School teacher crochets miniature versions of her pupils as end of year gift
A primary school teacher has crocheted miniature versions of all her pupils to create personalised gifts for each child individually as the school year came to an end.
Sara Shabir, who teaches at Tyndale Community School in Oxford, embarked on this heartfelt project in May, finishing just in time to present the tiny lookalikes to her third-grade class as the term concluded.
Each of the 30 dolls took approximately eight hours to complete, amounting to a total of 240 hours of work.
The 32-year-old teacher took up crocheting during the Covid-19 lockdown and, as the school year drew to a close, she felt such a deep affection for her pupils that she wanted to give them something truly special to remember their time together.
“I feel a massive sense of accomplishment in completing this project—and the joy the children showed when they saw them was worth everything,” she shared on Instagram.
A parent of one of the students, Joanna Borysiak, shared a photo of the dolls on X, where it quickly went viral.
She described her daughter’s teacher as ‘the absolute GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time).
“She single-handedly crocheted a mini-me of each kid in her class… Even the hairstyles and clothes are spot on. What a legend.”
Other parents reacted on Instagram:
@ninaoheather: OMG SARA THIS IS TOO PRECIOUS🥹 You did so well!!
The world really needs more educators like you. I have no doubt that your clear passion for teaching will inspire so many children to do for others, what you do for them. You’re the teacher they’ll remember most fondly as they grow up💝
@preciousltlesls, as a stranger from the USA came across this on your instagram and was so touched by what you did for your students.
What a special and devoted teacher you are!! If only there were more people that are so caring it would make our world a much better place!!❤️❤️❤️
The teacher said that it was challenging to match the right skin tones, hair colours, and styles for each child. She considered each detail and even created a spreadsheet to track the colours she used for every doll, ticking them off as she completed them.
Before presenting the crochet dolls to the children, she showed them a photograph and asked them to guess which doll represented which classmate.
IOL Lifestyle