Teachers can’t survive on apples alone
11:06 pm | December 1, 2020
How rewarding, to parade into my child’s classroom alongside my proud little one carrying a perfectly wrapped home run gift. By home run, I mean, I took the time to find a thoughtful meaningful gift and wrapped it, not just a mindless gift card. And, yes, I paraded.
I have way more strikeouts than home runs when it comes to teacher gifts. Being a self-employed mother of three, my excuses for not making adequate time felt justified. In hindsight, I wish I would have spent more effort showing appreciation. Once my oldest reached high school, I realized the profound impact that the teachers have on their students. I underestimated the importance of their role in my child’s life. These gems are responsible to instill a love for learning in our children. That goes far beyond anything tangible but deserves gratitude.
Years ago, and not by choice, I had to take my kids shopping for teacher gifts. I realized that - no matter what age - they enjoyed having input for their beloved teachers. They were so excited to show up and deliver their gift - usually while blurting out exactly what was inside. Bonus, they also took baby steps towards learning the valve of giving.
Fast forward to today, COVID has put an unexpected twist on education, and our lives. I no longer get to parade into my child’s classroom with the perfect gift. I am an attention deficit parent trying to keep my attention deficit student focused on schoolwork. I’m Zoom-ing with teachers in my pajamas. All of this has given me an enlightened appreciation for teachers, hence this ever important blog post. Let’s send them some love!
For gifting inspiration, I turn to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop (sounds pricey but they have some lovely economical gifts), and Barnes & Noble. Age appropriate books or games for the classroom are always great gifts. When it comes to needing a special gift, here’s the go-to gifts that I’ve been successful with. These are intended to be thought provoking and helpful suggestions, I encourage you to buy local when you can.
ps: if you have any amazing gifts you’ve received or given, tell me. I'd love to pass along what worked for you.
