Totorus

Photo credit by vbecker

Some of the greatest unsung heroes of our society are the teachers who spend their lives educating our children. Teachers are daily faced with such problems as apathy, insubordination, and inadequate means to encourage and involve students in the educational process. Despite all this, they still manage to inspire many of their students to excellence in scholarship and the improvement of their own lives and society as a whole. As with any hard job, a show of appreciation from the people who benefit from a teacher's efforts is always welcome.

There are many ways to show your appreciation for the teachers in your community. A Teacher Appreciation Week is a fine example of what can be organized through the local Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Some of the popular ideas for teacher appreciation week activities include a surprise Continental Breakfast delivered to the teacher's lounge to await their arrival at work in the morning. On a more public level, coordinating with the local community library offers the chance of creating an ongoing bulletin board feature to highlight different teachers on a weekly basis. It should include not only some personal information about the teacher, but also list awards and achievements the teacher has obtained that help them be better teachers.

A variation on this idea for a teacher appreciation week activity is to include the information in a newsletter or local newspaper. Having testimonials from past and present students as to the impact the teacher has had on their life will lend extra emphasis on the value of the teacher.

Organizing a community appreciation dinner for the teachers in your school system is another way to increase the awareness of the quality of your teachers. Such events are best coordinated through the local PTA. Along with school board members and administrators, community leaders should also be included in the event as a means of official recognition for the efforts of the teachers. Decorations for such an event can include oversized "Thank You" cards. Activities during such an event for teacher appreciation week can include the awarding of appreciation certificates as well as the giving of special recognition speeches pertaining to the work their teachers have done for the community.

Small gifts such as personalized coffee mugs or tee shirts can be created for your local teachers. After the teacher appreciation week is over, such gifts can be reminders throughout the year that the teacher's efforts in education are not taken for granted. As a means of teacher appreciation that can be carried on beyond the time constraints of a single week would be the organization of commemorative tree and shrub plantings either on school grounds or in conjunction with the public park commission. A dedication plaque with the teacher's name can be set alongside the living tribute. A variation on this could be the purchasing of each teacher's favorite book for donation to the library. A dedication bookplate can be attached to preserve the reason for the donation.

Showing your local teachers that their efforts are not in vain can have a long-lasting impact on their confidence in educating the youth of a community. Every effort you can make to show your appreciation of a hard job done well can increase the teacher's desire to continue working to improve the youth in their care.