Another “gift from the heart” post

I’m a New York City public school teacher and many of my students are immigrants or come from low-income families. <br><br>I love them all to death, but I see so many posts about students making teachers candles and mugs, blankets, etc. And I’m sitting over here like, they’re amazing, I love them, they could give me a rock and make a nice drawing and say it’s a gift, and in that moment, I’d feel so appreciated and loved, right? <br><br>Well, one of my sweethearts who had been struggling his first term, handed out bags and bags of candies, cookies, and snacks to the whole class, he even included my paraprofessional. He bought them himself with money he earned for his report card grades. And to top it all off, he wrote this sweet card about how I made him feel seen and supported. I’m sharing a photo of it because he also drew me a picture of himself making yummy food.<br><br>There are many struggles being a teacher, and we don’t get paid enough (not that I’m complaining, it’s my choice) but it’s these precious moments that I’d put value over money. This child wasn’t alone. I have over 100 students and many of them have done similar acts of kindness and it’s something that money can’t buy.<br><br>Edit: I love you all so much, thank you so much for the kind comments. I’ve been teaching for almost 15 years, but this was my first time teaching first-grade. I also work in a school with mostly English as a second language students and students with special needs. I’m a special education teacher by training. Many of my students are also English language learners. It’s very rewarding and last year I was matched with an amazing group of students and parents.