National Teacher Appreciation week is the first full week in May. National Teacher Day is May 6, 2008.
Here are some ideas that can be done for the entire teaching staff at school.
Place a large poster in the Teacher’s lounge that says, “We think you are ’souper’!” and serve a soup lunch. We do this for our teachers on a day that there are no classes but they are required to be at school— like for parent teacher conferences or an in-service day. We place little notes in the box ahead of time inviting them to the special lunch. Parents are asked to send a crock pot of soup so the cost for this is very little.
Late fall or winter place a basket of hot cocoa mixes, instant flavored coffees and spiced cider packets in a basket with a sign that says, “You warm our hearts!”
You can ask parents to donate homemade breakfast goodies and invite the teachers to “A breakfast of champions!”
Supply the teacher’s lounge with cupcakes decorated with lots of pretty frosting and post a sign that says, “Our teachers are the icing on the cake!” or make cakes and have the sign read, “Our teachers take the cake!”
Place a pack of gum in each teacher’s mailbox and say, “You’ve chewed through 1/2 the year. Keep up the good work.”
Place a Power bar in each teacher’s mailbox and a note saying, “We hope this energizes your day.”
Place some store bought tins of flavored popcorn, homemade caramel corn, or packages of microwave popcorn in the teacher’s lounge with a note that says, “Have a popin good day!”
Have the student council or a group of parents wash the teacher’s cars or only car windows. A few days before let teachers know you are planning to do this by putting a note in their mailbox that says, “Thanks for making everything ‘clear’ We are treating you to a free car wash!
Make a sign that says, “Our teachers are the sweetest.” Have parents bring in sweet treats or provide a chocolate fountain and fresh fruit.
Hire a few massage therapists that will come to the teachers lounge and do chair massages. Usually massage students are willing to do this for a reasonable rate. Let teachers know about this special treat by sending them a note that says, “You deserve a pat on the back!”
During parent teacher conferences we put boxes of of conversation hearts in each teacher’s mailbox. We included a note that said, “Hoping your ‘heart to heart’ conversations are sweet!”
Conversation hearts or any other heart candy could be placed in the teacher’s mailboxes with notes saying, “Thanks for putting your heart into teaching.”
At Easter put candy filled plastic eggs in the teacher’s mailboxes with a note telling them they are ‘Eggstra’ special teachers.
Put a lottery ticket in each teacher’s mailbox with a note saying, “We are lucky to have such great teachers!”
Other ideas can be found here
March 28, 2008 at 10:20 am |
I think these are great ideas, Cindy…! Although I have to admit, I saw your post and thought, OH NO! I missed it! It’s in May, right? There is still time…
March 28, 2008 at 9:00 pm |
Wow! I wish I worked at your school! As a teacher, I would love any or all of these. Nice!! Just the thing to keep a teacher going.
J
March 29, 2008 at 4:47 pm |
Awesome ideas! Really something to think about!
March 30, 2008 at 3:01 pm |
Great ideas!! Very practical and so NOT fill-up-their-house-with-more-stuff!!
March 31, 2008 at 4:12 am |
I wish we had more parents who think like you! Thank you for posting this!
April 5, 2008 at 10:28 am |
what great ideas!
April 15, 2008 at 8:21 am |
Thanks for all the ideas. My daughter’s daycare is celebrating teacher apreciation this week. I am using your lottery ticket idea – I found 100 grand candy bars and will be attaching them to the lottery ticket and writing the note saying ” I was lucky to have you for a teacher this year!” I also wanted to share the other thing I did as well. Each of the rooms at my daughter’s daycare is named for a flower. My daughter’s preschool room is Zinnia, so I bought packets of Zinnia seeds and then cut construction paper handprints out and attached those to the seed packet and popsicle stick and wrote: “Thank you for helping me grow this year.”
May 2, 2008 at 8:14 am |
AWSOME Ideas!!! Thank you