{"id":162220,"date":"2026-03-13T10:10:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/162220\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T10:10:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:10:07","slug":"teacher-adopts-student-in-story-compared-to-real-life-matilda-nbc-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/162220\/","title":{"rendered":"Teacher adopts student in story compared to real-life \u2018Matilda\u2019 \u2013 NBC New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

One morning in 2021, Lexi McClelland was greeting students at the door of her second-grade classroom in Bentonville, Arkansas<\/a>, when a blonde-haired girl named Mary burst in singing to herself. She was goofy and exuberant, her voice carrying across the room. McClelland, then 24, still remembers the moment clearly.<\/p>\n

The young teacher recalls an immediate pull she couldn\u2019t quite explain. Looking back, she describes it as something deeper than coincidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like God led it,\u201d McClelland, 29, tells\u00a0TODAY.com<\/a>. \u201cLike she was meant to be in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary had already experienced more instability than most children her age. At 8, she had been living in foster care for several years and had moved through six different homes, according to McClelland. At the time, the teacher only knew the basics \u2014 that Mary was in foster care and might need extra patience and support.<\/p>\n

But what stood out to McClelland most wasn\u2019t Mary\u2019s past. It was her personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was naturally funny and incredibly creative,\u201d McClelland says. \u201cShe loved reading, and she had these little comments that felt wise beyond her years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary devoured books and had a knack for turning ordinary assignments into something bigger. Once, during a project on inventions, Mary designed a system that would carry library books back to their proper place on the classroom shelves. Another time, she asked if she could give an impromptu presentation about saving sea turtles\u2014 an idea she had come up with on her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teacher, you try not to have favorites,\u201d McClelland says. \u201cBut she was just one of those kids whose personality filled the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another failed adoption<\/p>\n

When summer arrived, word spread that another family planned to adopt Mary. It was the outcome everyone hoped for \u2014 a permanent home \u2014 but the thought of losing touch with the girl left McClelland unexpectedly heartbroken.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had this picture in my mind that I needed her in my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Around that time, McClelland mentioned something to the school counselor, a thought she hadn\u2019t entirely planned to say out loud, or even discussed with her husband, Max.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything happens,\u201d she told her, \u201cwe\u2019re available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, everyone believed Mary would soon be adopted by another family.<\/p>\n

Months later, McClelland learned that plan had fallen through. \u201cI immediately reached out to our counselor,\u201d she says. \u201cI was like, \u2018Who do I need to call?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Things began moving quickly. In some cases, teachers can be considered a familiar and trusted connection for children in foster care, which meant McClelland could be approved more quickly than other prospective foster parents.<\/p>\n

Finally joining the McClelland family<\/p>\n

Just weeks later, in September, Mary arrived with a caseworker and a few belongings.<\/p>\n

Max, who had spent the day preparing the house, was waiting anxiously. It was the first time he would meet the student his wife had been talking about for months.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll morning he was pacing around saying, \u2018I hope I\u2019m going to be a good dad,\u2019\u201d McClelland says.<\/p>\n

When Mary stepped inside, she ran up and wrapped her teacher in a tight hug. She also quickly bonded with Max, as the two discovered they shared the same sense of humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were like an instant duo,\u201d McClelland says.<\/p>\n

For the McClellands, the moment confirmed what they had already begun to feel: Mary was meant to be part of their family.<\/p>\n

One small comment she made early on stayed with McClelland. Before bed one night, the girl paused and told her she liked the way the house smelled.<\/p>\n

For McClelland, the remark carried deeper meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember thinking about how many different homes she\u2019d had to get used to,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A Story That Resembles ‘Matilda’<\/p>\n

By Christmas Eve, they were ready to ask Mary a question that would change all of their lives. That night, the couple gave her a small book. Inside was a note asking if she wanted to become a part of their forever family. Mary responded by throwing her arms around them. It was her answer.<\/p>\n

But the excitement was mixed with hesitation. Having been told before that she might be adopted \u2014 only for those plans to fall through \u2014 Mary sought reassurance, repeatedly asking whether anyone could stop it. The McClellands assured her the decision was theirs.<\/p>\n

Soon after, she began calling McClelland and her husband \u201cMom\u201d and \u201cDad\u201d on her own.<\/p>\n

The adoption was finalized a few months later, on April 7, 2022.<\/p>\n

Inside the courtroom, Mary was given a special role. When the judge announced the decision, she was invited to tap the gavel herself, officially closing the case that had moved her through years of foster care. The room filled with emotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was crying,\u201d McClelland says.<\/p>\n

Today, Mary is 12 and a thriving seventh grader who still loves reading and creating. It’s the same curiosity that first caught her second-grade teacher\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

The story has even earned the pair a comparison to a familiar literary duo.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople always say we\u2019re like Matilda and Miss Honey,\u201d McClelland says with a laugh, referring to the beloved Roald Dahl children\u2019s book about a brilliant child whose kind teacher becomes her protector.<\/p>\n

Growing their family<\/p>\n

In the years that followed, McClelland and Max began thinking about expanding their family again. They attended events for older children in foster care who were still waiting for adoptive homes.<\/p>\n

Then, to their surprise, they learned they were expecting a boy.<\/p>\n

Murphy, the McClellands\u2019 son, was born in October, and Mary quickly became what her mom describes as a \u201clittle mother hen,\u201d eager to hold him and help care for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s obsessed with her,\u201d McClelland says. \u201cAnd she\u2019s obsessed with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having now experienced both \u2014 welcoming a newborn and adopting an older child \u2014 McClelland says adopting Mary brought a kind of connection she hadn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n

Speaking about it now, she becomes emotional.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you adopt an older child, you\u2019re meeting someone who already has their own personality and their own story,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019ve lived a life before you. Getting to know them while you\u2019re raising them is such a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the bond they share, she adds, feels just as natural as if it had always been there.<\/p>\n

This story first\u00a0appeared on TODAY.com<\/a>. More from TODAY:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One morning in 2021, Lexi McClelland was greeting students at the door of her second-grade classroom in Bentonville,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[17748,67,9,11,10,233],"class_list":["post-162220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-arkansas","tag-education","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-parenting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}