported or inspired her.
Adele responded by talking about the impact her high school English teacher had on her.
“I had a teacher at Chestnut Grove, who taught me English. That was Miss McDonald...She got me really into English literature. Like, I’ve always been obsessed with English and obviously now I write lyrics... She was so bloody cool. So engaging. She really made us care, and we knew that she cared about us,” she said.
She went on to talk about how the south London high school teacher always wore sequins and lots of gold bracelets and how much she admired her and liked her as a child. While she hadn’t seen Miss McDonald in two decades, she still remembered the profound impact she had on her life and ultimately, her career.
Well unbeknownst to Adele, McDonald was in the audience. Once she realized she was there, Adele began to cry, stunned, as her former mentor walked on stage.
“I’m so proud of you,” McDonald told Adele who was completely undone at the moment.
“You really did change my life,” Adele told McDonald.
The two continued to exchange words on stage before Adele called on host Alan Carr to step in so she could take a moment to get herself together.
“Now, I’ve got to get my whole face re-done,” she joked while wiping away tears.
After the airing of the London special this past weekend, Adele took to social media to recount her excitement and pleasure at seeing her former teacher.
“Home Sweet Home. I’ve always dreamt of doing An Audience With...There was so much love in the room for each other, it felt like such a gig! Everyone was raucous and bang up for it! And my teacher Ms. McDonald was there, it was just heaven,” she wrote.
Check out the heartwarming reunion below!
We all have that one teacher who changed our life… such a beautiful reunion! ❤️
*PS, would totally buy Alan Carr’s version of ‘Make You Feel My Love* 🤣@Adele #AnAudienceWithAdele https://t.co/2ZZI2RS0mI pic.twitter.com/hlTOOZKt5j
Photo Courtesy of ITV