Pop that confetti and break out the good snacks; it’s Teacher Appreciation week! Although we all know good and well that these heroes without capes deserve round-the-clock appreciation (and cool capes while we’re at it!), this is a perfect week to step up your appreciation game and show each teachers appreciation and how valuable their time, energy, and expertise is to the community.
Indeed, without teachers, where would our world be? There would be many more caves than houses; we’ll tell you that! Teachers have been needed literally since the dawn of time. Who do you think taught all those neanderthals how to start a fire? A teacher!
Now that we’re fired up, let’s prepare ourselves to make this Teacher Appreciation week the absolute best it can be!
When is Teacher Appreciation Week?
Let’s get this Teacher Appreciation party STARTED! Woohoo! … Yea! … Wait, when is Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher Appreciation Week, in the United States, is annually the first full week of May. Five school days to pump up the jam and make those fabulous teachers feel appreciated! We strongly encourage you to look into your heart and make the most of this week, but also to create a habit of showing your appreciation outside of Teacher Appreciation week as well.
Although it’s outstanding that Teacher Appreciation week exists, we also believe that the kindness, actions, gifts, and gratitude should be normalized outside of it as well. So, while you’re cruising through our Teacher Appreciation ideas, keep in mind that these can be used outside of this grand week, and we encourage you to.
Can’t get enough of the teacher appreciation? We can’t either! This is why we also want to hint that World Teachers Appreciation Day is held annually on October 5th!
Expressing Teacher Appreciation
Expressing teacher appreciation is a beautiful action of gratitude, and it goes a long way. Taking the time out of your day to express your teacher appreciation can look wholesome and simple, and it’ll still bring joy to a teacher’s heart. So, let’s take a look at how you can express your teacher appreciation, and if you’re looking for gift ideas, stay tuned!
- Teacher’s lounge pastry surprise: Free donuts? Yes, please! Purchase at least a dozen donuts and leave a lovely note sharing your gratitude and appreciation and leave it for the teachers to find in the teacher’s lounge. Get permission from the school before doing so!
- Buy their lunch: Are you close with your child’s teacher, or one of your past favorite teachers? Offer to buy them lunch! Whether you go together or you give them a gift card so they can go whenever they please, this is a very kind and thoughtful gesture. Plus, if you are able to go out to eat with them, you can take that time to tell them how much their words of wisdom have meant to you!
- Write a thoughtful letter: What’s an amazing way to convey how much someone has positively impacted your life? You can’t go wrong with a nice handwritten letter! The act of writing a letter is intimate and kind and shows that you’re taking time out of your day to write to them. How sweet is that?
- Picture w/ heartfelt caption: Who can resist the pinching of the cheeks when you see a child’s drawing? It’s priceless! Tag team a perfect expression of teacher appreciation by asking your child to draw a picture of them with their teacher. And leave a space near the bottom for you to write a caption of how much joy, knowledge, and awesomeness they’ve brought to your life.
- Have a meaningful conversation: Whether during pickup time, during office hours, or even before school, take the time to meet up with your child’s teacher (or a past teacher of yours who made a difference in your life) and have a meaningful conversation with them. The power of positive words carries a weight like no other.
- Morning coffee: Have you noticed that a teacher in your life likes a nice cup of coffee in the morning? Why not surprise them with a coffee cup of coffee and a little pastry on their desk? Better yet, you can also write a note of gratitude on the to-go cup to make their day extra bright. Bonus points for cute little doodles!
- Lend a helping hand: Another way you can show your teacher appreciation is by lending a hand in the classroom. Ask your child’s teacher or a teacher you once had if you can help in any way or volunteer in the classroom.
- Get Specific: Is there a particular memory or moment that made a huge difference to you? Let the teacher in your life know! It’s amazing to receive positive feedback, but even more so when it’s specific. Who doesn’t love a trip down memory lane?
- Provide supplies: Sometimes, school budgets can be pretty low, which can make a teacher’s job a challenge. Ask the teacher you want to show appreciation to if there’s anything their classroom needs!
- Send an email: This can be done at any time, which is awesome, and it could pop into a teacher’s inbox at the perfect time when they need to read some positive and uplifting words the most! Write a lovely email to a teacher to let them know they are seen and deeply appreciated.
- Be vulnerable: Being vulnerable isn’t always the easiest thing, but its outcome can be tremendous. Don’t be afraid to be open with a teacher, especially your child’s teacher, and let them know how much they’ve inspired your child and empowered them.
Teacher Appreciation Gifts
Scootch over Christmas; it’s time for some teacher appreciation gifts! Teachers deserve more than a shiny apple and a thumbs up; tap into your creativity and invest in a wonderful expression of gratitude.
We completely understand that not everyone’s budget can afford an expensive gift, which is why we’ve made a list of inexpensive, thoughtful, and sweet teacher appreciation gifts that you can give to a teacher in your life. Bring on the wholesomeness!
- Cookies baked with love: One of the ultimate homemade gifts, a freshly baked batch of cookies. Bringing some homemade cookies along with an endearing letter full of gratitude is sure to bring a smile to any teacher’s face!
- Decorated scrapbook: You can make your very own homemade scrapbook or purchase a simple scrapbook kit and decorate the outside! Feel free also to decorate some pages inside, print off a few pictures, and leave a lovely note expressing your teacher appreciation. You can either fill up the scrapbook yourself or leave some pages so the receiving teacher can put some fond memories in there as well.
- Gift card for a fun night out: Remember how weird it felt when you saw your teacher outside of school? Whelp, it’s not that strange, teachers have lives too! And what a great and fun reminder of that to give them a gift card or two and a sweet DIY card letting them know that they deserve a fun night out.
- Framed picture: Do you and your kiddo’s teacher (or you with a teacher you had in the past) have a cute picture together? Print it off and put it in a nice frame! Bonus tip, have your child write a letter to their teacher and put it behind the photo in the frame. Years down the line, if the teacher takes a peek, they’ll find a surprise hidden letter!
- Cute coffee to-go cup: Teachers are busy bees, so they’ll need their coffee to go. So why not buy them a nice coffee tumbler? It’s a practical and thoughtful gift, plus you can find some teacher coffee tumblers easily enough!
- Funny/adorable teacher t-shirt: We can all use a cozy t-shirt, and even though a teacher has a life outside of teaching, it’s still fun to show it off by wearing a funny teacher shirt. Bring a smile and a laugh to your teacher during teacher appreciation week!
- Gift basket: Now, this is an above-and-beyond kind of gift; a gift basket! You can have a fun theme or stick to a teacher vibe and fill an adorable basket with little gifts, snacks, and notes that show your deep teacher appreciation.
- Waterbottle w/ hilarious teacher stickers: Teachers gotta keep up on hydration too! Scower the wide web for funny teacher stickers, purchase a nice water bottle, decorate the water bottle with the stickers, and BOOM, you’ve got a pretty awesome gift. You can even write a nice letter, roll it up, and place it inside before you give it to them.
- Dinner invitation: Are you and the teacher you want to appreciate close? Invite them over for dinner! There’s a huge level of appreciation shown when you prepare a meal and share it with someone.
- Sweet teacher’s mug w/ goodies: We all love a cutesy-quirky coffee mug; find one for your teacher and fill it with goodies and appreciation notes!
Kind Messages for Teacher Appreciation Card
Teacher appreciation wouldn’t be complete without some kind and thoughtful words of thankfulness. Of course, we all love some empowering teachers quotes, but there’s something about writing a personal letter from the heart and creating your own DIY card that really gets the teacher appreciation message across.
We’ve written some genuine teacher appreciation messages that you can use as templates or customize the words to fit you and the receiving teacher. Let’s spread some teacher appreciation cheer!
- “Mr./Mrs. [Teacher’s Name], I cannot begin to express enough how much you have done for my child’s life and the well-being of our community. The time and effort you put into each child are remarkable, and I am beyond speechless at the work you’ve done. Thank you so very much. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!”
- “Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the best darn teacher around! Honestly, I don’t know where I would be if you weren’t in my life. I will forever be grateful for all the lessons you taught me, the empowerment you fueled me with, and the encouragement to embrace who I am. I appreciate you each and every day.”
- “Dear Mr./Mrs. [Teacher’s Name], every day, when you step into the classroom, you’re changing lives. Some days it might not feel like it, but I know it for a fact because you’ve changed [mine/my child’s]. I’ll never be able to find the proper words that hold the weight of how much I appreciate you and all you’ve done. I thank you, with all my heart, for the hard work you pour into students every single year. The world couldn’t spin without teachers like you!”
- “Every time I hear the word ‘teacher,’ my mind thinks of you and is reminded of so many precious memories. Thank you so much for helping me learn how to love learning and believing in me when I needed it the most. You’re the best teacher ever!”
- “To the very best teacher in the world on teacher appreciation week, from a student who couldn’t have made it through school with you. Thank you for helping me each step of the way and never giving up on me. My life was forever changed because of you; you’re doing such incredible work!”
- “Happy Teacher Appreciation week! Thank you so much for all the help you have given my child. I’ve seen them blossom and grow to love learning, and I am so grateful they have such a wonderful person teaching them at school. If you ever need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me; I would love to help and give back!”
- “Who’s the best teacher to ever walk the earth? And probably the best teacher in outer space too? Why it’s YOU! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the absolute best role model, mentor, and fantastic teacher I could have ever asked for.”
- “I’d love to wish you a very happy Teacher Appreciation week, and I hope it’s a week full of productivity along with relaxation. I can’t stress enough how much your dedication to education means to me and my child, and if I can ever lend a hand and volunteer, I would love the opportunity to help. Thank you so much!”
- “Growing up, I didn’t have the biggest group of people I could count on or who were cheering me on. But you were always there, no matter what. I don’t know if you know this, but I carry that encouragement and hope with me even to this day. Thank you for being a blessing to so many lives, including my own. You truly make a huge difference.”
- “Thank you for being the very best teacher Mrs./Mr. [teacher’s name] for my little [child’s name]! They talk about you all the time and how much they love learning because of you. I can’t begin to thank you enough; it makes me let out a big sigh of relief and happiness every school day because I know my [child’s name] is going to learn from one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met.”
- “Happy Teacher Appreciation week to a teacher that means so much to me. You’re the voice in my head when I need the inspiration to keep on going or I’m doubting myself. Even years later, your lessons and words of wisdom pop into my head and show me the way. I hope I’ve made you proud; thank you for believing in me.”
- “What week is it? Pft, only the greatest week for the greatest teacher EVER! Happy teacher appreciation week, Mrs./Mr. [Teacher’s name]! Thank you for putting yourself out there every day for so many lives; you pour positivity, knowledge, and authenticity into each and every one. Thank you for making this world a better place!”
- “Not all heroes wear capes; I learned that from knowing you. Thank you for being not only a teacher but a true friend. You’re someone that a person doesn’t forget, because of your kindness, grace, and transparency. You’ve taught me to be true to myself and never give up. You’re the best teacher I’ve ever had!”
Now that you’ve got all the good Teacher appreciation vibes and you’ve got some awesome gift ideas and wonderful teacher quotes to give you inspiration, you can go forth into this Teacher Appreciation week and ROCK IT!
Please also take with you the message that teacher appreciation week isn’t the only time you can go out of your way to make a teacher’s day. As one of the most underappreciated and taken-for-granted figures in our society, it would mean a lot more than you may be able to see for a teacher to feel seen, respected, and appreciated.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!