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To grateful parents and kids, the best, most compassionate teachers are heroes every day. But a few extraordinary ones become heroes in the literal sense. Whether saving a drowning student from an icy river or tackling a deranged gunman on the prowl, these eight teachers from around the globe exhibited "humble heroism" in the face of extraordinary danger:

Singing through a gunfight In May 2011, automatic gunfire erupted outside a school in the northern Mexican town of Monterrey. A kindergarten teacher inside ordered her pupils to lie flat on the floor and assured them that they are safe. The heroic teacher then lead the children singing "If All the Raindrops," a song made popular by Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, and their scared faces change to smiles and the children lie on their backs, mouths open, pretending to catch chocolate raindrops. Outside, suspected drug cartel hitmen had executed five people.

Sprinting to help Two Utah friends were walking home from school in October 2010 when they were struck by lightening during a freak thunderstorm. Ron Hansen, a social science teacher at Snow Canyon High School, was the first to respond, sprinting out of his classroom after hearing a clap of thunder followed by screams. He found the two boys "lying on their backs smoldering." Hansen and another teacher brought the teens back to school where Hansen performed CPR until paramedics arrived, which is probably what saved their lives. "I don't think of myself as a hero," he said. "I was just there when it happened and was able to help."

Full story at The Week.

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