They say it takes a village to raise a child.. they ain't wrong!
When our kiddos moved from homeschooling to mainstream education, we wanted to ensure that we were always on the same page as their teachers.
It was important to us that we knew the problems they were having at school, the areas they were having difficulty in, the kids they were close with, and the kind of PEOPLE their teachers were.
It's often forgotten that teachers are people, too. They have friends, family, likes and dislikes.
They have plans for their evenings and weekends, bills to pay and groceries to buy.
And every day, they wake up and decide that they want to be the person to change a child's life. Those kinds of people are people I want to know!
John and I, like most parents, are well aware that teachers are often having to dig into their own pockets to supply their classrooms with many things.
For example, tissues aren't funded.. whiteboard markers and pens aren't funded.. student rewards and things to encourage the children.. special activity supplies.. none of it's funded! In addition to that, we've met incredible teachers who go above and beyond for the children in their classes, ensuring they have a warm milo on cold mornings, or that they have fresh fruit available to them.
These are the men and women we want looking out for our kiddos!!
The way we see it, our children spend more of their waking hours with their teachers than they do with us, so we want to ensure their teachers have everything they need for their days to be successful.
In the past, we've provided the kids' teachers with tissues, whiteboard markers, hand sanitiser (especially in Winter!), large bottles of sunscreen, large tins of Milo, long life milk, sugar and marshmallows (to help on the cold mornings), loooots of baked goods, and we've even loaded up a couple of gift cards to gift to classrooms and help with the expenses teachers have.
Many people would argue that this isn't necessary. "Toilet paper is fine for runny noses and we didn't have hand sanitiser in our day!".. you're SO RIGHT! But my kids aren't growing up in 'my day' they're growing up in 'their day' and I want their days to be better than mine. By looking after our teachers, we're looking after our babies, too!
I don't want my kids to sniff their way through the day! I used to haaaate having a runny nose at school with no tissues! I felt like the entire class was silent and everyone could hear me sniffing my nose! I want their teachers to feel like they have everything they need, so they can truly love what they do and help children to enjoy learning!
And yes, offering children food and beverages that weren't sent to school with them, runs the risk of having parents upset with teachers because they don't want their child having something.
Every teacher I know can tell me exactly which allergies a child has; they're amazing like that! And I do know a teacher who has gotten into trouble for buying her entire class iceblocks (icy-poles in Aus) on a hot day. She explained that it's really hard, but as a teacher, she has to respect parents by honouring their wish for their child not to have something.. OF COURSE!
This is why I want to share.. because what about the child who came to school with no breakfast?
What about the child who brought nothing for lunch?
What about the child who's 'escape' is being at school, because being at home is hard? ..what about those children?
Let me tell you something about those children; their teachers know who they are.
I can assure you, your child's teacher knows who's having a hard time at home.
I can assure you that they know who doesn't have a chance to read to their parents at night because they work long hours to make ends meet.
And I can assure you that it breaks their hearts not to give to ANY children because they don't want your child to feel left out.
New Zealand's a special country. Parents are so chill here and the respect students have for their teachers is very different. (Trust me, I know from experience!).
Classes are 'whānau'.. they're 'family'.. and that's the expectation in schools over here that, as a family, you will look after each other.
The teachers our children have had this year have truly cared for our kids and treated them as if they were their own; they are their kids.. their whānau.
We wanted to treat our teachers like the family they've become. So we make sure to remind them how special they are to us!!
Last month, I walked through crowds of primary school children, with a tote bag full of wine bottles.. "Because.. report writing season."
Gifts don't need to be expensive or extravagant. Bake something!
Bake with the kids on the weekend.. then you have lunchbox treats sorted as well as teacher gifts!
A paper cup, potting mix and some herbs. Or a terracotta pot the kids can decorate before filling with potting mix and a little plant.
Have the kids pull out the craft stuff and make some cool cards to take to school! You can sticky-tape a candy cane to the inside to make it extra sweet.
You're limited by your imagination.. and if that's the case.. PINTEREST THAT SHIZZ!! But an idea that is 100% free..
Write your child's teacher a note and let them know of the impact they had in your child's life.
Let them know what they did for your child and how that's helped them to grow!
Talk to your child about their experience with their teacher and ask them what they loved most about being in that teacher's class.. then share that in your note! I promise you'll warm their heart beyond any bottle of wine!
Mostly, thank them for the love and care they provided your child with. Wish them well for the years to come and hopes that you'll see each other around!!
This year, we have a number of teachers and office staff we wanted to gift to.
With everything that has happened to our family over the year, the school staff have been incredible! So we wanted to show them that their love and kindness towards our family are appreciated.
Enter.. Kmart glass bottles full of treats!
- 600ml Glass Bottle, Kmart $6
- Nescafe Caramel Latte Sachet, Countdown box of 10 $6.60 (66c each)
- Berry Good Cotton On Foundation Lip Balm, Cotton On $3
- Cotton On Foundation Hand Sanitiser, Rubi $3
- Absolut Vodka 50ml, $4.99
- Panadol Optizorb 12 tablets, Pak 'n' Save $3
with a little poem that reads..
"The Panadol is to help ease those end of year headaches,
whilst the hand sanitiser is for all the questionable handshakes.
Lip balm, to treat chapped lips when they're repeating themselves all day,
and a bookmark, to aid you in your mental getaway.
Coffee and a travel cup, because we know how hard mornings can be!
And the vodka, so no one will smell it when you pour it in your coffee!"
I had the poem thought out about halfway through the purchasing process.. so you can really write it about any items!
Wrap a pretty Christmas ribbon around it and you're set!
My point is, giving back to your child's teachers doesn't have to be expensive and you don't even have to wait until Christmas to do it! Add a box of tissues to your grocery shop and I promise it'll be well received!
I'd love to hear about how you look after the teachers in your life! They're so important to the growth of our world, please make sure they know it!
Erin Michele Thomson ∙ Tauranga Photographer ∙ info@erinmichele.co.nz
Comments