Bulletin board with each
teacher having a ‘flower’ /blank
‘petals’ for parents to write compliments on
Teacher pins or
service-length pins
Have a breakfast or luncheon
(with parents &/or children cooking)
Gifts or gift certificates
(possibly donated by local businesses)
A home-cooked "take
out" meal provided for each teacher’s family
Books purchased for the
classroom in honor of that teacher (with
bookplate/dedication inside)
Send flowers
Bring in cake, cookies, or
treats
Make-over of the staff lounge
by parent volunteers (painting, new curtains, etc.)
Parent volunteers sign up to
assist in the class each day of the week
Nomination for a teacher
award (Disney’s American Teacher Award, Scholastic,
local PBS station-sponsored, Terry Lykoff/Tylonol, etc.)
Personal thank-you notes or
letters
Engraved professional
nameplates or business cards
Posterboard for each teacher
(with marker attached) for children and parents to write
notes and sign
Buy or make corsages for each
teacher
Create a bulletin board with
"The Many Hats a Teacher Wears"
Bring in a massage therapist
to do 15-minute "Chair Massages"
Have a "Hug a
Teacher" Day
Write a Letter to the Editor
of your newspaper
Ask local businesses to offer
a discount on purchases to teachers in honor of Teacher
Appreciation Week
Create a staff
"kudos" board, where recent achievements are
posted
Invite the mayor or a
newspaper reporter to spend the day in a classroom; Ask
the Mayor to Proclaim Teacher Appreciation Day
Contact the local newspaper
and see if they are going to be running a special section
of ads or stories saluting teachers; Send a press release
Do a dictation chart with
children on what they like/love about their teacher,
recording their comments (to be given to that staff
member)
Give each child in the
classroom a square of material to decorate, to be sewn
together to make a classroom quilt
E-mail a teacher a card or
note
Make a thank you card that
looks like a "report card", "grading"
the teacher in several areas (Makes learning fun,
etc…)
Have interested parents
spearhead a committee to do all of the planning and
decide on the events for Teacher Appreciation Week
Have a picnic, BBQ, or
potluck
Have a day with a parent
volunteer "Mr Fix It" at the teachers disposal
to do any classroom or equipment repairs
Make a classroom
children’s fabric-painted handprint project (apron/
totebag/ t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc.) as a gift
Bring in bagels or donuts for
breakfast
Have co-workers/parents write
"Pats on the Back" (paper handprints) then tape
them to the teachers’ backs (to be read at the end
of the day)
Have children plant a tree or
a bush dedicated to the teaching staff
Have several local businesses
"adopt" a teacher, displaying a picture of that
teacher with notes and pictures from children and parents
Start or expand upon a fund
for staff to attend workshops or conferences. Encourage
parents to donate in a teacher’s honor.
Make a teacher name plaque or
small wall decoration with a phrase about teaching.
Wooden apples and "chalkboards" can be
purchased at craft stores, then painted and personalized.
Have each classroom create a
"Wish List" of items to be donated
At the end of the week, put
all of the names of the teachers in for a drawing for a
larger prize item/gift, or have a "White
Elephant" trade.
Have parents see if their
employers sponsor grants for equipment or training of the
childcare providers of employees
Put a poem about teaching in
the center of a large piece of posterboard. Put a
handprint of each child around it.
Make "Teacher Survival
Kits" (A Rubberband: to remind you to be flexible; A
Lifesaver: for all you do; Kisses: to remind you that you
are loved; $1000 Bar: what you are really worth; An emery
board: when things get a little rough; A penny: for your
thoughts; A puzzle piece: without you, things are not
complete; Trial-size Calgon: to "take you
away"; A crayon: to color your day; Some marbles: to
replace the ones you may have lost; A Mounds: for the
mounds of stuff you teach; A gold star: you’re a
star, etc…)
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