Why this teacher eats lunch with his students in the cafeteria every day (exclusive)

• Dan Shutes, a teacher from Paw Paw, Michigan, eats lunch with his fifth-grade class almost every day.
• The tradition started a few years ago and since then Shutes has shared more on social media about why he started it.
• The teacher says it's great to hear how he inspires teachers in other states and even around the world to also eat lunch with their students.

Dan Shutes, a teacher from Paw Paw, Michigan, has a special lunch routine: He brings chicken and rice every day. And he eats it in the cafeteria, together with his students.

Almost every afternoon, Shutes meets with his fifth-grade class – along with the other fifth-graders at his school – in the cafeteria. The 32-year-old, who has been teaching for almost 11 years, started this tradition a few years ago.

“I didn't expect to have a bunch of kids saying, 'Hey, can you guys have lunch with me tomorrow?' or 'Can you guys have lunch with me the day after tomorrow?' But that's what happened,” Shutes tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I definitely eat lunch in the cafeteria three to four times a week. It's something I enjoy and it's become part of my routine, especially at the beginning of the year.”

“This is a priority for me. I think it's an easy way to get to know your students and not just know names and last year's test scores,” he continues.

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During lunch, Shutes' class is split into three different tables. Every day he moves from table to table and occasionally he ventures into his teaching partner's classroom to eat with them.

“Sometimes students from other classes that I don't actually teach ask if they can sit with me, and I try to find time for that too,” he continues. “Whether they're siblings of former students or whether I've just seen them in passing and gotten to know them over time, it's nice to connect with kids who aren't in my classes but who I see every morning as they walk down the hall.”

Shutes recently posted a video on TikTok about his lunch routine; the clip now has 380,000 views and 1,600 comments. He says it's great to hear that he's inspiring teachers in other states and even around the world to eat lunch with their students.

“Of course you see negative comments every now and then. I think it's a good reminder that there will always be people who disagree or have a problem with what you do,” he says. “Overall, it's been cool and I'm grateful to have a platform where my video can reach so many people. The positive comments are especially nice to hear.”

“When they see me, the kids come back to me and say hello or say hello at soccer games or at the supermarket,” he says. “I also see students who start the school year a little shy or reserved. If eating lunch together helps them come out of their shells or become more confident, that small gesture of eating lunch together at the end of the year can be quite meaningful.”

“So if I had to sum it up in one central message, it would be this: teachers, educators and coaches should not underestimate the impact of the little things – the small actions we do for our students,” he adds. “They often appreciate these gestures much more than we realize.”

Shutes has many fond memories of his cafeteria meals, but one stands out. Last year, during the first or second week of school, he was walking between the lunch tables with chicken and rice in his hand when his thin paper plate collapsed.

“It fell on the head of one of my new students. We had been in school for maybe a week and I was mortified,” he says. “I thought, 'Oh no, I just spilled my lunch on that poor girl!' But she took it like a champion and was a good loser. Of course, everyone around us laughed, and although I was extremely embarrassed, we ended up laughing about it. It became something we joked about for the rest of the school year.”