Teachers don't often get the adulation they deserve, so when a stranger thanked seventh grade teacher Sabrina Drude for what she was doing for underprivileged kids and showered her with an unexpected gesture of kindness, she could not help but burst into happy tears.

Before the start of every school year, Drude would shop for supplies for her students at Wal-Mart. This year, she was noticed by a man standing in line at the counter, according to CBS News. Drude's cart was filled with notebooks, pencils, and markers, and the man behind her was curious why she had so many school supplies.

Drude, who is a teacher at Francis Scobee Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, explained to the man that she is teaching in a very low socioeconomic area, where kids cannot always afford to buy their own supplies.

Touched by Drude's concern for the children, the man offered to pay for her items. But Drude declined, saying she could not accept his money. When $97 flashed on the cash register, the man named Lester Brown would not take "no" for an answer.

"He said, 'Put your wallet away,' and I just started crying," Drude shared. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

The teacher could not understand why anyone would do something nice to a complete stranger like her. Brown explained to her that it's "because teachers don't get the recognition that they deserve."

Drude is grateful to Brown, and she plans on telling her students about the kind man who paid for their school supplies. "This is exactly the type of person I want to influence my kids to be," said Drude, who plans on inviting Brown to join her class for a pizza party. "I want him to inspire my kids just like he inspired me; if any of my kids grew up to be half the man he is I'd be very proud."