“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” This quote, attributed to Robert Frost, reflects the vital importance of teachers in our lives and in society. Teachers are indeed awakeners. They not only impart knowledge and teach skills to their students, but they also encourage, inspire, and exhort their students to examine their passions and achieve their potential. It is fitting that we should dedicate a week to appreciating these special people. With that purpose in mind, the first full week of May marks National Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States.
How can we show our appreciation for the teachers in our lives? There are lots of ways! Small gifts and acts of service demonstrate to our teachers how much we appreciate them. Here are a few ideas that you might consider for the teachers in your students’ lives:
- Have your child write a letter of appreciation and tuck it into a handmade or store-bought card.
- Gift a magazine subscription that reflects the teacher’s profession or interests.
- Wrap up a gift card to a favorite store or restaurant.
- Gift a fountain pen and ink.
- Bake a tasty treat.
- Offer to weed a garden bed or plant some flowers.
- Gift a nice desk organizer or unique mug.
- Create an original bookmark, and gift it along with a hand-selected book.
- Find a pretty plant to place on a desk. African violets and succulents make for nice choices.
- Pick out some luxurious stationery to gift.
We at IEW would also like to share some gifts with you to express our appreciation for the work you do in the world. With that thought in mind, we are sharing a few of Andrew Pudewa’s conference presentations that will uplift you and inspire you for the upcoming school year. However Imperfectly is a wonderful presentation that reflects on Andrew’s more than thirty years spent in education. Another presentation we would like to gift is Andrew’s Principles of Motivation and Skills Development. In this talk Andrew describes what is the intangible but vital ingredient that makes things easier to learn and teach. Finally, we are including Ten Thousand Times and Then Begins Understanding. This presentation reflects on Andrew’s time spent in Japan, learning from Shinichi Suzuki. Andrew examines the Japanese proverb the talk is named after, considering it in the light of education.
To access these gifts, log in to your IEW account, and then visit this link. From there you will be able to add the presentations to your files. If you do not yet have an account, you can establish one by visiting this link.
From all of us at IEW, we wish all of you a very happy week filled with lots of student appreciation!
|
|
Jennifer Mauser has always loved reading and writing and received a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas in 1991. Once she and her husband had children, they decided to homeschool, and she put all her training to use in the home. In addition to homeschooling her children, Jennifer teaches IEW classes out of her home, coaches budding writers via email, and tutors students who struggle with dyslexia. |
