Did you know that last year Australians spent over $520 million on unwanted gifts? CARE Australia’s Online Ambassador Claire Hewitt is on a mission to change this. And she’s doing it one “teacher gift” at a time.
By CARE Online Ambassador Claire Hewitt
During her first year of school I noticed Arabella’s teacher receiving lots of gifts from students as the year was about to end. Gorgeous gifts, some handmade, many mugs filled with chocolates, lots of candles, hand creams, lotions and potions and the odd movie ticket.
I did something different and purchased a charity gift. I bought something to do with clean water and got a card that said something like: “I was going to buy you a drink, but instead I bought thousands and thousands of them.”
I got the six year old Arabella to write in the card and she wrote:
Dear Teacher,
My Mum thinks this is a good present. I think it’s the worst present ever. Sorry.
Merry Christmas.
Love Arabella.
It was one of the most embarrassing days of her life when she had to give that card over.
Her teacher loved it, because let’s be real, there were 20 kids in the class, and Ms Teacher had been teaching for 20+ years. That’s a collection of more than 400 cups, candles, hand creams, chocolates, handmade cards etc. I know every teacher is grateful, they work so hard and expect so little in return and it’s wonderful to give them something.
And yes, your kids cute little drawing is so sweet in that CR frame, but remember that your prep/foundation teacher sees these pictures every single day for the whole year, they certainly don’t want one at home.
Teachers care a whole lot about the power of education. They know that by the simple act of teaching anyone (no matter their age) to read, you are changing the future for an unknown number of people.
Which is why again this year, my kids will get to write in a card for their teachers, and at the same time be giving something to another kid around the world who deserves the same chance as them to learn to read.
We’ll be buying each teacher this for $10.
I won’t even have to pray for a car park to go and buy it. At that price I can probably even attach it to what every teacher really really needs…hand sanitiser, because little kids like to spread their snotty germs around and no teacher has time for that.
Get this one and you’ll still be changing the world!
For us, Christmas is a time to say thank you, to remind people that we appreciate them and what they do. It’s also a time to spread the love, to spread the cheer and to aim for miracles that children around the world can all have a safe life, with access to education.
Every bit helps, so if it’s not for a teacher, your KK gift will do – 50 bars of soap – would be unreal.
This blog first appeared on http://claireyhewitt.blogspot.com.au/. You can check out the full range of life-changing CAREgifts here.
