Many schools have been doing distance learning for almost two months now. Though it’s been a while since your child was in a classroom, your child’s teacher has been working hard to educate them in all new ways. In a matter of days, they changed their learning plan, created new content, learned new technologies, and constructed a new way of schooling in order to take care of the kids in their care.
It’s apparent to me now more than ever how much our teachers deeply care for and love the kids they teach. Their efforts deserve a virtual round of applause.
Teacher Appreciation Day is May 5th, and while we can’t bring in a bouquet of flowers or a cute Pinterest-y gift to show our love, we can still shower our teachers with appreciation for the outstanding work they’ve done during this unprecedented time.
Here are five ways you can show your love and appreciation for your teachers during the shelter-in-place:
Send them dinner. Everyone enjoys a night off from cooking. You can buy an e-gift card for UberEats, GrubHub, DoorDash, or order one directly from their favorite restaurant and have it sent to their email. Or, does your child’s teacher love to cook? Another dinner idea is the gift of a few meals from a meal delivery service like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron.
Buy them flowers. If your child’s teacher has a green thumb, a thoughtful gift would be flowers or veggie starts from a local nursery. Most nurseries are still open by appointment or for pick up orders. If doing a pick-up order, you can order online or over the phone and put their name on the order. (TIP: It would be best to email the teacher about this first and coordinate with them. Some may have specific plants they love for their garden and others may not feel comfortable picking up an order.)
Send a video message from your kids. Just as much (or more) as your kids are missing school, your child’s teacher is missing your kids! Ask your kids what they love most (or miss most) about their teacher and email it to them. (TIP: Even if you choose to do one of the other ideas, do this one, too. Your child’s teacher will love it!)
Mail a card and/or a drawing. If the teachers at your school are able to go into the school to pick up mail, take this opportunity to send a card and drawings from your kids. Everyone loves fun mail, and a note of encouragement would be a sweet surprise.
Gift them coffee! You can send a coffee gift card, coffee subscription, or order coffee and a sweet treat. A couple of my local favorites — Woods Coffee is selling to-go cookie dough to bake at home, and Cupcake Royale delivers cupcakes (and cupcake decorating kits!).
What other ideas do you have for showing love to our teachers during quarantine?
I’m Hannah — a Seattle native and a mom to three spirited daughters. I love a good oat milk latte from Caffe Ladro, learning to skateboard with my 6-year-old, and exploring new parks with my best friend and partner, Matt. I’ve walked through hard seasons of divorce, single-parenting, and mental illness (in my kids and myself), but in the last couple years I’ve been redefining what it means for me to be a mom in my 30’s and how to find joy right here. (Hello, skateboard lessons and adult art class!) I didn’t expect much of anything about my life as it is now, but I’m learning to savor each moment. There is so much joy to be found here.
