Each school takes Teacher Appreciation Week (this year it runs from Monday, May 7 to Friday, May 11) to a different level – some schools have very established programs in place with committees and websites, and some leave it to the individual families to show their appreciation. Whether you’re a Teacher Appreciation Week Pro, or just getting started, here are some ideas to get you thinking outside of the box!
Do Your Homework
If there isn’t a room parent that already knows your teacher’s favorites, you might have to do a little digging! Have her fill out a little questionnaire to find out things like her favorite coffee drink, type of flower, place to shop, lunch spot – anything that could help you figure out the best way to show your appreciation.
Organize a Work Party
With Teacher Appreciation Week falling in the first full week of May each year, Spring is usually just starting to appear and so are all the weeds in our yards. If your teacher has a yard, get a group of parents together from class to get his or her yard in tip-top shape for Spring (with permission, of course!). Pull weeds, get the out of reach trimming done, give the grass a fresh mow and clean out all the dead leaves from winter. Bring along some flats of pretty new flowers to fill up pots or add some new color to the flowerbeds.
A Homemade Bouquet
How sweet would it be to have each child bring in a little bunch of flowers from their own yard or from the market that are all collected to make one big gorgeous bouquet? And even sweeter – have each child bring the flowers directly to the teacher in the morning to put a huge smile on her face and then have a parent collect them to make a bouquet.
Give to the Cause
Does your teacher have a cause that’s near and dear to his or her heart? Maybe he's raising money to run in the next local charity marathon or spends the weekends helping out at the food bank. Find out what he’s dedicated to, beside your kids, and ask what you can do as a class to help support him.
End the Week with an A+
Save the best for last with the grand finale of the week on Friday. Maybe this is a gift certificate for some spa pampering or reservations at that restaurant she loves, but rarely goes to. Try to think of something that will extend the appreciation into the weekend so that she comes back to school on Monday still feeling the love. Or everyone can pitch in for a round of golf at his favorite course or some tickets to the nearest sporting event or concert. For a lower-cost option, have everyone in class bring in something to put together a Weekend Pampering Basket for her – pedicure and bath supplies, maybe a bottle of wine (if appropriate), some of her favorite treats, a gift certificate to the local movie store and some magazines. The key to Teacher Appreciation Week is finding the special things that your teacher loves and turning those things into ways you can show your appreciation.
Other quick tips to make appreciating your teacher a breeze
If you’re bringing in food, don’t forget to double check on preferences and allergies first – vegetarian? Vegan? No nuts?
Plan ahead! If there isn’t a committee already in place for your class, get one going. Tackling a week's worth of activities and treats for your teacher is much easier if everyone takes on a little something. Use an online sign-up tool like Please Bring It to make sure every detail is taken care of.
Decide as a class if you’re going to have someone collect money in advance to purchase the things you need, if you’ll just have each family contribute actual items, or a combination of the two. Be clear about how much money you may need from each family, what it will be used for, and when you need it by so that you can plan accordingly.
If this is your first year working on Teacher Appreciation Week, keep things simple. Use the strengths of your fellow parents and remember that sometimes the best gestures of appreciation are the thoughtful little things.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all the fabulous teachers in our children’s lives!
— Katie Kavulla
