Don't get me wrong. I love me a Dunkin Donuts gift card and appreciate the sentiment behind it. I love all the gifts I get from students and parents and enjoy the recognition and appreciation they represent. My students and parents were generous this year to the point I'll be treated at D & D's for most of the summer. But it was the gifts that can't be measured through monetary value that left a lasting impression on me and pointed to the ultimate impact that we, as educators, have on our students.
One gift came in the form of a white-lined sheet of paper. This young lady wrote me a two page handwritten note expressing her gratitude. She remembered three years earlier when I said my favorite gift was a note from a student. After working with me the past two years as a member of my leadership group, she waited to the last day of school to hand me this note. It was so well-written and heartfelt that it nearly moved me to tears (I'm not much of a crier). The fact that this young lady remembered my words from three years earlier left a lasting impact on me that my words carry a powerful weight with my students, and I must continue to choose them wisely.
Another one of my leadership students wrote me a note in a hand picked card detailing all of the ways I had influenced his life. The thought and emotion that went into the card verified every reason why I work in education. He spoke of the opportunities that he had been given to lead and the choices that he had to make along the way that have "helped turn him into the person he is today." This reminded me that I must continue to give students opportunities to lead and grow through their choices. They need to learn to not only fall down at times, but learn from it and get back after it.
The most creative gift of the day went to a young lady who made me my own picture book. She wrote and illustrated a book that detailed her experience in my class. I couldn't believe the time, effort and thought that went into the creation of this unforgettable gift. She titled it "The Adventures of Mr. Pardalis and Rebekah." She told the story of her year complete with dialogue, nicknames and a theme. She reminded me that when we allow students to create and think outside the box, there is no limit to what our students can accomplish.
Sometimes we get caught up in the negativity that surrounds our profession. Test scores, new initiatives, outsiders questioning the educational system. But these thoughtful gestures by kids give me the reminder of what this job is really all about. The gift of meaningful relationships where I can truly make an everlasting difference in students' lives keeps me coming back energized year after year. The gift of knowing that what I do matters in the eyes of the kids that walk through my door motivates me more than any evaluation score ever will. A simple note is the gift that drives me to make a difference in the next student's life. These youngsters don't know how thankful I am for the gifts they gave me.
