I come from a family of teachers. Being a mom of schoolgoing boys and being a daughter/ daughter in law/ granddaughter and sister of a teacher I would venture to say I have a good understanding of the frustrations on both sides of the isle (of the desks?) so to speak. Surprisingly, kids are not a teachers’ biggest frustration, parents are! Another challenge teachers face in a school year (you know, other than varicose veins, laryngitis, and burnout) is what to do with all the chocolate bars and “Greatest Teacher in the world” mugs that they receive as gifts.
So my sister told me about one of the best gifts she ever received as a teacher, from a parent at the beginning of the school year. It was a “Teacher’s Survival Kit.” It contained a variety of small and supremely practical gifts that not only made her feel understood and valued as a teacher, but that was also useful and usable. So because it’s a great exercise in showing the boys how we value people (and because it was easily disguise-able as a “fun holiday activity”. Oh, and because you can’t exactly send a bottle of wine to the school and just get it over with! Kidding!) we set about making these fun TEACHER’s SURVIVAL KITS:
You will need:
- A glass bottle or jar – it’s “green” AND pretty
- Blackboard sticker and ribbon
- Clever survival items, such as:
- Handcream (who doesn’t love a little pampering?)
- Throat lozenges (For the yelling. I am not judging)
- Pocket tissues (Best to prepare the teacher that they will catch a runny nose this year, gonna happen, it’s virtually guaranteed)
- Wipes (Sanitiser wipes…because kids can be gross)
- Chocolates (I know I don’t have to explain this one)
- Hand sanitizer (as above)
- Vitamins for immunity, energy, and calm (you can also just make this a bottle of Rescue Remedy, but I found these cute sachets at Checkers!)
If you already know the teacher whose class your child will be in you may even be able to personalise this list further – or get your kid to write the list of what they think might be special for the teacher. Think lip-balm, sunscreen if it’s the sports coach, a pedicure voucher, a mini fragrant candle, pretty gel pens or stickers…
Pop the items into the jar, personalise the sticker and ad your ribbon, and there you go!
Our kids gage what (and who) we value not just by what we say but also by what we do.
C.S Lewis said “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts”, and in SA I know this to be true. Teachers need all the encouragement and support they can get.
PS – Don’t you wish there was a Moms’ survival kit?
PPS – To bad a Mediterranean Cruise, some bubbly and 5 minutes alone don’t fit into a glass jar.