The second week in May is now affectionately known as Teacher Appreciation Week in schools across America. In an attempt to help my fellow educators feel honored and appreciated here are some of my best ideas for showing your child's teacher(s) just how thankful you are for the influence they have in your child's life.

1. Ask each child to bring a flower to school on a specific day and let a parent make a bouquet for the teacher. Don't forget a vase!
2. Take the teacher's car to the car wash for her or arrange for a group of parents or older children to wash cars on a particular day.
3. Arrange for a massage therapist to come to the school and give each teacher a complimentary chair massage during lunch or planning periods.
4. Decorate the door of the classroom with notes from parents and children.
5. Provide lunch for the teacher from his/her favorite restaurant. Sending her the menu ahead of time and assuring that any order will be OK will be an added treat. Decorate the lunch table and set it up for her ahead of time.
6. Work with other parents in the room and have his/her favorite morning drink waiting upon arrival each morning.
7. Arrange for an email blitz from parents during the week full of encouragement about how the teacher has helped your child. Dads can even be involved in this one and that will mean alot! It's fun to open email and find positive messages!
8. Provide an after school treat for the teachers in the school. Chocolate usually goes over quite well at the end of a long day!
9. Get the CHILDREN involved. If students can't write, use a recorder to make a message for the teacher. Let them make a handprint wreath with their names and 2 things they love about their teacher. Take pictures or have them draw pictures of themselves with the teacher.
10. Make a meal and take it to the teacher so she won't have to cook dinner that night.
11. Have each child bring in a small annual and fill a large planter. The kids can help plant it and the teacher will have a beautiful reminder of her class all summer.
12. Go to the local make-it-yourself pottery shop and paint a large bowl. They will give you some paint to take home. Let each child put his/her thumbprint on the bowl and return it to be glazed and fired. The teacher will have a reminder forever of the class.

Don't forget those "special" teachers like PE, Art, Music, Band, and any of the therapists your child sees...they need to be appreciated too.

I'm sure there are many more ideas out there and we'd love to hear them!