Amistad Elementary School in the Kennewick School District of Washington certainly has some thoughtful students and teachers. In fact, a sweet gift Christmas gift from one student went viral in 2018.

The recipient was Rachel Uretsky-Pratt. And while she’s taken down the viral post, it lives on thanks to Facebook and the way the story touched the hearts of everyone reading it.

Holiday traditions

While it’s never necessary, students often try to bring their teachers small tokens of appreciation around the winter holidays.

But that tradition can be tough on kids whose families don’t have the kind of income to pay for extra gifts – especially if they’re only going to add to the pile of trinkets and chocolates that someone is already getting plenty of. Of course, that can be disappointing if a child has a favorite teacher that they want to thank.

Uretsky-Pratt shared one particularly thoughtful alternative. She began her post by saying:

“With it being the day before break and Christmas right around the corner, most teachers bring their kiddos something such as books or little treats and occasionally in return receive something from their students…”

These gifts are particularly meaningful to her because she knows how many families of the students at her school struggle financially. All students get a free breakfast at school and 100% of her kids are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. So when a student gave up the best part of their morning treat, it really touched her heart.

The gift that stood out

Uretsky-Pratt continued:

“Today I received some chocolates, sweet handmade notes, some jewelry, but these Lucky Charm marshmallows stood out to me the most.”

Why Lucky Charms, you might wonder? Well, it’s because the student had nothing else to give. Unable to afford a gift, they proved it’s the thought that counts by picking all of the treasured marshmallow pieces out of their breakfast cereal and wrapped them in the plastic packaging that came with their plastic utensils.

“This kiddo wanted to get me something so badly, but had nothing to give,” Uretsky-Pratt wrote. “So rather than give me nothing, this student opened up her free breakfast cereal this morning, took the packaging of her spork, straw, and napkin, and finally took the time to take every marshmallow out of her cereal to put in a bag—for me.”

Big gestures

Uretsky-Pratt was in just her second year of teaching at the time and she was both touched by the gesture and stunned at how quickly the photo and story went viral.

In an interview with The Washington Post, she said:

“All my kiddos are super sweet and giving. Kids are naturally kind and loving. The world kind of hardens us sometimes.”

It’s clear that this is a teacher who loves her job. In a local news piece highlighting her devotion to teaching during her very first week on the job back in 2017, she talked about the kind of atmosphere she tries to create in her classroom.

“I really emphasize that we’re a classroom family so that they know they can turn to somebody if they need help because not all these kids have that at home. So to have that here and have that every day for 180 days really makes a difference in their lives.”

But the looks of it, it appears things are working just as she had planned.

She ended her Facebook post with a reminder:

“Be grateful for what you have, and what others give you. It all truly comes from the deepest parts of their hearts.”

Be sure to scroll down below to see a re-share of the original post that also went viral.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Washington Post, Facebook – Mary Katherine Backstrom, The Daily Mail, YaktriNews.com