Teacher Reveals Heartbreaking Reason Behind Her Ocean-Themed Classroom

For the past three years, Dakota Chance, a fourth-grade teacher in Mississippi, has made it her tradition to create a warm and welcoming classroom before each school year begins.

“I always pour 110% into my classroom,” Chance told PEOPLE. “I know some students don’t get the love and support every child deserves at home, so I want my classroom to be a safe and calming space – somewhere they always feel welcome.”

Her favorite part of this tradition was sharing the finished classroom with her father, Eddie, who supported her every step of the way.

But in March 2025, everything changed. Her father died unexpectedly at 61 after a sudden illness that was first mistaken for the stomach flu. As the oldest child, Chance had to make the painful decision to take him off life support when doctors discovered his intestines and colon were failing, and his kidneys had begun shutting down.

“He was my first best friend – someone I could always count on,” she said. “He had a gentle, supportive nature and loved to laugh. The beach was his happy place. We lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for years, and that’s where he felt most at peace.”

When it came time to prepare her classroom for the new school year, Chance decided to honor his memory with an ocean theme.

“I brought the ocean into my classroom,” she explained. “It feels like I’m carrying a piece of him with me each day, and I hope my students feel the same calm the ocean gave him.”

Since she could no longer share photos with her father, she turned to social media for encouragement. In a recent TikTok, she showed off her classroom with the caption: “My dad used to love when I sent him my finished classroom. It’s my first year without him. Do me a favor and pretend you’re him in the comments.” The video went viral with over 700,000 views and more than 10,000 uplifting responses.

Being a first-year teacher had been one of the hardest challenges of her life, but her dad’s support always made it easier. Each year, she would do a “big reveal” of her decorated classroom, just like when she used to show him her childhood bedroom. He would take in every detail and end their calls with, “Tell the kiddos I said hi, and let’s have an awesome day.”

This year, she filled her classroom with things he loved – sharks on the wall, jellyfish hanging from the ceiling, and, most importantly, love. “There isn’t a single person who met my dad who could say he was anything but kind,” she said.

Losing him at just 21 was heartbreaking, but Chance feels his presence in her classroom every day. She believes he would want her to keep moving forward, inspiring her students the way he inspired everyone around him.

Although her father wasn’t a teacher – he worked in restaurants and with his hands – he always pushed her to dream bigger. “They say a parent’s greatest wish is for their child to go further than they did. That’s exactly what my dad did,” Chance said.

Even when her high school grades didn’t show her potential, he stood by her. “If you had asked 16-year-old me if I’d become a teacher, I wouldn’t have believed it,” she admitted. “But my dad never doubted me. His faith in me has shaped the teacher and person I am today.”

The past few months have been some of the hardest of her life. The toughest moments come when something exciting happens and she wants to call her dad – but can’t. Whether it was finishing her classroom or getting into her master’s program, she still wishes she could hear him say, “I’m proud of you.”

“My dad taught me that everyone deserves a chance to grow and thrive,” she said. “He poured love into everyone he met, and I try to do the same with my students every single day.”