Teacher Appreciation Week

The school year's end is closing in, and though many parents wait until the end of the year to give teacher appreciation gifts, May 4-8 is designated Teacher Appreciation Week. We asked teachers via our Facebook page what are the best gifts they've received from students. In the list of responses was a comment that it's nice to receive something when it's not expected. So this could be the week to surprise your child's teacher.

I had the pleasure of sitting with a group of teachers at a backyard barbecue this weekend, and overheard a conversation between a mom and teacher. The teacher was telling the mom that getting a gift card goes a long way because as a young teacher who doesn't get paid a big salary, that Target gift card can mean a new pair of shoes for her, and then maybe free up a little extra money for her and her husband to go out to dinner. Good to know, and really who doesn't love a giftcard!

Below are few other responses we received from teachers on best gifts they've received:

"My most treasured gifts are from the heart from kids … A drawing with a thoughtful sentence like 'thank you for teaching me how to read.' Or 'thank you for making science so fun and not blowing us up in science lab because I know that you know how' received on nonoccasions. – Kerri Caldron

"Gift cards for Amazon. I buy just about everything from there so those gift cards are highly prized by me." – Natasha Todd

"A student wrote me a very thoughtful poem and framed it. He struggled all year long, so I could only imagine how long it took him to write it." – Angellica Rosen

Teachers work hard! Be sure to say thanks this week.