Remember the cute flyers that would come home in weekly folders with clear guidelines about what to do for each day of Teacher Appreciation Week? Ah, the good ol’ days…As we all know, this year is totally different, so showing our appreciation for our children’s teachers will be in totally different ways, too. Let’s shower our teachers with love and appreciation—they deserve it now more than ever! Here are a few Teacher Appreciation ideas during Coronavirus that will fit most any budget.
Appreciation Parade
We’ve all seen or heard about them by now…fabulous teachers forming a car parade to drive by their students’ houses to say hi and show support. So why not flip the script? If your teacher is comfortable sharing his/her home address, gather a few classmates (or the whole class!) and form a teacher appreciation parade! Decorate cars with streamers, balloons, and shoe polish, and don’t forget the students themselves, perched through the sunroofs and out the windows!
Decorate Their Sidewalk
If your teacher is comfortable sharing his/her home address, have your kids decorate her sidewalk with sidewalk chalk. Sidewalk chalk mosaics are all the rage right now, as are positive chalk messages such as “be the light,” “be patient,” “stay kind,” and “wash your hands.”
Buy Them Dinner
Not only are our teachers working through the shutdown to keep our kids engaged, most are also dealing with the same behind-the-scenes mayhem that we are—kids and spouses at home while they’re trying to work, and their kids (and spouses) are probably asking for food all the time, too. So pick a local restaurant or find out what your teacher’s favorite restaurant is, and send them an e-gift card to cover dinner. (If the restaurant you choose doesn’t have e-gift cards available, consider sending a Visa e-gift card instead.)
Buy Them Coffee or Dessert
Because caffeine and carbs don’t count right now! If at all possible, try to support small, local businesses during this time. But if that’s not doable, keep in mind that Starbucks always has e-gift cards available, and delivery services like Tiff’s Treats Cookie Delivery are a sweet way to show your appreciation.
Email a Thank You Video
Help your child film a thank you video to send to their teacher. Include a list of things your child loves about their teacher and what they miss about him or her. Be as creative as you want: costumes, props, the works! Anything goes and will be appreciated by these educational heroes.
Send a Funny e-Card
JibJab is probably your best (and most hilarious) option for this. Just upload a photo of your child (or the entire family), and find the perfect e-card to drop it on. My daughter’s teacher has been sending these out to the kids who have birthdays during the shutdown and I can’t tell you how hard we all laugh at them.
Send Virtual Flowers
Have your child draw and color a special flower or bouquet for their teacher and include a letter explaining how their teacher helps them grow. For the younger kids, you may need to start them out with a prompt, such as “I love my teacher because…” Scan or take pictures and email.
Deliver a Quarantine Care Package
If your teacher is comfortable sharing his/her home address, consider dropping a quarantine care package on their porch. These can include things like hand sanitizer, a face mask, toilet paper, gift cards, school supplies, fuzzy socks, coffee and tea, coloring books for their kids, a zen candle, favorite snacks, or anything else you think they’d enjoy during the shutdown (and by that I mean wine, you guys).
And finally, since it’s 2020 and “it didn’t happen if it’s not on the ‘gram,” create a class hashtag (i.e., #welovemrsjones or #smithelementarylovesourteachers) to tag all of your teacher appreciation week activities to provide your teachers with virtual documentation of the craziness that is teaching during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Our amazing teachers are all doing their best to navigate this brave new world, just as we are at home. I know many of them are hugely disappointed and saddened that they won’t get to end the year with their kids, so let’s make this year our most appreciative one yet!
