Teacher appreciation is this week.
I thought I would take a minute to help parents think about what to do for their child's teacher(s). As a teacher, I am concerned about my last sentence, because the appreciation should come from the child. I'm sure a lot of teachers prefer the gift cards to local restaurants, the office supplies, and the food trays placed in the workrooms (for those of us getting ready for summer, this last item can be a bit stressful...please add fruit to the donuts, etc.!) As for myself, and a few collegues, the preference would be for each child in my classroom to make a card or craft. We have, as a society, forgotten the value of gift giving, in the sense that "it" should come from the heart, not the wallet. I appreciate the parent who teaches this to their child, and the smile on the face of every child who gives me a gift that they have made themselves is truly precious.
As the parent of an older child, I understand that it is "not cool" to give teachers gifts, and there are several teachers to appreciate at the middle schools and high schools. We came up with "Teacher Survival Kits"; my son made, via the computer, stickers that showed a red cross to stick onto a small gift bag. Inside each little gift bag were small packs of gum and mints (since teachers have such short lunch periods, a way to freshen your breath is nice), aspirin (self explanatory
), good writing pens, etc. None of these items cost too much, so the whole gift (s) was well within his budget, something that wasn't too fru-fru, as well as appreciated by his teachers.
Just some ideas...
I thought I would take a minute to help parents think about what to do for their child's teacher(s). As a teacher, I am concerned about my last sentence, because the appreciation should come from the child. I'm sure a lot of teachers prefer the gift cards to local restaurants, the office supplies, and the food trays placed in the workrooms (for those of us getting ready for summer, this last item can be a bit stressful...please add fruit to the donuts, etc.!) As for myself, and a few collegues, the preference would be for each child in my classroom to make a card or craft. We have, as a society, forgotten the value of gift giving, in the sense that "it" should come from the heart, not the wallet. I appreciate the parent who teaches this to their child, and the smile on the face of every child who gives me a gift that they have made themselves is truly precious.
As the parent of an older child, I understand that it is "not cool" to give teachers gifts, and there are several teachers to appreciate at the middle schools and high schools. We came up with "Teacher Survival Kits"; my son made, via the computer, stickers that showed a red cross to stick onto a small gift bag. Inside each little gift bag were small packs of gum and mints (since teachers have such short lunch periods, a way to freshen your breath is nice), aspirin (self explanatory
), good writing pens, etc. None of these items cost too much, so the whole gift (s) was well within his budget, something that wasn't too fru-fru, as well as appreciated by his teachers.Just some ideas...
