Teacher Appreciation Week: May 6-10th, 2024

When it comes to helping our children’s schools and their teachers, many of us do what we can to provide classroom essentials like markers, pencils, glue sticks and boxes of tissues for the class.

But, for Teacher Appreciation Week, it’s nice to give our children’s teachers something a little more heartfelt.

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Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10, 2024. It’s the perfect time to let teachers know how much we appreciate them for educating and caring for our children five days a week.

Many schools (and PTAs) plan weeklong events that celebrate teachers without breaking the bank. For example, one day they may ask your child to wear their teacher’s favorite color, or write their teacher a thank-you note, or bring their teacher their favorite snack. (Keep your eyes peeled on your school’s social media or weekly emails for these reminders.)

However, many families also like to give their teachers an additional token of their appreciation. To figure out what gifts are most appreciated by our teachers, we did a super informal survey in our monthly newsletter and asked teachers what they are truly grateful for from their families.

Options we listed: flowers or sweets, a handmade gift or note, candles or lotions, sports team gear, or gift cards.

Gift cards for a special visit to a restaurant or a massage, a much-needed car wash or even a trip to Target came in at number one. A handmade gift or note came in second place and flowers and sweets came in third place.

Also, let’s not forget about our amazing middle and high school teachers.

A lot of Teacher Appreciation Week activities seem to stop after elementary school. It’s a lot easier to show appreciation when your child only has one or two teachers compared to seven, but it would be very nice to have your older student write each of their teachers a small thank you note, and then maybe pick their favorite teacher to present with a small gift card.

And please don’t forget music, art and P.E. teachers. In many cases, these teachers have had some of the greatest impacts on children.

Again, don’t feel pressure during Teacher Appreciation Week. A thoughtful note from your child, or a nice drawing, or a pretty poem can go a long way. Many teachers have stacks of notes from their former students that they reread several times over.

The key to Teacher Appreciation is “appreciation.” Whichever way you show that appreciation is what your child’s teacher will love the most.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10. If you own a business and have a deal you’d like to pass along to our teachers in Hillsborough County, please contact Laura Cross at Laura.Cross@hcps.net.

Originally published in the May 2024 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.