I was shocked my class could keep this a secret! One of the parents--a kindergarten teacher--met with my students while they ate lunch. She painted their hands and had them make their square and write their name. No one mentioned anything about it! :D I could have stopped in to chat with someone! :lol:

To explain the middle: I write a full 1-2 page letter for parents every Friday called "The Weekly Word." The last line is always "Thank you for these kids!." So--look what the mom put on the quilt.... :-D

This was not all they gave me! There was also a gift card to Tractor Supply for $50 and many other gifts from individuals. They spoiled me terribly.

(I know why I forgot--Buddy had just arrived and had his accident a few days after school was out. I never remembered to share this until now.)

Awwww, that is so cute!!! Those kids must love you!
Congratulations on the goodies! :D

Wow, that was really sweet! Of the kids AND the mom/teacher!!!

That is the best gift!!!!

That such a special gift!! 8-) One year students in my Service Projects class surprised me with a quilt. They wrote messages on it, and as I started to read them, I couldn't stop crying. To this day I have yet to be able to read them all without breaking out in tears! :cry: They were so happy that they had pulled one over on me. They kept saying, "You always know what we're doing, but this time we got you!!!" :lol: I absolutely cherish that quilt!!!

That is truly beautiful!

What a sweet quilt and what a loving think to do. I know you'll treasure that always.

Wow! What a great surprise! That is what you get for being so special! LOL Enjoy it!

That is so special. What a great idea. I know you are proud.

What a nice thing for them to do.

What a wonderful surprise. Our kids are so creative and so good at keeping secrets. Hanging it up and remember you are loved by all! Give Buddy a hug from all of us. He is growing so fast and looking so much better~!

That was the best thank you you could get. :)

What a great gift! thanks for sharing with us

Such a warm surprise. The parent is someone special. No wonder the kids were a joy.

Oh how wonderful!!! You sure are loved by them!

What a special quilt. DOn't guess that one is gooing on a picnic or cuddled under. Too precious.

That was so sweet of them!!

Truly a lasting memory :mrgreen: As a teacher You have touched so many lives ... and now they will touch you forever :thumbup:

What a wonderful gift and remembrance of your class!!! That was a terrific thing that mom did with the kids!!!!

That is such a treasure. Remember these kids and when they are seniors let them see their tiny hands.

Well--the kids were all a joy (most of the time), but boy was it a rough year with parents. It was only 3 sets of parents out of 24 and one finished with a nasty email after the school year had ended. The admin said to consider the source and to not reply because it'd never make a difference--it'd only make things worse.

I'm about ready to start another year; I don't feel ready, I feel gun shy. Thank goodness we have a very supportive administration or things could have been so much more difficult. Sigh... it always bugs me that so few can cause such havoc in my heart. The mom who organized this quilt is amazing!!!! :-D

I encourage my students to not spend one penny on me--that I have all I'll ever need. I suggest a gift of writing would be perfect. :wink: I received many of those (they always include a gift anyway :roll:) so need to go back and read them this week.

I'm wondering if, since these are 11 year olds at this point--if their hands are almost as big as they're going to get? Some of them have feet bigger than me! :lol:

Aww, Karla, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more! I'm glad that your kids AND parents appreciate what a truly wonderful teacher and person you are!

What a wonderful surprise!
I know what you mean about some parents sometimes. It's happened to me, too. A supportive administration makes all of the difference. All I can saw about one toxic parent is that I really feel sorry for the spouse...that person has it much worse than I did in the relatively short time I had to deal with the person. And...I don't think I'll get any siblings from that family! :)

The best thank you ever!!! A wonderful memory quilt.

Oh gosh--exactly!! All year I just shook my head at what her husband has to deal with!! He's a nice guy! And--in her last email she assured me I'll never have the last one of their kids. (I would have requested I don't have him.)The admin said--"see--there's the good news--you don't have to have the last one!" :lol: I guess there's LOTS of trouble with that one already--and he just finished 3rd. Oh boy!

I agree, don't let the few spoiled parents get under your skin. You had all the other parents that loved you and respected you. In fact, both of my kids had the same 1st grade teacher and I still keep in contact with her and so do my kids. My kids are now 20 & 19 and I consider that teacher a very good friend of our family.

You know what they say: There is always 1 in the bunch.

One of the perks to this job is making new friends. :-D One of my best friends is a mom of a former student. And this summer I watched two former students from this year ride their horses in some shows close by--and I've gotten close with their moms too. A student I have this year--her mom and I got close when I had her sister two years ago. They came out a lot ot see the horses. And two other parents I felt close to--I had their oldest boys two years ago and I'll have their little sisters next year. :wink:

Truly wonderful. You'll love the memories.

Cute idea!

What a wonderful gift. You must be a great teacher to touch their hearts like this.

What a great gift! It must of been hard for them to keep it a secret!

What a wonderful surprise for you to keep, great class....

What a treasure you received from your class. I'm sure this quilt will be near and dear to you for many years to come.

Karla, I missed this until now...what a great surprize from "those" kids and that great Mom! I know how much you will always treasure it...it is something really special and says alot about your bond with the kids. This should speak to you much louder than the toxic Mom. I know that difficult parents can put a damper on things, but do just "consider the source" and forget about her. Look at how much you are really appreciated...WOW!!

Thanks, sandpat. "Toxic mom" I like that description. :-D It's so true, too because they do poison the sense of happiness.

I'm still trying to figure out where to put this cute little quilt. I'd love to hang in on a wall in the classroom... but not quite sure how that'd work.

Back to school soon--the 7th. I'm not ready! I want to keep playing with horses and Buddy! I'm not getting much quilting in at all--just too nice out to sit inside.

There will be plenty of time to spend indoors soon...I'd enjoy the nice weather while I could if I were you!

I'm sure you'll find just the perfect special spot for that quilt in time...somewhere will call out to you...."Hand it here!! Hang it here!!!!" :lol::lol:

How nice. That is something you will treasure always

Thanks for sharing the beautiful gift with us. It's amazing you know...but I still remember the teachers that "made a difference" in my life. You have a great gift, so don't let the difficult ones diminish your spirit.

How cute! Sounds like they love you, too! :D