Teacher Appreciation and End-of-the-Year Gifts

It's that time of year when teachers' desks (mostly elementary teachers, that is) fill up with gifts from their students in appreciation for the year.

As a high school teacher, the gifts we most frequently receive are invitations to graduation parties in which we are fed wonderful meals and delicious cake. I can never complain about free food!

But once in awhile we receive more tangible gifts and they are always a welcome surprise. This year I received a creative package from one of my graduating seniors that included a cup & straw that said, "Thank you for quenching my thirst for knowledge." She included some yummy Crystal Light flavor drops and hand sanitizer in fruity scents--definitely useful for any teacher.

Other cute ideas for teacher gifts include the chocolate pencil we received from NHS members this year. The students covered a package of Rolos with a sleeve that looked like a pencil. It said, "Thanks for sharpening our minds." They used a Hershey's Kiss for the tip of the pencil.

Of course, I always like word clouds. So receiving one from a student is always special. They can be made in a word processing app. or using design software. Or use a website like www.tagxedo.com or www.wordle.net to create them for you.

So what are your favorite teacher gifts you've received? Comment below or share a link.

Teachers: You Are Appreciated!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, Teachers!

The quotes above are to remind you that you ARE appreciated! Here are some others that make me laugh. (Either because they are so absurd, or because they are sad but true. 

Or because they are just funny.):

“The only thing that surprises me is the characterization of teachers as lazy and greedy. Only someone with very little understanding of what teaching requires would say such a thing.” 

― Taylor Mali

“It's weird when you hear teachers call each other by their first names. It's like they're friends or something.” 

― Brian Francis

And this last one makes me laugh because I find myself talking to myself aloud more and more the longer I teach (and the older I get). And, yes, I'd say I'm a little weird...but maybe not so much? ;)

“In my ten years of teaching I’ve noticed that teachers tend to have a bad habit of talking to themselves. I hypothesize that this is because we talk for a living, and we feel safe speaking our feelings aloud. Or it could be that most of us, especially the high school teacher variety, are just weird as shit.” 

― P.C. Cast, Divine By Mistake

And let's not forget to thank parents this week, because they are so important in a child's life.

To THANK all of you fabulous teachers, head to my teacher store to enjoy 20% off, plus an extra 10% when you use code TAD13 at checkout. The sale begins tonight at midnight and ends Wednesday at midnight.