Student's end-of-year gift left Penistone Grammar School teacher 'holding back tears'

A maths teacher said he had to "hold back tears" when a student gave him a jumper covered in quotes from his lessons that she had been writing down for nine months.

Jason Steele, who teaches at Penistone Grammar School, in South Yorkshire, was approached by the year 11 student, called Lisa, before his class began their GCSE exams.

She gave him a hooded top printed on the front with the words "Mr Steele once said...". The back was covered in phrases often heard inside his classroom, as well as inside jokes.

The quotes include "I printed in colour, don't tell anyone" and "Feel free to bring a magnifying glass so I can print smaller".

Others have a maths theme such as "Quadratics are like my face: symmetrical" and "If in doubt factorise it out".

Another reads: "You can ask me questions, I get paid to answer."

Mr Steele said when he opened the present he was "holding back the tears".

"It's really nice and thoughtful. I couldn't believe the thought that had gone into it," he said.

When he asked the student how she'd remembered all the quotes, she said that she had been writing them down since 12 September.

Mr Steele said she was "just a generally great student and one of many".

He said he had kept every single card of thanks he had received from students in a career spanning 12 years.

"I think for young people to say thank you to an adult it is quite difficult to articulate that for some people. Some may just mutter thanks or some may do what Lisa did in a different way," he added.

"I appreciate how difficult it is for some people and when it's shown it's just wonderful."

He said: "It just picks you up. There are very tough points to this job but when you get something with so much thought it really means the world."

Mr Steele's post about his gift on Twitter has since been viewed 1.2 million times and has gathered lots of reaction.

One headteacher said: "This is adorable! #teachergoals."

Another user said: "Wow, never underestimate the impact you have on these amazing young people."

Mr Steele said he had initially found the amount of attention online "a bit strange" but had forwarded some of the messages to Lisa, saying: "They're all about you and your thoughtfulness."

He added: "It blew up for whatever reason but there are hundreds of teachers up and down far more talented than me probably getting wonderful presents and thank yous from year 11s who have had a really tough past couple of years."

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