Earlier this year you sent a box of doughnuts for the staff break room. Now with the end of the school year approaching, you have already purchased a gift bag full of themed goodies to present on the last day. As I surveyed seven teachers, including from IEW Online instructors, co-op teachers, traditional classroom teachers, and homeschool moms, they all said they are thankful for these thoughtful gestures. However, they also shared with me that they feel fully appreciated when their entire team supports them. This team includes students, parents, school leadership, peers, and sometimes even their own children!
“Thank you!” is a great start for students wishing to show appreciation to their teachers. Laura, a veteran K–2 teacher, treasures out-of-the-blue hugs and “I love yous!” When former students stop by her classroom to say hello, it lets her know that they felt loved in her classroom. Most memorable for Marci, an IEW Online instructor and former co-op teacher, was when a student who completed her high school co-op class under great protest later wrote to her from law school, thanking her for the time she invested in him. He told her that she had been right! He did not have to like writing but had to be good at it, and his IEW writing toolbox was serving him well in law school. Lizabeth, another IEW Online instructor and former co-op teacher, echoed these sentiments in desiring her students to recognize the value of what they had learned. Students show appreciation by showing respect to their teachers, giving their full attention in class, asking good questions, and completing assignments as directed.
Esteem from parents is highly valued as well! When parents share verbally how much their students enjoy class or how the class has benefited their students, a teacher’s heart swells. Additionally, Martha, a retired kindergarten teacher, reflected that when parents took advice given in a parent-teacher conference or, as Laura shared, supported measures needing to be taken, teachers felt heard and valued. Those teaching IEW methods yearn for parents to catch the vision of IEW and understand their role, which allows instructors to feel that they have a partner working with them toward the success of their students. Respond to teachers’ emails quickly and help them address issues as soon as you are aware of them. Note the hours spent grading, extra time given to helping a struggling student, time off the clock spent developing ideas, collecting materials, preparing lessons, and generating games and activities. Furthermore, when you see your children’s teachers in the grocery store aisle years later, tell them how much they impacted your children. You will be amazed to find that these actions renew a teacher’s steps, relax her shoulders, and give her excitement to continue.
Admiration from leadership and peers is meaningful as well! Traditional school teachers Laura and Martha share that it is significant for the instructors when administrators show up for discipline issues and offer practical support for student needs. Special lunches, celebrated birthdays, and snacks in the break room allow teachers to feel noticed. As Laura described, these surprise gestures provide a pick-me-up. Co-op leadership can show appreciation by helping to equip instructors and parents in IEW’s methods and philosophy. When peers collaborate, share ideas, encourage each other, and keep up with each other’s burdens and victories, this lightens the load and allows each teacher to feel respected and not alone in their endeavors. Whitney, a high school librarian, cringes when a peer comments, “I wish I had an easy job like yours!” She wishes peers would recognize that each teacher has their own tasks and responsibilities.
Let us not forget the parents at home, sitting around the dining room tables, acting as principals, teachers, and their own peer support team. They need to feel the same level of appreciation from their spouses, extended family, and, especially, their children. While children in the throes of learning may not immediately express their admiration for your sacrifices, know that those hard-won thank yous are coming! Allyson, an IEW Online instructor and homeschool mom loves when her boys come home and exclaim, “Oh, Mom! This is like what you taught us!” Marci shares she is thankful that her adult kids do not recount the struggles but, instead, treasure memories of reading books aloud together, along with special projects and outings. Tina, an IEW Online instructor and homeschool mom, is thrilled when her adult kids tell her they loved being homeschooled. May the many hats we wear be noticed and lauded by our students at home as they go out into the world and realize all we have afforded them.
Your thoughtfulness and support means so much to the teachers in the lives of you and your children! Know that, as Allyson relays, teachers love giving weekly support to your child as they answer questions and provide feedback in assignments. Lizabeth stresses how much teaching means to her and that so much of her life is dedicated to it. Tina follows by emphasizing that teachers want what is best for their students and for them to be successful. Laura adds, “We teach because we love our students” while Martha expresses the joy she receives when students get an idea and she can tell by their facial expressions that they have understood. This month during Teacher Appreciation Week, may each individual whose sphere touches the life of a teacher realize their role in the team, making that teacher feel deeply appreciated!
by Katie Eades
