A third-grade teacher received a gift on the last day of school before Christmas break from one of her students who had “nothing to give.” It stood out to her so much that she decided to share the story to social media to encourage others to keep life in perspective and be grateful.
Rachel Uretsky-Pratt from Washington said that on the last day of school it is common for teachers to bring their students some small gifts. She also said teachers occasionally receive presents from their students.
The post featured an image of a small bag filled with colorful marshmallows.
“You see, 100 percent of my school is on free/reduced lunch. They also get free breakfast at school every day of the school week,” she explained. “This kiddo wanted to get me something so badly, but had nothing to give.”
“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,” she added.
The touching story went viral with more than 119,000 shares and 353,000 likes since Dec. 19.
Comments flooded in praising the young student and her adorable gesture, with many describing the gesture as touching, sweet, special, and precious.
Teachers who saw Uretsky-Pratt’s touching story also shared their own experiences.
Another teacher shared her experiences teaching in a school that also provides free lunch.
Christmas is a time of giving—and while the young student had almost nothing to give, it did not stop her from doing what she could.