Kind Teacher Gives Students Stockings Filled With Goodies After Learning Many Of Her Kids Have Never Had One Before
She rekindled her favorite holiday tradition for her students.
@mrsarensberg4th / TikTok Growing up, the holidays are extra special. No matter what you celebrate, the cheerful and joyful vibes of this time of year make for an unforgettable few months. This is especially true for kids.
Casey Arensberg, a teacher of young children, shared the joys of her classroom during the holiday months on her TikTok platform and she went the extra mile to make sure all her students felt special.
The teacher goes above and beyond to ensure all of her students get to enjoy the holidays.
Although she knows not every student in her classroom celebrates Christmas, she still made their learning space inclusively festive. “I teach in a public school,” she shared, “so I decorate my classroom in a coffee shop theme. We have hot chocolate, share lunches together … it’s very relaxing and warm.”
When her students arrived the day after her decorations went up, she couldn’t help but get emotional. “I want you to imagine the most pure joy that you can imagine in a child,” she said. “They are so happy.”
While it takes a lot of extra effort and time, Miss Arensberg said “It’s all worth it in the end.”
She started a new tradition this year, teaming up with special education teachers to give each student a 'buddy' to celebrate with.
“This is a tradition that I will never skip again,” Miss Arensberg admitted about her classroom holiday activities. Her students had been reading ‘Out Of My Mind’ by Sharon M. Draper — a novel that focuses on teaching students about differently-abled individuals — so, she decided to reach out to their school’s special education teachers and invite the students in their classroom to join her annual holiday party.
“They brought their students up. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, “each one of their students had buddies from our class. We did an art activity, we had a dance party … it was wonderful.”
With the help of follower donations, this teacher also surprised her students with gifts from their ‘wish lists.’
Something that not many teachers could do, Miss Arensberg was lucky enough to share gifts with her students. In addition to chapter books, each student got something off of the ‘wish list’ they shared in class.
After posting about her student’s wish lists, she received hundreds of donations from her TikTok followers. “Please know that if you helped fulfill those wishes, they are so grateful,” she said. “A couple of them even got emotional.”
Especially for students who find safety in the classroom, these gifts made their whole year. It gave them a chance to feel loved, appreciated, and simply acknowledged during the holiday season when they might have missed out on it at home.
With the help of a sweet young boy, this teacher also surprised her class with stockings, a tradition that many of her students never experienced.
After learning that several students in her classroom had never received a stocking during the holiday season, she took it upon herself to rekindle the tradition she cherished as a child. Not only did she get and fill stockings for these students, but she also included a special treat from a cherished viewer.
Eli, a young fan of Miss Arensberg’s TikToks, made a gracious gesture to her and her classroom. After watching several videos from last Christmas with his mom, he wanted to share his own special treat with her kids.
Raising donations from his community, he was able to purchase enough gift cards for each of the students in her classroom to get a special treat that he enjoyed during the holidays — a McDonald's Happy Meal.
“He wanted to make sure that all of you were able to go home with a McDonald's gift card,” the teacher shared with her class, “enough to get you and a sibling a Happy Meal while you’re on Christmas vacation.”
The reality is that teachers like this can change students’ lives.
While Miss Arensberg was equipped with the privilege of money and donations from viewers, other teachers’ empathy during this time can be enough to make a difference. With too many kids missing out on the holidays, whether due to financial burdens or a lack of family community, the love and cheer they receive from school is what makes this time of year so wonderful.
It’s not just giving them temporary joy, but sparking a sense of community and empathy in these young students that will stay with them forever. In 10 years they’ll look back on cherished moments like these and feel a sense of comforting love.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.