appreciated

last week was teacher appreciation. i've heard rumors about the gifts some teachers get during this week... gift cards to their favorite clothing stores, certificates to restaurants, expensive soaps and lotions. i wouldn't know. teaching at a low-income school does not produce such gifts. we get something even better.


such as bars of soap....

and dirty, hair-covered, stuffed animals...

i can just see "J" remembering it's teacher appreciation week and searching his house for a proper gift. {he gave me a dirty stuffed zebra for christmas.} i would love to know his thoughts when he saw that bar of irish spring and knew it was the right gift for me. maybe that "shower everyday with soap" lesson actually stuck with him. {at least something did}

and poor "S". she's as dirty as the scorpion she gave me. maybe smellier though. this year she has pushed my already low patience to the brinks of losing all control. {i've had to take lots of deep breaths} but she gave me her scorpion. even if it was covered in pet hair... she was thinking of her teacher and that was nice. it made me want to be a little kinder and a lot more patient with her.