How about creating a banner(s) to be displayed during teacher appreciation week and at your teacher appreciation event. Set up a table in the Cafeteria (staffed by PTO member) and give students opportunity to write a note, draw a picture or just sign it! Lead by example and have a few PTO members sign the banner with a thank you message and the children will follow suit!
I did this one year for a k-8 school. I asked that they write a note or draw a picture. Of course, most of the little ones drew pictures.
Yes, we did have a disparity in returns. Some teachers had every student return a note while others had 50% or less. 7th & 8th grade students were, apparently, too cool to return any.... The teachers LOVED LOVED LOVED the notes and pictures they got back.
It turns out that the resource and Special Ed teachers got their feelings hurt by this project because they weren't included. It was my first year.... I didn't know. They were included in all of the other TA Week activities. Also, because it's supposed to be confidential about who's in Special Ed, Speech, etc. I thought it was inappropriate to track down those students and have them write notes to the other teachers they see during the day. I say go ahead and have the notes for the classroom teachers but then something else for the other teachers so they feel special too.
We missed a student teacher on our Gift Basket day because nobody knew one of the 3rd grade teachers had her. We quickly made up a basket for her. Whew.
Listen, the teachers know it's TA Week and that the PTO is planning stuff. Just send a note out to them asking who has an aide, student teacher, helper, etc (and what their names are) so that they can also be honored and appreciated during the many planned activities. They'll probably be glad you asked.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
Ok, I decieded that it would be neat for our kids to write thank you letters to their teacher and the PTO would distribute during T.A. Week. The problem is this, I have received notes from teachers that some teachers will be left out or not get as many as other teachers (class sizes are smaller or teachers aides, reading and speech teachers who don't have actual classrooms with their own students). I have turned to clubs at school and asked some teachers that my kids have had who are willing to help me out with writing extra letters.
How do you handle the pre-k that can't write letters? I hadn't thought of this before hand, and know that many of the parents will not take the time to set down and write one for their child. I already irritated one pre-k teacher when I didn't send an invite to the teacher dinner for her aide (the aide's name was not on the list I requested from the office, there are two teachers in that room and I didn't know there was an aide too, it was an accident) and don't really want to make matters worse.
I feel like something that should have been pretty simple has turned into a hassle. We have never done this before so any advise on how to handle this or what your school did is appreciated! Thanks!
