No…this is not one of the posts where I try to sell you gifts through my website. You will spend only your time reading it. The opinions are my own. They are not solicited.
Think about being a parent. What is the biggest gift you can receive from a grown child. For most of you that would be…appreciation. Parenting has many wonderful moments and many difficult ones. You have sacrificed time, lost years of sleep, worried night and day, and overcome hurt. At the end, you want your child to grow as a confident happy individual, and you want them to be able to appreciate parenting with the way they treat you and their own children.
Teachers are not much different. There is only one task more difficult than being a parent, and that is being a child’s teacher. We work with many children. Often the hardest kids become the closest to our hearts. While doing this we also need to learn to handle bureaucracy, parenting miscommunications, extra paperwork, low pay. At the end we want the same. The road to teaching a child often leads through many frustrations on the way. It is also that the best teachers experience more of these frustrations. They care more. As everybody is busy in the teaching profession, often teachers and their colleagues don’t find the time to slow down, reflect, and think about the positive aspects of their work.
Teaching does not offer an immediate reward. 
You plant a seed. Some children will be quick in learning. With others it may be years down the road to see progress. Often children think about certain teachers many years after they have graduated and they remember something about that teacher that has helped them.
In may cases that has little to do with the teacher’s content. Students remember the personal touch and the care they have received from a certain teacher. Teachers remember the same… It just happens to work in a different time line.
What is the best gift? A card, or better yet, letting the teacher know in person what they have done for you as a student or for your child! It is not about the material gifts.
My best teacher gifts? Having students who have graduated from my program come back and express gratitude and fun memories we have shared together!
My most cherished gifts? Honest notes from my students. I keep them ALL!
My dream teacher gift? Having students who have graduated come and work with my younger students or simply spend more time!
Perfect! I have pinned this to my "parenting" board on Pinterest.
This is such a sweet post! I enjoyed going back to my old high school to see my teachers that I had that were still there. My absolute favorite teacher taught my mom so she actually ended up leaving not too long after I graduated. 🙂 Thanks for sharing such thoughtful words with us at Countdown in Style, Maria. Don't forget to stop by to see if you are featured on Friday! xo
Thank you, Bonnie and Brittnei!
Yes, as a parent, I love it when my 8 year old tells me I'm the best mom in the world. I may have been abysmal as a parent that day, but I feel loved anyway.
Thank you for sharing this at Motivation Monday. Have a great week!
This is a timely reminder. My 13 year old wrote detailed thankyou cards for all of her high school teachers and to see their faces light up when they read them, was a true feel good moment. I'll be showing her your post for sure.
Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you for your comment, you have a lovely daughter!
Fab post! As a teacher I always love hearing parent appreciation! Stopping by from magic moments 🙂
Very true, everyone likes to be appreciated in any job, I know I would say the same #MagicMoments
True! We all need more appreciation in all we do. Jobs where you give yourself for the service of others, such as teaching, social work are especially hard as they are emotionally tiring. I feel in these professions appreciation is essential for keeping adults motivated.
Love this post. I think this what any teacher would love. I know if I taught students (other than my own kids) I would love for them to come back.
Thanks so much for linking up this post to the #homeschoollinkup.
I've gone back to visit my high school teachers. Recently we had a fourth grade reunion for my teacher. It was so cook to find that other people felt the same way I did about her teaching. Thanks for sharing and linking up with Countdown in Style! Don't forget to come back on Friday to see if you were featured!
~~April~~
100lbCountdown.com
How true! My favorite gifts as a teacher are the heart-felt notes from my students. This is my first Christmas as a parent of school-age children. Can you guess what my kids are giving their teachers? I’ll throw in a little candy but the rest is coming from them. Thanks for sharing this post! #fermatafridays
I can guess:) Thank you for stopping by and for your comment!
I’m the kid who when walked house during kindergarten recess to alter garments simply because I did not like
my itchy” shirt the fact that I can put on these shirts
is definitely saying a thing!