Here are some ways parents and kids can work together to make teachers realize that their work not only affects the lives of the students in school, but life at home and in the community as well. Parents teaming up with kids not only sends a positive message, it can help kids realize some ambitious ideas that otherwise would be difficult for them to carry out.

JOIN IN

Parent volunteers and students work together to secretly paint a bright and colorful stool or chair for each teacher in the building.

POST IT

Create posters with messages of appreciation for teachers and have local businesses post them in their windows during Teacher Appreciation Week.

CREATE A TEACHER APPRECIATION QUILT

Give each student in the class a square of fabric to decorate, then stitch them all together. Add a special border and teachers will have a gift that'll last for years to come.

TASTE TEST

Work with students to pick out food gifts and write clever notes to accompany the food:
• Cookies ... "Tough cookies don't crumble"
• Life Savers candy ... "You are a life saver"
• Junior Mints ... "You mint so much to us this year"
• Pay Day Bar ... "You deserve much more"
• 100,000 Bar ... "You're worth it"
• Roasted nuts ... "We're nuts about our teachers"

LUNCH BELL

Help students organize a banquet-style lunch for the teachers by asking local restaurants for food donations. Parents can pick up the prepared food to be served during lunch periods. The students can decorate the teachers' lounge beforehand, dress up for the event, and help clean up afterwards.

AN APPLE A DAY

Parents and kids can stand at the doors of the school, handing each teacher a fresh, large, polished apple and wishing them a wonderful week.

HAVE A BLAST FROM THE PAST

Teachers love to see and hear from former students. It's special for them to learn what you've gone on to do and even more special to know that you still think about them!
MORE IDEAS

Several years ago, a parent came by my room on Friday afternoon at 3:30 -- on the first week of school. She brought a casserole in a disposable pan, bag of salad, loaf of garlic bread, and a plate of brownies. Having been a teacher for a number of years, she thought it might be appreciated. It was! Her "thank you " made my family very happy and made me very grateful for such kind support. A supper can really be a blessing when you are exhausted. It would be a double bonus in May.
-- Jayne Anthony, Elementary Teacher

One of the nicest things the PTA/PTO ever did for us at our school was to have each teacher fill out a list of his or her favorites (favorite magazine, gum, candy, lunch, hobbies, etc.) The PTA/PTO then drew teacher names out of a hat and became our secret pal, giving us little gifts or notes of encouragement throughout the entire year. It went over extremely well! They also give us a lunch the day before school begins as a way of saying they appreciate all we do.
-- Pann Baltz, Elementary Teacher

We have a local radio station that has a morning show and they start the school year off by having people call in and recognize a teacher who made a difference in their lives. People are asked to give examples of why the teacher they picked made a difference. There was also an FM radio station that selected a teacher each week--the local balloon store would then present a gift to the teacher in the classroom with the students.
-- Paul Crips, MS Sciences