How Will You Thank a Teacher This Year?

Teacher Appreciation Week is only two short weeks away (May 7 – 11), so I thought I’d give you some time to plan out how you will show the teachers in your life how much they mean to you. These visionaries touch the future everyday and deserve to be honored. As Alexander the Great once said, “I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”

Teaching has to be one of the hardest occupations in the world. As a former high school teacher myself, I realize that this job truly is one of high risk and high reward. The full classrooms, budget cuts, and variety of student and parent personalities can really take a toll, but eyes lit up with understanding, a simple “thank you,” and a legacy of promise certainly is a reward unto itself. More than just a job, teaching is a calling to touch the future and to better humanity. So how does one show appreciation to those so dedicated and self-sacrificing?

An apple motif is charming and traditional, but there are only so many name placards, paper weights, and #1 Teacher chotckies a desk can hold. However, the gifts that always meant the most to me is when a student would pick it out himself, not when mom shopped and wrapped it up perfectly. A card written with handwritten words of gratitude, a stuffed bear paid for by a hard earned allowance, or homemade cookies would have me smiling all day.

My sister is currently a sixth grade teacher at a private school and some of the parents there collect $5 from each student to purchase a gift certificate for coffee or to a favorite restaurant. For my nephew’s teacher, last year a group of us painted her classroom and made art for the walls with her theme of “the State of California.” Another favorite idea is when a few of the parents get together and make lunch for all of the teachers during a teacher work day and their kids serve the meal and clean up.

With school funding being so tight these days, I think another way to make sure that a teacher is appreciated is to ensure that he or she has all of the supplies they need for their classroom. An online fundraising page with Fundly can allow parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends to donate to the school fundraisers without having to purchase high-priced wrapping paper or calorie packed cookie dough through traditional fundraising. A well stocked library, efficient computers, art supplies and other educational resources make life much easier for any educator.

Not only do these ideas help the teachers, but it also instills an attitude of gratitude for the students who sit in the desks. So how will you thank a teacher this year?