Teacher Appreciation Week: Do Something!

Since 1985, Teacher Appreciation Week has officially taken place during the first full week of May, and National Teacher Day falls on Tuesday. Perhaps your children are engaged in school activities or assemblies which celebrate the impact teachers have on students’ lives. Teachers often work long hours for relatively low pay. Teachers continually give, often at the sake of their own expense and personal time in a cultural and political climate that often overlooks the full value of teachers’ contributions to society.

And yet, practically all people can recall that one teacher who truly made a difference in their lives. More often than not, we don’t recall the facts and figures learned in class, but the intangible gifts imparted that often end up mattering more later on in life. Teachers help install those the little things like confidence in one’s self or the ability to see a task through from start to finish.

We’re all busy, but why not do something this week to acknowledge a teacher who somehow influenced your life? This list of ideas is so simple, but your actions just may brighten your former teacher’s day.

10 Ways to Show Teacher Appreciation:

1. Send a card.
2. Send a card and a gift.
3. Send a card and a gift, but also call to say hello.
4. Call to say hello, send a card and a gift, and then pay a visit.
5. Make a call, send a card and a gift plus flowers, and then meet to chat.
6. Do all of the above, but throw some baked goods into the mix. Food is love.
7. Frame a picture related to appreciation bestowed.
8. Why not throw in a plaque or scholarship fund?
9. Post your gratitude.
10. Write a letter.

Chances are, merely a card will be sent, or maybe a thank you posted on the teacher’s Facebook wall, but just remember it’s most often the little things that count the most. In whatever way you choose to show your teacher appreciation this week or in the weeks to come, it will be sure to count.

Photo Credit: “Talking” by Valsilvae via stock.xchng

Jeri (9 Posts)

Jeri Walker-Bickett was born and raised in Wallace, Idaho, a rough and tumble mining town with a checkered past. The storytelling urge struck at a young age, but an undergraduate degree in writing led to a graduate degree in English education. Between living the scholarship-laden life of an academic bum, she did seasonal work in national parks. Jeri met her future husband in Yellowstone and they later married in Las Vegas. This phase in their lives sparked an obsession with food and travel. Fate has intervened to allow her to take time off from the classroom. Her forthcoming novel, Lost Girl Road, is a ghost story that takes place in the woods of northwest Montana. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and their pets.