Today I’m grateful for a sweet note and a Chipotle gift card.

11.21.2023

---

There was a ‘to Ms. W.’ envelope in one of my student’s homework folders today. When I opened it, I found a sweet note from this student’s family along with a Chipotle gift card.

I’m a big Chipotle fan, so I was certainly excited about the gift card. The best part of the gift, though, was the note inside the card. The sounds cliché, but it’s totally true.

My student’s mom had taken a few minutes to share with me in this note, a few of the ways that she’s seen her daughter blossom this year in school. She then thanked me for my part in this growth.

Instant tears. And not just the kind that well up in your eyes. I’m talking immediate waterworks, with tears flowing down my cheeks.

Teaching can feel like a pretty thankless job sometimes. I don’t think any teacher on the planet does this job for the kudos. And we definitely don’t expect random gift cards showing up in homework folders. But when we do get a token of heart-felt appreciation from a student or their family … holy cow, does it ever make a difference! A note like I received today is quite literally the fuel that keeps a tired teacher going. It’s the motivation to help me maintain my patience on a hard day.

To my friends who have kids in school, don’t ever underestimate the impact of a kind note to your child’s teacher.

I enjoyed a take-out dinner tonight, compliments of this family. I’m definitely thankful for that. But the 4 sentences written in the notecard … they filled me up more than any Chipotle burrito bowl ever could. Those words will feed me over and over and over again. And that is the true gift.