Lesson Plan: The Fate of a Family – The Story of the Subway Baby

Ann S. Michaelsen

6 months ago

Texts/Media:

Essential Questions:

How do narratives of family, fate, and identity shape our understanding of extraordinary life events?
What role do individuals and institutions play in moments of crisis?
How does media frame stories of child rescue, loss, or recovery, and what biases are revealed?

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Analyze how different media portray the same event through tone, structure, and purpose.
Compare the story of the Subway Baby to other real-world cases involving children found, lost, or adopted through unusual circumstances.
Reflect on how fate and moral choice intersect in family formation and institutional responsibility.
Develop and defend arguments through extended written analysis.

Lesson Activities

Opening Discussion

Introduce the BBC and YouTube story of Danny Stewart and Pete Mercurio, who discovered and later adopted an abandoned baby in a New York City subway station. Facilitate an open discussion:

What emotions did the video evoke?
What do we learn about the role of fate, moral obligation, and family from this story?

Media Comparison Groups

Divide the class into small groups. Assign each group one of the following sources:

Each group will analyze:

The tone and perspective of the piece
Key facts and emotional appeals
How the community, law enforcement, and media responded
The portrayal of the child and family

Groups share findings with the class, emphasizing similarities and differences across cases.

Whole-Class Synthesis Discussion

Guide students through a comparative discussion:

How does the Subway Baby story reflect themes of chance, choice, and commitment?
How are children characterized differently across stories (rescued, lost, vulnerable, chosen)?
What biases are present in how different children’s stories are reported?
How do class, race, ability, and family structure impact public reaction and institutional response?

Critical Reflection Writing Task

Pose a critical prompt to the class:
“Is the Subway Baby story a heartwarming tale of fate and love, or does it obscure deeper systemic issues regarding child welfare, parental rights, and public responsibility?”

Students write a short reflective response, citing at least two of the sources.

Research & Extension Task

Ask students to research and summarize one other case involving an unusual family formation, child rescue, or adoption narrative. See examples below. Examples include:

Children adopted during natural disasters or war
Children reconnected with birth families after mistaken identity or abduction
Lost children whose cases remain unsolved

Students compare their case with the Stewart/Mercurio story, focusing on:

Outcome
Media treatment
Role of institutions
Societal impact

Essay Prompts

The Construction of Family and Identity:
Analyze how the Subway Baby story reshapes conventional ideas of family, parenthood, and fate. How do different mediums—video, article, essay—contribute to the formation of a public narrative about love, legality, and belonging?
Media Bias and Emotional Framing:
Compare the coverage of the Subway Baby story with other missing child or rescue cases. How do emotional appeal, race, ability, or family type shape the public narrative? What do these choices reveal about media ethics?
The Ethics of Chance and Systemic Gaps:
Critically examine how stories like the Subway Baby emphasize personal triumph over systemic failure. Should society rely on extraordinary moments of individual action, or should this inspire institutional reform?

1. Steven Hydes – the “Gatwick Baby”

What happened: On April 10, 1986, a ten‑day‑old boy was discovered abandoned in a women’s restroom at Gatwick Airport. Staff nicknamed him “Gary Gatwick.” Taken into foster care, he was later adopted as Steven Hydes travelpulse.com
Aftermath & identity search: Steven spent over 15 years tracing his origins. In May 2019, genetic genealogists helped him locate his birth family. His birth mother, however, had passed away; his birth father and siblings were unaware of his existence until then
Why it matters: Much like Kevin, his life began with a public “found child” moment and resulted in adoption. But this case also explores long-term identity questions—how does genetic truth reshape your self-understanding and relational bonds?

2. Autism and the NYC Subway disappearances

Several cases illustrate children with autism wandering into the subway:

13-year-old Francisco Hernandez spent 11 days on the subway in 2009 before being safely found ABC7 San FranciscoNBC New York+2Upi+2People.com+2.
Romeo Richardson (8) disappeared and was found on a subway train in 2016 Wikipedia+15NBC New York+15ABC7 San Francisco+15.
Young children (ages 5–13) wandered and were found in subway stations in multiple cases, often rescued by Good Samaritans or transit officers NBC New York.

These aren’t adoption stories—but they resonate with themes of vulnerability, community rescue, and media framing in contrast to the Subway Baby tale.

3. Baby Elsa and the London shopping-bag abandonment

- What happened: In January 2024, a newborn named “Baby Elsa” was found in a shopping bag in East London, repeatedly abandoned by the same parents. DNA tied her to older siblings who had also been abandoned New York PostPeople.com.
- Connection: Highlights repeated abandonment, systemic failures, and foster care intervention, inviting comparisons with Kevin’s fortunate adaptation.