It must be difficult to be a teacher, particularly a first grade teacher.

Not only do you have to corral 30 or so youngsters daily who aren’t your own, but you have to make them learn at the same time.

Teachers spend almost a year with these young, vulnerable souls, and one would imagine getting attached to them is pretty easy to do.

Teachers at Sherman Avenue Elementary School on Tuesday showed their appreciation to their students by giving all 139 of them a scooter for Christmas.

Imagine the surprise and delight as these youngsters first saw their unexpected Christmas gifts.

First grade teacher Woodrow Price organized the scooter give away almost a year ago. He teamed up with other first-grade teachers and began a project to raise funds to pay for the scooters.

“If it weren’t for these students, I wouldn’t have a job,” Price said.

He chose to give the first graders a scooter because he said that’s the most common thing he saw on their letters to Santa.

People responded quickly to the request for donations.

“We got responses from all over Mississippi and from other states,” Price said. “One person in Ohio donated a scooter. A lady in Dallas donated five.”

In fact, the fundraiser was so successful, Price and his group of teachers managed to purchase 200 scooters. Those additional scooters will go to children who need it in other grades at the school.

Price and the other teachers had an ulterior motive in gifting the scooters to the children.

“I want to get them away from playing computer and video games and get them outside doing activities in the fresh air,” he said.

Kudos to Price and the other first grade teachers at Sherman Avenue who are going the extra mile to teach and take care of their students.

The lesson you have just taught your students through your kindness may be the most important one they ever learn.