One family per day arranges to provide a home-cooked, ready-to-eat meal for the teacher to take home. Preparing dishes like homemade pasta casserole, enchiladas, a barbecued chicken or fresh tuna salad means the teacher can go home and put her feet up, instead of hustling around the kitchen to prepare a meal.
Families and local businesses can donate an array of vegetable platters, gourmet coffee and tea, baked goods, chocolate and fruit to keep the teachers' lounge stocked with good things to eat and drink all through the week. Parents can redecorate the lounge with new curtains, cushions for the couch and new paint. They might replace the beaten-up old microwave or coffee-maker with a shiny new model.
Take out an ad in the local newspaper to thank the teachers in your school or district. Ask a group of local businesses to host a special luncheon for your school's teachers at a nearby local restaurant. Select a special guest to give presentations to honored teachers. Have a trio of parents take care of each class while the teachers are enjoying themselves.
Teachers love to hear the value of their work from the students themselves. Have students make a scrapbook of memories from the school year to present to the teacher. Include photos of each student accompanied by a short piece of appreciative writing. Other possibilities include drawings and cartoons of events that the students attended, or assorted items collected from class projects or trips that can fit easily into the book. Students should plan a presentation ceremony for the scrapbook.
Help students think of five thoughtful things they can do to show appreciation for their teachers. Examples could include bringing the teacher a bottle of water, cleaning the whiteboard or collecting papers. Ask students to promise to do one thing each day during the week, and make sure they chose helpful and realistic tasks.
Ask parents to drop by for a coffee reception for teachers. Encourage them to use the opportunity to express their appreciation and to suggest ways of developing stronger partnerships with teachers. Parents can make a presentation of classroom materials, such as paper, colored pencil sets, erasers, scissors, ink pads and notebooks. They can also present gift certificates to help teachers purchase items to supplement their classroom activities.
Invite former students and their parents to attend an assembly or open house at the school, possibly as a surprise. Teachers want to see how their alumni are doing and hear how they are making a difference. Current students learn how their teacher made a difference in a former student's life.