Are you a student, do you have a teacher in your life, or do you have a child in school?

Teacher Appreciation Week is week starts Monday, May 2, 215. Every year this rolls around, and for some of us, every year we struggle with just how on earth we should show our appreciation for these courageous ninjas of the classroom.

They not only instruct and broaden minds young and old, but their eyes are always peeled for elementary injustices, they work after hours grading papers, and many times take on the role of the mentor in our lives.

For these reason, and many more, we encourage you to show some love to all the teachers out there. Teaching is not an easy thing to do; however, these dedicated individuals helps shape our future outliers, and they’re not in it for the money! To see Teacher’s pay scales across the US, click here.

Are you unsure of how to show your appreciation to all the teachers? Have no fear! Here are three tailored lists we compiled with you in mind.

3 No Excuse Lists for Students, Parents and Administrators to Show Teachers Appreciation

From Students:

1. Coupon book. Most people only create coupon books for their parents; however students can easily create one for a teacher. Stuck on coupon ideas? Here are some ideas a student can use for a coupon book.
   1. Clean the Room
   2. Help Out a Classmate
   3. No More Complaining for the Day
   4. Run an Errand
   5. Teacher’s Choice
2. Craft a personalized card. Making a card and writing a personal message to a teacher will truly add a smile to a teacher’s face. Every day they work hard to help steer students in the right direction and receiving a personal message from a student about how the teacher has impacted the student’s life is a great gift.
3. Create a handmade gift. There are several DIY gifts that a student can do themselves. You can visit our Pinterest page here to find different ideas for a DIY for Teacher Appreciation Week.
4. Share a list of why you are thankful for them. Taking the time to write out several reasons of why a teacher is appreciated is a great way to show thanks. It reminds teachers that all their hard work is paying off to help brighten students’ futures.
5. Volunteer. Sometimes a teacher needs students to volunteer to do things around the classroom or help tutor others. When you see a teacher is in need of something, a student can stand up and volunteer their assistance. This not only helps your teacher big time, but it will help you develop leadership qualities in the process.

From Parents:

1. Send flowers or an edible arrangements. This may seem pretty traditional, but sending flowers will brighten up a room and send a sweet aroma throughout the class. For those who do not like to send flowers, an Edible Arrangement made of fruit on skewers, that looks like flowers can also be sent to the classroom. They are not only delicious but add a nice pop of color to a teacher’s desk.
2. Write an e-mail. Most communications between a teacher and parents are typically about a struggling student. Teachers catch a lot of criticism. So send the teacher an email about how they are appreciated and how they have made a difference in your student’s life. Receiving a positive message can turn the whole week, semester or even year, around for a teacher.
3. Send in extra school supplies. Are you aware that the majority of teachers buy most of their own school supplies? As a parent, asking your student’s teacher what extra school supplies are needed can help a teacher out tremendously in providing your child an excellent classroom experience. Even picking out one item, every time you go to the store, can make huge differene. Even better, share the list of items needed with other parents, and tackle it together.
   • Most commonly needed school supplies are:
     1. Pencils
     2. Whiteboard markers
     3. Tissues
     4. Art supplies
     5. Paper

4. Give a gift card. Maybe a student notices their teacher always has a Starbucks cup around, loves to get their nails done or always goes to the movies. A parent could get a gift card for something that they know the teacher could enjoy outside of school. A $5-$20 gift (or more) is always appreciated, and doesn’t need to break your bank.
5. Donate money to their classroom. The beauty about donating money to a classroom is that it can typically be a tax write-off. When you want to donate money to a specific classroom, make sure you write the teachers name in the memo of the check. If money is donated to a school and there is nothing in the memo, the school can use the money as they please. Personally, donated money has been a blessing to me in the past. My first year teaching, my title-one school did not even have graphing calculators to use in math class (my student population would also not have been able to afford getting their own). While this does not matter for lower courses, it makes more advanced courses like Algebra 2, Trigonometry and Calculous very difficult. Several people donated to the ‘Math Department’ so we were able to purchase a class set of calculators. Several semesters have passed, and those calculators are still being put to good use by students! What a great investment that was.

From Administrators:

1. Know your staff. It is understandable that this can start to get difficult at a larger school. However, when administration takes the time to know their staff and have a personal connection, the staff will feel like their voice matters more. It is very important to have quality working relationships between administration and staff so that they can all work together to help serve their students’ needs better. The administration can focus on getting to know one department at a time if they get overwhelmed by the amount of people they need to know.
2. Host Breakfast or Lunch. It is always nice to be able to come and get a free meal while being able to enjoy each other’s company. Hosting a breakfast or lunch can also be a way for the administration to get to know their staff better. This should be something planned so that the staff knows of the event.
3. Sports Event between Staff and Students. This is something that is always fun and can typically put a lot of smiles on the faces of both the faculty and students. This could be something during recess, lunch, afterschool or even during an assembly.
4. Raffle a Gift Card at a Faculty Meeting. Let’s face it. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Raffling off a gift card can be a way to help get the faculty excited to go to meetings and a great way to remind the staff that they are appreciated.
5. Start a Teacher of the Month. It is important to recognize the hard work of the faculty. When someone feels appreciated in the work place, their moral will increase their productivity.

For the Future Teacher in Your Life:

Give the future teacher in your life the gift of mentorship with our recently published book Outliers in Education. The book features six incredible educators, from elementary to graduate school, who exemplify what it means to love their students well, know their craft, and have their classroom in order. Two of the six even have their schools in order as Administrators. Pick up a copy of Outliers in Education for your favorite aspiring teacher, educator, major or student teacher.

Comment & Share:

What are your plans for Teacher Appreciation Week? Or what were the most meaningful ways you have been shown appreciation? Comment below, and share this article!