Earlier in the week, I got a present from one of my students. It was in an envelope, so I figured it would be one of the frequent drawings they give me. (Some of them are pictures of me, and I am always tipped off when they have a crayon in their hand and they ask, "Mrs. R--is your hair orange?" as they are vacillating. That tells me I have gone overboard with the hair dye.)
He's a hard little kid, too. At any given time you can see him slamming a chair around, glowering at me, or shouting at a peer (sometimes all three at once).
I need to go back a little further. Just a little, I promise. Last week, we had our monthly "auction." The kids earn "money" through their behavior, work habits, etc. At the end of every month we take bids on dozens and dozens of things--stuffed animals, fancy spiral notebooks, bags of candy, and so on. One of the most popular items--two months in a row--was a giant (two feet in diameter) roll of bubblewrap. (I'm sure the parents were quite appreciative of that thing coming home...)
One student (the kiddo who gave me the present) bid on and got a set of refrigerator magnet picture frames. I told them it would make a great Christmas present for someone.
So, I was surprised when I opened the envelope and there--framed by one of those magnets--was a little love note to me. Pencil on notebook paper, it was carefully folded so it fit into the frame. This little boy doesn't even have enough food to eat every day, but he managed to give me a present I will cherish for a long, long time.
What is the sweetest gift you ever got--from a child or an adult?
What a wonderful present! I've seen kids like that when I've volunteered at school. Often the ones that seem like the most anti-social ones will talk an arm off of you and be as kind as can be if you just pay them a little bit of attention. Merry Christmas, Teacher. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Sioux. This almost brought me to tears. What a sweet gift. And it shows what a wonderful teacher (and person, of course!) that you are. You gave your readers a gift by sharing this story with us. I won't forget it for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteWell Becky took the words right out of my mouth. I'm pretty sure you should write this one up to send some where for publication.
ReplyDeleteThe sweetest gift I ever got from a student was a card on graduation night from one of my at-risk students. She wrote that she would have dropped out her sophomore year if not for my class. That it kept her going, because she knew that every day, she could have 50 minutes where nobody bothered her, and somebody believed in her. It made me cry.
ReplyDeleteJanel--And you too--have a wonderful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteBecky--Thanks.
Lynn--Thanks. I'll think about that...
Val--You work with the kids who are at the end...of their rope...of the road. When you save a kid in high school, it's mighty powerful, I imagine. I would have blubbered like a baby.
Sioux, you have to stop making me cry this early in the morning. What a beautiful story which proves how important you are in that child's life. CS story, oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteYou made me cry. Thanks a bunch.
ReplyDeleteSweetest gift...hmm. My kids have given so many over the years it is hard to decide. I'll have to think about that one. (Thanks for giving me something wonderful to ponder.) :)
Sioux,
ReplyDeleteIt must be contagious. I'm tearing up here, too. What a sweet gift from your student. You must be a special teacher.
Donna
Linda--Perhaps you'll see this story again sometime (on a Wednesday night)...
ReplyDeleteLisa--I know what you mean. Having kids means you have a whole trunkful of memories of sweet gestures. And everything we experience is fodder for our writing.
Donna--Thanks, but it's more of making a connection. If you show you care, kids will accept the concern.
Mine was a case full of beauty supplies from three girlfriends of mine. It had everything in it, and I mean EVERYthing. And the case itself was red, my favorite color.
ReplyDelete