the simplicity of a gift

Yesterday one of my little girls came in and handed me something wrapped in newspaper and said, "Miss Mullen, I brought this for you to remember me by". I opened it up and found this: It's beautiful. I love it. She said it's a cat- the ears are made out of little leather triangles. The whole thing is made of plaster, painted and glazed. She said that she made it in art class last year. This meant so much to me. Last night I was watching an educational video about teaching with my uncle, (yes, on a Friday night)....and the guy (Harry Wong- excellent educational speaker and author) said something about how children love their teachers. "Giving gifts to their teachers is a child's way of telling them that they love them; that they think they are a great teacher and appreciate what they do for them". I nearly teared up as I realized that I'm touching lives. I'm making a difference in these kids; they're understanding how much I care for them and are, in return, showing me that they love me. This cat took her a long time to create. She carefully formed and painted the whole thing by herself and wanted me to have it. I could never explain how much this meant to me.

Another example of why I was created to be a teacher. I love my job.