7 Ways to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 7-11 this year (2018!) Be sure to check out all the posts in this series to show the teachers in your life how much you care! See the links below for my FREE Printable Teacher Thank-You Cards and accessible GoogleDocs Project Planner!
Click here for more in this series!
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week!
I met with our school’s PTO President, Gina Morris (thank you Gina!) and we came up with some great ideas for ways to celebrate our AMAZING Jean Parker ES Teachers for teacher appreciation week! I thought I’d share them so YOU (yes, I’m talking actually talking to you through the computer) can do the same!
As a former classroom teacher, I can tell you that teachers work for love of knowledge and love of our kids… and our families too! We all know teachers deserve to be paid more, and have more classroom resources and support. The least we can do is show our appreciation for all they do for our kids.
Here are 7 ideas for making Teacher Appreciate Week a big hit at your school:
Provide a lunch buffet of healthy yummy food. Some ideas: Create a salad bar, or make-your own sandwich station with all the fixings. Or order out to provide a specialty cuisine like dim sum, Indian or Thai food. I am speaking for all teachers in asking that you DO NOT serve pizza, please! (We’ve had way too much Domino’s pizza in our lives.) That said, if it’s a gourmet pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and feta… I may reconsider this rule.
Print “Thank-You” cards for parents and students. Make a designated box for them to return their cards in the main office. Have a volunteer parent or office staff, deliver them in teachers mailboxes each day. (Click here and here to download the free printable cards we’re using this year!)
Serve a HOT breakfast in the teacher’s lounge, including: pancakes, waffles, and fried eggs. We did this last year and it was a big hit. It only took two parent volunteers and our principal to serve up lots of love. Our teachers especially enjoyed seeing our principal in a fancy (silly) apron serving up eggs to order. (As with the lunch idea above, remember to tell teachers in advance, so they can really appreciate it!)
Bake (or buy) healthy muffins and serve with fresh fruit in the teacher’s lounge for healthy snacking all week. This is a great easy way to engage families who work or may feel overwhelmed by a big volunteer project. Designate one or two family volunteers each day to bring fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, cut apples, sliced oranges, bananas, etc.) and baked goods (e.g. blueberry muffins, apple bread, etc.) each day. Decorate your display with “fancy” paper plates and napkins to make it extra special.
Have parents present teachers with “Super Teacher” awards or “Caught Being Good” certificates during morning line-ups on the yard. Use whatever policy you have to recognize students to recognize your teachers. Have parents think of 2-3 sentences to share when they present the unsuspecting teacher with their award.
Make goodie bags filled with tea, lip balm, cookies, notebooks, etc… Everybody loves goodies 🙂
Hire a masseuse to give neck and shoulder massages to teachers during their breaks.
View a GoogleDocs Project Planner to help you recruit and organize a whole week of teacher appreciation activities! (Just go to “File” and “make a copy” to make your own version to edit and share.)
And… don’t forget small gifts and cards go a long way!
Please forgo the coffee mug (we have too many already), a simple card will do. Add a gift card for a local coffee shop or bookstore and it becomes a great gift.
If you are crafty, or want some easy gift ideas, check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:
Follow Alison Collins’s board “teacher love” on Pinterest.
Go beyond teacher appreciation week and feel free to say thank you throughout the school year. They are sure to feel appreciated for your kindness!
How are you celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week at your child’s school? Please share ideas and links below!
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