“A teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.” – Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Teacher Appreciation Week is dedicated to our educators and the year-long work they do to help children and young adults prepare for their future. Chances are, you’ve had a teacher you remember and a memory of one (or more!) who have left a lasting imprint.

Take some time out to show them how much you care and how they’ve impacted your student. Here are some ideas we came up with:

Treat Someone To Lunch

My Hot Lunchbox offers a unique feature to treat anyone with a My Hot Lunchboxx account at your school! It is a simple yet effective way to show teachers how much you appreciate their hard work. This week only, gifts sent to teachers will receive a special note via email thanking them for all they do. Not sure how to Treat Someone to Lunch? Follow this link for a quick tutorial! If this feature is not available for your school, not to worry! There are so many other ways to show your appreciation. We’ve listed a few more ideas below! 

Have your child write a Thank You note

There are very few things a teacher appreciates more than hearing the impact they have made on their students. Using a personal note is a great way to make a simple gift special. It can even showcase what your student has learned in class with writing skills! Printable cards are an option to keep the note on the inside and make everything right at home. We found some fun free printables here! E-cards are also always appreciated and can be personalized or animated, we have also sourced a few that we love here.

Donate to the classroom

We all go through the supply list at the beginning of the year, but what happens when the supplies run out? You can find old supply lists and replenish the teachers classroom supplies. Whether they have run out this year or saving for next year, supplies are always a need for teachers. Consider your student’s grade when buying supplies. This site has some helpful tips on what classrooms may need based on grade level. If you are still not sure what to donate, making a donation in the teachers name is an honor and helps teachers everywhere. There are many non-profit organizations that help teachers, you can find some of them on this website. 

This is your chance to get creative! 

Now that we’ve discussed a few ways to show your appreciation, we wanted to share a few personal stories on how teachers from all over have impacted the My Hot Lunchbox team! Here are some of our team’s fondest memories:

“My Social Studies teacher doubled as my track coach in middle school when I first started getting into track. I was a pretty fast sprinter but had a lot of trouble pacing myself whenever I did the 400. One meet, I got so exhausted running that I fell 10 feet before the finish line and was absolutely mortified. Turns out, I just didn’t have enough fuel in my body to exert that much energy. From then on, my Social Studies teacher would check on me every day in class to make sure I had eaten enough so that would never happen again.” – Shelby

“In high school, I had a teacher that focused on making the material interesting and applicable to students even though it was a history course. I was able to connect so much more with the material and have developed a life long love of history as a result.” – Suzy

“My high school orchestra teacher took extra time out to help me hone in on my practice. I wrote him a letter recently (many years later) to thank him. I wish I had done that sooner; he expressed his gratitude and I hope that note has a lasting impact on him as much as his actions had on me.” – Teresa 

“Most of the time, my school seemed like a scene out of the movie “Lean On Me” if you get my drift. There wasn’t a lot of exposure to positive things. I can remember my 5th grade teacher starting a Chess Club that allowed us to visit schools in other areas exposing us to different ways of life. My 6th grade teacher introduced a program called “Gear Up,” that would take us to tour different collegiate institutes. Prior to that, I didn’t have thoughts or dreams of college. These teachers let me know that no matter what environment you come from, you can venture out and create something better for yourself.” – Adrienne

Let us know in the comments below of a memory of a teacher who had a positive influence on you!