19 December 2023 , 09:58
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Many of us will remember giving our teacher a present at Christmas, and although it was tricky to decide what to get, you'd usually opt for some chocolates or a candle - but one teacher was shocked to receive an unusual homemade gift.
What Sianna Stodd thought was an innocent bar of soap, which she had been given as a present from one of her students, turned out to actually be made from bleach. As much as she stated she would never expect to be given a gift from a student, the primary school teacher was shocked to be given a bar of bleach.
The teacher recalled the moment she opened a bar of soap made from bleach (Supplied)
Sianna teaches seven and eight-year-olds (Supplied)The 31-year-old Year Three teacher, who teaches seven and eight-year-olds recalled the time she was given the unusual gift. "[It was] the last week of the autumn term, and parents were sending children in with Christmas cards and gift bags for myself and the teaching assistants.
"We received everything from handmade cards by the children, candles, chocolates, wine and then also an interesting bar of soap…The children were so excited to give us these gifts. They rushed in with pure enjoyment and wanted us to open them straight away.
"The child that gifted us the soap was so eager for us to open it there and then. As I unwrapped the Christmas paper it revealed a rectangular bar of soap that was white with bits in it. It smelt very strongly of bleach. When I asked the child what it was, he simply replied 'A bar of soap' And he looked so happy."
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However, it wasn't until she looked at it closer that she realised it had been handmade. As she thanked him and told him how thoughtful it was of him, Sianna then asked him how he'd made it, to which he innocently answered: "I used stuff from Mum's cleaning cupboard!"
The teacher realised it looked as if all of the ingredients had been frozen together and showed her colleagues, who told her not to use it on her skin as it was clear it wasn't safe. "Just to be clear, teachers do not expect Christmas presents from parents or children! And if they do, they're in the wrong profession! However, it is so kind and thoughtful of them to want to spend their money on their teachers!
"It's always the thought that counts! Me being so thankful for his homemade gift probably made him feel really good! And that's what matters, especially when it's not expected!" It's safe to say Sianna never used the soap, despite it looking a lot like a real bar of soap, and she is sure his parents weren't aware of the gift he'd made either.