(Chicago, IL) Every once in awhile, there is a story that emerges from the American maw that inspires us to continue working, striving, and fighting for the so-called American dream. This is one of those stories. Let’s start by introducing our inspiration for this piece, the late high school teacher Simone Yenson, who passed away earlier this year. While staying late in class on a Friday to work on papers, Simone was struck by a falling ceiling fan that had been left in disrepair due to budget cuts. Thankfully, that wasn’t the end of Simone’s story, because the following Monday, well after her body had been discovered and hauled away, Simone was still there, ready to teach class.

At least, her ghost was.

“It was a surprise to say the least,” substitute teacher and part-time wizard Don Graphite told us, having showed up that day to fill in for the missing teacher. “I walked in to set down my stuff before grabbing a coffee and who should be there but the woman I was told had died. And while she wasn’t exactly opaque, it didn’t dawn on me until I came back from the break room that I was looking at a ghost.”

It’s true. Whether intentionally or not, Simone’s ghost had remained after her body was taken to the morgue, ready to continue teaching with a renewed sense of purpose. The school allowed us to visit and speak with her ‘spirit’ to ask her why she remained in class after her corporeal form had been taken away and cremated.

“This is my purpose,” Simone’s ghost told us, sitting across from us at her desk. “Sure, some things are more difficult like writing on the chalk board or using a laptop, but as soon as I found myself here, standing over my limp body, I knew I would never be able to leave. Rather than worry about it, I decided to accept my new life and continue doing what I love. As long as it’s not harming anyone, I don’t see the issue?”

Although we were surprised by her answers to our questions, we could tell that she was being sincere. However, it wasn’t until we spoke with the principle that we understood why the school would allow this to happen. “Ghost teachers don’t need ghost salaries,” they told us. “Simone has been working for the last 2 months without taking a single cent. If I knew all of our teachers were so dedicated, I’d have killed them all years ago.”

Isn’t that amazing? Not only is Simone choosing to forgo her afterlife, one she clearly earned, but she is not even getting paid to teach the next generation. Truly inspiring.

We asked Simone if she had any parting words of wisdom, but all she said was “Go before you’re trapped here too.” I guess someone doesn’t want competition for ‘Best Ghost Teacher’ award.