This year has spawned a strange new trend among my students: they keep giving me stuff.  

Weird stuff.  

In previous years, students have given me some extremely thoughtful gifts, and they would present me with drawings and sketches out the wazoo.   This year, they keep surprising me with random objects.  

A few weeks ago a student walked into my room and handed me a necklace.  Thinking she had found it misplaced somewhere, I told her thank you for picking it up and that I would bring it to the lost and found.  "No, miss, it's for you."  She then went on to let me know that she got it for me, but she was super shady about it and I was never convinced she didn't find it lying around somewhere.  

Today I experienced something similar.  During class, a student raised her hand for me to call on her.  I need to make a point to state that this was not at the beginning or end of class, or even during a transition time when it would make sense to engage in casual conversation with the teacher.  This was in the middle of a lesson.  As in, "Alright, so you guys got it!  You know how to multiply fractions!  Are there any questions?"  She raised her hand, and I called on her. 

"Do you like tangerines?" 

"Uhhhh, yeah?"

She then pulled this out of her purse and handed it to me.

"Thank...? you...?  Did you just find this in your purse?" 

"No.  I just wanted to make sure you liked them first." 

"Alright.  Thanks." 

I just shrugged, placed it on my desk, and returned to the lesson.  You can't tell from the picture, unless you're aware of my freakishly tiny hands, but this thing is the size of a golf ball.  Maybe.  In true CSI fashion, I took a picture of it next to a pen so you can get a better idea:

Tiny.  

Made me laugh all day.