Pages

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

(Teacher) Appreciation Gift

I didn't even know that giving teachers a gift was a thing until pinterest came along. Of course I hated the idea immediately. I just didn't get it. I don't remember ever giving a teacher a gift growing up. My dad is a teacher, and I don't remember him ever getting a gift either. It's entirely probable that I'm wrong and both of those things occurred regularly and I just blocked it out for some reason.

Then about eight minutes after declaring that I hated the idea, I changed my mind. I decided that if my kid has a special connection with a teacher, then I could be on board with a small offering. None of that $25 gift card crap, though. It would have to be something specific and thoughtful.

Then came today.

I gave our "teacher" a gift and a long winded thank you card. I gave it. The kid wrote a bunch of nonsense and drew a flower and then taped two pieces of paper together.

Calling Lynn a teacher doesn't really explain what she does. She's really more of a family mentor. I am beyond grateful for finding her "class" and the other moms who attended. Thank you, ladies, for being a consistent presence in our lives for the past three years. You all have funny, engaging beautiful children whom I will miss and not soon forget.

Oh! And the teacher gift. Lynn likes to cook, so I went to Goodwill to find some sort of baking tin to use as a planter. I found a nice fluted tart pan, but the kid liked this small blue pan better. I especially like that it has a couple of burn marks. We added sempervivum and stonecrop and there you have it!




10 comments:

  1. Very nice!

    I tend to resort to cash equivalents for teacher gifts, mainly because I can't think of anything good to give!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, it was fun putting it together. It'll be interesting going forward if I'll feel pressure about the gift giving.

      Delete
  2. That's such a great idea!! The thought and care that went into this is awesome. I'm not one for major gifts but I can remember cutting a rose from our garden to give to my teacher on the last day of school once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww..I bet that was the sweetest gift your teacher received that year. Is M going to preschool this year?

      Delete
  3. I love this idea... so creative and thoughtful! I love the blue pan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I love the blue pan, too. I'm thinking about going back to GW to make one of these for myself ;)

      Delete
  4. This is such a great gift idea! Teacher appreciation gifts can get out of control, but this is personal and heartfelt. I'm sure she loved it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope I don't feel peer-pressure to get out of control. We really enjoyed our time with Lynn, and I'm glad we gave her a small token.

      Delete
  5. Very sweet. Something she will be able to look at and remember that she touched some lives. I also used to give my best teachers flowers from the mums in the backyard. I never did it every year only the teachers that I really loved. I don't know if it is mom pushed or just because I did it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily my daughter has lots of her own ideas, so I'm sure in the future she will pick out what to give and who to give to. I hope we can continue to keep it simple!

      Delete