A+ Advice For Parents

June 9, 2008

Appreciating your teachers a lesson learned

Our Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) was dysfunctional this year, and we botched Teacher Appreciation Week in May. Several parents want to do something for teachers before school ends. We have some money in our budget. Should we buy each a small gift? What would teachers really value?

What teachers really value is acknowledgement within the community that their work is important. Research shows time and again that many teachers feel underappreciated. A gesture that shows that you value their work is a great way to end the school year.

What might that be? Don't rush to the mall to buy mugs and glass apples. Here's what members of the A+ Advice Teacher Advisory Board say teachers really want.

-- Give thanks publicly: Put a message on the school's public notice board that says: "The PTO thanks our teachers for a successful year!" Or create a "bravo board" by renting a portable billboard that carries the message. Put it at a central intersection where many are likely to see it.

-- Place a "thank you" ad in the local newspaper. If there are too many individuals' names to list, design a general thank-you to faculties, listing the names of the schools. Make sure that readers know the PTO is sponsoring the ad.

Have the president of the PTO to write a letter to the editor expressing appreciation for concluding another school year. Cite examples of progress and performance such as improvement on state tests.

-- Go to greatschools.net, find your school, and add comments of appreciation on your school's "Parent Rating" section.

-- Ask corporations, service organizations and businesses to help you give teachers a "high five" for a successful year. For example, local Rotary or Lions clubs might invite teachers to a summer meeting to honor their contributions to the community. Enlist leaders of local houses of worship in publicly thanking teachers for guiding students through another school year.

-- Host a last-day lunch: Cater a festive buffet for teachers on the final day. Give each teacher a whimsical tote with a "summer reading" gift certificate to a local bookstore. If it's too late to organize that, give teachers nourishment while closing their rooms and entering final grades the day after. Create "snack packs" with fruit, nuts, protein bars, gum and a bottle of water and juice. Include a note with thanks and good wishes for the summer.

-- Plan ahead for the fall: Distribute a survey to teachers prior to the end of the school year asking what supplies, materials and volunteer time they can use come fall. Ask how the PTO can best support them in the coming year. Include a cover letter thanking them. When school starts, prepare a customized "Welcome Back Basket" for each teacher that includes items, gifts certificates and "PTO Help Vouchers" that reflect what you learned from the survey. To strengthen your PTO for next year, get ideas at ptotoday.com.

-- Give a "shout out" to your children's teachers: Write a note with your child remembering special times during the year or citing particular achievements. Want to give something along with a note? Help with supplies. On average, teachers spend $500 of their own money on their classroom. Forty-four percent of teachers spend more than $1,000. A gift certificate to an office supply, teacher supply or bookstore is a far better choice than something personal. "No perfume, no candy, and no recycled gifts, please!" wrote one teacher. "At the end of the year, all I want is a kind word and a parent's pledge to keep kids' brains and bodies in gear all summer, so they don't forget everything they learned come fall!"

A-Plus Advice For Parents, aplusadvice.com