A Thoughtful Gift

I had the BEST kids this year.

Seriously.

The best.

You know what (sometimes) goes with the BEST kids???

The BEST parents.

Yessiree....I was blessed with some of those this year, too.

I had some really awesome, supportive parents.  Not many of them could come in and volunteer, but many were willing to help from home if I sent little projects home.  Even more than that, I just knew that these parents were supportive of me and what I was doing in the classroom.  They were always kind and friendly to me.  What a gift.

Teacher gifts are an interesting thing.

First of all, they are unnecessary.  We don't need to be given gifts at the end of the school year.  

Where I teach, I usually receive a handful of gifts from kids and their families, at Christmas time, and then sometimes at the end of the year.  Whenever I do receive gifts, I am extremely grateful and appreciative.  Truly, I am.

This year some very thoughtful parents and kids gave me some very thoughtful gifts.

This photo is of a beautiful shadow box that one parent made for me.

I can't wait to have that on my desk as a daily encouragement!

(An awesome teacher is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget.)

A thoughtful gift, though not necessary, is a powerful thing.

Teaching can actually be a lonely profession at times.  

Often teachers are criticized and judged.  Many see teachers as a bunch of lazy whiners.

"Must be nice to get the whole summer off..."

"Must be nice to be off work at 3:00 every day..."

"All you do is play with kids all day??  Must be nice..."

I'll save my snarky responses for another blog.

When a family gives a teacher a meaningful gift, it encourages us.  It motivates us.  It inspires us.

It does not matter what the gift is.

It does not matter how much the gift cost.

Sometimes you get a gem like this Mom who spent her time making a beautiful and thoughtful keepsake for me.

I am blessed.

If you teach somewhere and you are not so blessed...

perhaps you did not hear any kind and heartfelt words of gratitude this year...

Let me tell you...

You are amazing.

You are appreciated.

You make a difference.