My first thank you teacher gift

I was cleaning up my things when i came across this picture:

It was my uni picture and also the picture my first class of students put up to say thank you and goodbye. I started my career in a secondary school. It was a very short career before I left, however, the students were a group of 14 year olds whom I was warned to thread carefully around.

As I entered the class, packed with 48 students on a very hot afternoon, the air was filled with the smell of teenagers sweating. I'm not going to go into details as I would love for you to continue reading. As I laid down my classroom rules, the test started.

The test was the test of my sense of humour. They asked:
Why would a car made out of wood not move?

My answer: Because it wooden move

The class erupted in laughter.

Image taken from https://goo.gl/images/CKJcci

I've passed, but respect had to be earned. The thing about dealing with teenagers I've learnt is that patience has always been key. There were many tests along my teaching career, I was challenged in class in front of everyone, I was threatened with a broken soda bottle. However, as these are all done by only one or two individuals, the whole class is watching.

As much as I wanted to yell and to give them a piece of my mind. I chose to sit down and hear them out and that helped me earned their respect. I've heard of those who were abused, those who did not have enough and those that came from broken families.

Image taken from https://goo.gl/images/5gvXfk

At the end of the day, they made a card for me with the aforementioned picture for me. The card is gone , but the picture remained. What's so special about it was that it took the class days to find that picture of me on the internet. They went through Google, Instagram and Facebook just to find that picture of me to thank me for a great semester. The one who challenged me in class asked if I could stay longer and the one who challenged me with a broken soda bottle promised to make better decisions in life.

There are times when I get demotivated after a bad class or after a bad day at school. But looking at the picture reminds me of my first group of students and that the best gifts sometimes come from their heart. It reminds me that if you can touch a student's life enough, they will do anything for you.

It reminds me that I cannot give up no matter how hard things get.

I hope this was inspirational to you, may your days as a teacher be blessed with the love and adoration of all those whose lives you've impacted.