- Teacher Appreciation Ideas
Copyright 2004 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/
As the years go by, it seems
to become more and common for parents to be expected to give
gifts to their children's teachers at school.
For many families, there's a
fine line between showing bappreciation and going broke. Finding
just the right gift -- at just the right price -- can be challenging
at best.
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And besides, how many apple-decorated
key chains or coffee mugs can one teacher use?
Gina Dalquest, a California mother
of four, says, "Every teacher appreciates school supplies.
Often teachers spend a lot of their own money stocking their
classrooms. Pencils, paper, whatever I can get inexpensively
or in volume. I bought a big cube of construction paper and sent
half to my son's class. Last year at the holidays, we made decorated
glass ball ornaments by pouring several colors of acrylic paint
into them and swirling the balls around to look marbled. It cost
less than $2 per gift." |
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With the end of the school year
looming on the not-so-distant horizon once again, here are suggestions
for helpful -- and often inexpensive -- teacher appreciation
gifts for the end of the year (or any other time when a gift
for the teacher might be appropriate):
1) Shoe-box sized plastic storage
box full of school and classroom supplies that you can stock
up on throughout the year at sales, clearance stores, etc.
2) Bag of popcorn and a flavored
salt sampler.
3) Gift certificate for a video
rental.
4) Homemade fudge in take-out
meal containers (or Biscotti, or gingerbread men).
5) Pencils printed with their
names on them.
6) Painted glass ball ornaments.
7) Flavored coffee or tea mixes.
8) Coffee and cup decorated by
your child.
9) A candle and candleholder.
10) Anything for the classroom:
games, writing equipment, books, rulers, things to decorate or
theme objects.
11) Handmade items from the students
(potholder, pencil holder, etc).
12) Movie theater passes.
13) A small basket of lotions
or soaps.
14) A letter from the student
(and/or parent) telling what they enjoyed about the year or the
teacher's input into the child's life.
15) A small plant potted in a
thrift store coffee mug or tea cup.
16) A child-made apple-shaped
something or other (although over the years many teachers end
up with more apple decorations than they have room for in their
house or classroom).
17) Baked goods (bread, cookies,
candies, quick breads, etc.).
18) Chocolate dipped pretzels.
19) Chocolate anything.
20) Christmas ornament.
One woman online said, "There
are too many people who get left out and probably feel bad about
it, such as the P.E. teacher, the principal, the secretary, the
kitchen lady who knows your child by name, the teacher's aide
who listens to them say their numbers or helps with reading,
etc.
And then there's the Awana leader, the Girl/Boy Scout leader,
the Sunday School teacher, and the private teachers like piano
and dance. A parent can't possibly buy/make gifts for all these
people."
Her unique suggestion to deal
with this large number of potential gift recipients? Donate a
book to the school or the public library "in the names of
all the people who have been part of your child's life this year.
Then give a card to each individual telling them why they were
so important to your child and how this gift will help other
children as much as he/she helped your child."
It's been my experience that
people in volunteer helping positions (such as Sunday School
teachers or nursery workers at church) are often completely overlooked
when it comes time to give out thanks. Each year my husband and
I try to invite our children's Sunday School teachers and their
families to dinner at our house to thank them for all their hard
work and dedication throughout the year. It's never ceased to
amaze me that I always hear comments like, "No one has ever
done anything like this for me before and I've been teaching
Sunday School for twelve years." Even just a simple Thank
You card given at the holidays or the end of the school term
could be enough to bowl them over in shock.
Remember: it isn't a competition
to see which child or parent gives the teacher the best or most
expensive gift. Showing appreciation to assorted teachers should
be an expression of heart-felt thanks to the dedicated people
who've touched our lives and given of themselves to our children. |
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