>You might be a teacher if your home has a few of these scattered about. They’re the cute little decorative things proclaiming that teachers are the salt of the earth, fabulous people, the greatest ever — all of which, of course, are true.
I won’t give you advice on how or where to pick out a holiday gift for a special teacher — the pretty Mir does that better. I’ll tell you, instead, a story of some of my favorite “teacher” gifts.

Ten years ago (was it really that long? Sheesh) the Green Bay Packers were on their way to the Super Bowl and I had one lone Dallas Cowboy fan in my 6th grade class. The other kids gave him a very hard time, but he took it with good humor. This student got me a Packer ornament for Christmas. Thoughtful? You bet.
I keep a popsicle-stick craft piece on my bookshelf. It’s cute and handmade, but it makes me smile because I remember the girl coming into the room that morning with her glue bottle still open, putting the last sticks in place. It was just like her homework; her intentions were good, but she was an endless procrastinator.
One Christmas the trendy items were blanket throws. They were inexpensive and came in a variety of colors and patterns. I received several, and each giver was creative. One came with a box of popcorn and a gift card for movie rentals. Another included a box of hot cocoa and and a cute holiday mug. Blanket throws — a person can never have too many, and the parents & kids who gave these put a lot of thought into their gift giving.
The bear says, “Teachers rule,” but maybe it’s more accurate to say that we do our best to measure up. I know that we’ll keep on doing what we can to make the world a brighter place. Thanks for the memories.