A 9-Year-Old Boy Gave His Teacher a $15 Bonus to Show His Appreciation For All She Does

Almost any educator can tell you that school teachers deserve to be paid more, and 9-year-old Parker Williams agrees. In fact, he agrees so much that he decided to give his third-grade teacher Mrs. Mary Hall Chambers a heartfelt note and a $15 bonus — straight from his own birthday money — to show his appreciation for all she does, according to CBS. "Dear Mrs. Chambers, I don't think that teachers get paid enough for what they do so will you except [sic] this gift ?" Parker wrote.

The teacher couldn't believe that Parker had given her such a heartwarming gift. "When I looked at the note I said, 'Oh my gosh, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen,'" Mary told Good Morning America. While she appreciated Parker's gesture, Mary returned his gift and wrote him an equally sweet note in return. "I can't accept this, but appreciate the gesture, Parker," she wrote. "Students like you are the reason I teach."

Parker's mom Jen Williams said she and her husband had no idea that their little boy was planning to give his teacher such a sweet gift. "Tears sprung out of eyes and we said, 'Parker, what is this?'" Jen said. "[Parker] said, 'I love Mrs. Chambers, and I wanted to give back. Teachers don't get paid enough.'"

Parker's mom continued on to say that that Mrs. Chambers has been a huge help to their son, and her dedication to her students deserves to be acknowledged. "Mrs. Chambers is emailing us many evenings giving us ways Parker can improve, and things he's done well," Jen said. "It's becoming more of a 24/7 type job, but [teachers are] getting paid on the lower end of the pay scale. They are not rewarded entirely for the amount they're helping develop the next generation of children becoming adults."

Parker and his two older brothers are also the founders of the Young Philanthropist Society, an organization that volunteers and performs helpful deeds for the surrounding community. "We try to teach the importance of paying it forward — understanding that if you are blessed with resources, one of the best things you can do is share them," Jen said. "Seeing him living in that way makes us incredibly proud as parents."