Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week With Online Resources

 This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and these sacrificial saints are worthy of honor and acknowledgement. Other than moms (and don’t forget yours this Sunday on Mother’s Day), who else works for such  a small pittance,  gets hardly a thank you for the direction they give, and finds joy doing what most people dread? This week let’s give praise where praise is due and show the teachers in our lives how much we care.

According to Edutopia, 40% of the teachers they polled said that a gift card would be the most appropriate gift. While Starbucks is a common choice, many said that they would like cards to book stores, restaurants, or spas. Consider having the class donate to this fund; parents don’t have to wrack their brains trying to figure out what to get and the teacher can purchase a gift she really wants. Plus, there are tons of great sites out there where you can buy a gift card online (such as Gift Card Mall or iCARDS) and either print it out or e-mail it to the recipient; you never even have to leave home!

Facebook is obviously a great way to connect with past and present friends. Why not look up a former teacher? Tell that special person how they impacted your life. Maybe they helped you overcome an obstacle or taught you a great life lesson. Teacher appreciation week doesn’t just have to be about current students thanking the teacher they have now.

Another way to show that special teacher in your life how much you care is to send an e-mail to the various parents of students in your child’s class. Create a list of classroom items that your teacher may need and each family can bring an item to the teacher (e-mail sign-ups can prevent overlap). Consider gifting crayons, pens, a CD player, some educational DVDs, books, stickers, or wall décor to your educator. Many teachers lack the tools they need to help their students learn and this is one way to make his or her job easier.  You could also raise money online by creating a webpage on Fundly. In a few minutes you could set up a donation site for families at your school and relatives to donate funds for your school or classroom… no selling cookie dough and no expensive wrapping paper catalogues!

Novelist and historian Henry Brooks Adams once said “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” With such an important and demanding role in our society, shouldn’t we take the time to show our appreciation to these everyday heroes?