My 7th graders presented me with a pre-loved pinkish gray jumper in Science today. Apparently they got it at a market over the weekend and thought I’d appreciate it. Below is the poem this gesture inspired.

Thanks for the jumper, it was quite fun.
But buying clothes for teachers is simply not done.
Sadly said jumper was not a hit,
It was too small and did not quite fit.

I wonder if you bought it in jest?
Was it revenge for that super-hard test?
Perhaps you chose it with thought and great care,
Or was it simply done on a dare?

Gifts can be a tough thing to choose,
If you stick with chocolate you really can’t lose.
Thank you for trying, the gesture was sweet,
Its something that would be quite hard to beat.

At the end of the day it did make me smile,
So in a way it was all worth while.

Today’s Gratitude Item: Our dean once again pulled out all the stops when she supplied us with breakfast at our morning meeting. No other dean in my career has ever done this and it makes a big difference. I certainly felt both satisfied and appreciated.