Meaningful Ways to Honor Teachers
All of us have at least one. Life changing, challenging, and beloved, this individual holds a permanent place of honor in our hearts. We are talking about teachers. These hard working individuals helped to shape us as we passed through school, and they are helping to shape the next generation as well. That’s hard work, as any parent frazzled from chasing just a few kids around can attest.
Here at iT’Z, we are devoting the school year to honoring those beloved instructors. And we would like you to join us. Of course, it isn’t easy finding just the right way to say thank you to our teachers. They probably have enough plaques, and they definitely have enough mugs. What they might not have, however, are the following ideas. Relatively easy to carry out, but meaningful for teachers, these ways of saying thank you are sure to stick with teachers over the long term.
Write a letter.
Email and text messages may be the most common forms of communication these days, but good old-fashioned letter writing carries a special significance. It requires time, comes directly from your hand, and is often adorned with pretty stationery. Give your favorite teachers the gift of a handwritten letter as a way to show your appreciation.
This letter could be as simple as a note you pass along the next time you see them or as elaborate as a poster or long letter on fancy paper. The idea is to use the personal and unique form of letter writing as a way to communicate your appreciation for your favorite instructors. Plus, it lasts longer than an apple, so they don’t forget just how special they really are.
Serve teachers in practical ways.
Teachers serve all day long. There is no other way to describe handling up to 30 students at a time all day every day (and teaching them something meaningful too!). Return the favor by finding practical ways to serve teachers yourself.
These acts of service can be individual or communal. For example, wash your favorite teacher’s car yourself, or organize students from the school to wash all the teachers’ cars. Organize breaks from carpool duty, or simply offer to volunteer in their classroom yourself. You could even offer to bring them a meal or a gift card to one of the restaurants in Pasadena or somewhere else if you know they are particularly swamped. Your thoughtful service will not only get their attention, it will let them know that their sacrifices are not going unnoticed.
Offer teachers homemade goodies.
Gift baskets are always welcome. Who doesn’t love a basket brimming with treats? They can also be a bit pricey, and a lot impersonal. If you want to create a more personalized gift that your teachers will remember, then try to create a gift basket of homemade goodies.
For example, instead of a popcorn tin, make popcorn balls at home to give to teachers. Instead of a basket filled with store bought cookies, try making your own. Other baked treats, breads, or crafts can also adorn your basket. You can even include gift cards to restaurants in Pasadena or somewhere else local, tickets to local movie theaters, or other local entertainment venues.
The best part of making your own goodie bags is the fact that you can personalize the basket to the teacher. If they love candy, homemade candy can be ideal. If they prefer flowers, you can fill it with a selection from your garden. Personalized, unique, and meaningful, the right gift basket can be the right approach for showing your appreciation to your favorite teacher.
Tell the world about your favorite teacher.
Teachers are never going to sing their own praises. That is why you sometimes have to do it for them. Luckily for you, here at iT’Z, we are giving everyone the chance to praise the special teachers in their lives every month with our Teachers Rock program. Once a month until May 2020, we will pick one teacher to win a VIP visit to iT’Z and a $100 gift card to use in their classroom.
How do these special teachers win their prizes? By your nominations. You can enter online and tell us exactly why this individual deserves the prize. Every month until May, we will choose one winner. The result is the chance to honor a special teacher and give them some tangible benefits for their classrooms and for themselves.
Honoring teachers is always a good idea, because of everything that teachers do for us. Here at iT’Z, tell us about your favorite teacher. Then go out and begin showing them how much you appreciate them. Write letters, bring gift baskets, offer them gift cards to restaurants in Pasadena, other entertainment in Pasadena (or elsewhere local), find ways to serve them, and more. They will appreciate the gesture, and you will have had the chance to tell someone special in your life just how much of a difference they have made.
