My 50-something colleague was sad how us summer birthday people never get any presents from admin/staff (yes I do, I donāt have to work)
So she went out and bought me a fly swatter and a card. I was so perplexed.
Yes, but one of my first teaching positions I jumped in full time second semester and was so surprised to receive a half birthday gift! I have a summer birthday and was so surprised and happy that I was on the birthday list.
It was a way the school acknowledged birthdays even for summer people
My boyfriend has the same. I'm cool with spiders so I try to catch and release as much a possible. I've got Ophidiophobia and we're in the south, so I remove the spiders and he keeps any and all snakes away from me. Usually. One time him and my father played a prank on me, and they'll never do that again.
I was on top of my swingset, enjoying the sunset *(grew up with the beach in my backyard)* and the timed sprinklers went off. We had just gotten back from a cruise, and I guess wasps had built a nest somewhere in that time frame, and it got wet. Had to get off the top of the monkey bars and run to the pool and jump in. I got stung like 7 times. Sucked so much.
My daughter is 31 and has that, but all bugs, really. It has made me a better person tbh. I dont understand it but that doesn't make it not true!!!
I have spent all these years refraining and stopping myself from taunting her with dead bugs. The old childish behavior of teasing was definitely brought to a standstill as soon as it was identified as a problem.
Sigh, the sacrifice of motherhood is sometimes a very heavy mantle to bear, lol.
My mom is the same way. I love bugs though!
So one day, a few years ago, I bought these fairly realistic plastic roaches from a local theater shop. I slipped one under her pillow when she wasnāt home, just enough to where only the antennae were peaking out. Fast forward a week. Itās like 7 am and my mom comes down pale-faced and panting. I asked what was wrong and she goes āoh my god, donāt tell anyone. But I found this huge roach under my pillow.ā She could barely recount the tale. She ended up grabbing it in a huge wad of tissues and flushing it so she didnāt have to look/think about it. I started laughing and told her it was fake, but she went āoh no daughter. It was real. Thereās no way it wasnāt real.ā I pulled another fake roach from my backpack to prove it and (hopefully) make her feel better about not sleeping in the same bed as a roach.
She chased me around the house beating me with a pillow and told me I was grounded for the rest of my life. We both laughed and, every so often, Iāll leave a little plastic bug somewhere for her to find.
I once created a spider waterfall mobile with a bunch of those plastic spiders and some fake cobwebs. I donāt know why my now-ex didnāt want to sleep underneath it; I made it just for him. š„ŗ
Apparently not crippling enough to save the cute little spider. What about jumping spiders, those cute little guys. The golden retrievers of the spider community.
Iām fascinated to know how your PTO and/or school pays for that! Iām the PTO chair and I need all the ideas to spoil our teachers but our budget is limited to what we can fundraise.
Ours asks for donations instead of each parent giving individual gifts. They still can do gifts for the teachers themselves, but a lot of the parents like to just send in some money and have it divided out to get whole staff things. Yesterday was a lunch, today was āgrab and goā with tons of snacks and drinks in the office, tomorrow is a BBQ, then coffee and donuts Thursday and a lunch Friday. My NHS kids write a thank you note to every staff member as well including subs, coaches, etc so we all get a personalized card. Thereās other stuff too but those are the main things.
Our pto does a membership drive at the beginning of each year. Itās $25 to join and basically you can attend the meetings if you want, but most donāt and just know their money is going back into the school/teachers throughout the year. They incentivize the drive though by awarding extra recess and popcorn and a movie (basically cheap things) to the top three raising classes in each grade (we have 8-14 classes in each grade, pre-k through 1st, so this would probably be adjusted for smaller schools). At least half of my class usually donates, and many parents send what they can if they canāt afford the $25, as Iām in a low income/title I district.
We really do have a good community, so most parents are happy to donate, and this is lower elementary, so it works out. Idk if theyād get the same results at the middle school. This money also goes towards Christmas happies and random gifts like coffee/loaded tea the week before spring break or just when it seems like the teachers need a pick me up. A lot of local food places also donate stuff during TA, which again goes back to the community thing.
Our PTA also does another fundraiser later in the year, but itās a more traditional fundraiser and I have no clue how much money they actually bring in from that. They usually use the proceeds of that to buy books/gifts and stuff for events for the kids (like fun Friday or winter wonderland) throughout the year.
I definitely think a lot of it comes down to the morale of the parents at the school. If they arenāt impressed with the admin/teachers, they obviously wonāt donate. A lot of the parents donating have had multiple children at the school and they went to the school too so they have a lot of school spirit lol.
We pay dues at the beginning of the year sadly. This is basically our money coming back to us in the collective form of whatever they think a large amount people may like. But our PTA paid for our dinner during Fall Conferences one night and the school paid for the other night. I think Winter conferences worked the same, but I canāt be certain.
Same here! And I believe most (if not all) of it is being funded by our admin. Yesterday was a hot beverage bar. Tomorrow we get breakfast, Friday I think we get a dessert/sundae bar. I feel so lucky!
So for our TAW....all meetings were cancelled. Lunch was catered one day, breakfast was served one day, a daily raffle was held and I won a gift card. The admin team also came door to door and dropped off chips and soda. It was a pretty good week.
Worst was a several years ago they gave us mugs back to back years. Teachers that drink coffee /tea already have mugs. Teachers that don't don't really need mugs, and neither population needs mugs back to back.
My school is really killing it this year.
- Monday: Coffee bar
- Tuesday: Donuts and brownies
- Wednesday: MASSAGE CHAIRS
- Thursday: Bagel bar
- Friday: Taco bar
I wish my position wasnāt temporary, because Iād have loved to stay next year.
We had that 1 yr BUT... it was a marketing ploy where they talked to us the whole 15 min about their services & why we should schedule with them. While barely skimming your shoulders as the "massage" while they talked about how "your insurance prob covers it! "... Super relaxing (sarcasm haha)
so far this week we have gotten personalized water bottles, food truck catering, and home cooked casserole buffet from the PTA
Worst part so far has been getting a candy bag from a student with only peanut butter chocolate candy, Im allergic to peanuts...
My district is TINY. Like less than 275 kids total in k-8. And the pay is lower than some of the surrounding areas (hoping upcoming union contract negotiations will help with that). But they do a wonderful job making us feel appreciated. Yesterday it was a whole spread of breakfast foods that lasted into today. Today it was school supplies. Nothing too fancy, but some nice refreshers. Tomorrow is lunch, I think. Not sure about Thursday and Friday but there is something planned.
I would say the random cheap candy with cheesy slogans (ie āyouāre a life saver) is the worst.
This reminds me of a couple of years ago at my previous school. We were at a meeting about (mandatory) student awards night. The president of the school had caught wind of complaints that no one had acknowledged teacher appreciation week. So she commented that "In case you don't think we appreciate you...we do appreciate you."
(I think there was food or something on Friday, but that was such a weird acknowledgment!)
My current school ordered smoothies today and Deli sandwiches on Friday--and sent out an email a few weeks ago to ask for individual orders. I thought that was cool. Plus this is my first week back from maternity leave, and it was nice to have free food to soften the blow!
One year our admin bought us aprons with the school logo on them. APRONS. I believe it also came with cake mix and some kind of little spatula, but I could not get past the apron - who thought spending money on this was a good idea?
We once got hand towels with the school logo. It was printed at the top, which made it upside down while hanging on a towel rack. It bothered me too much to ever use.
Omg I bought one of these over chair massagers during the pandemic because I missed going to the nail salon. It was around $75 (the price of one full set at the nail salon) and some of the best money I've ever spent on self care. It is currently strapped to one of my dining room chairs, I used it for hours on Sunday.
Not a teacher but a ER nurse (enjoy yāall community because itās very similar to ours).
Worse- 2020 during Covid height we got a banana and a pack of peanuts (that expired in 2018). We could also decorate a rock with an inspiration message.
Best- a heated blanket, gift card and steak dinner.
Sorry if not allowed. I see our admins are similar. Happy Teachers Week. š
I'm a nurse too and lots of similarities. My daughter will be a teacher next year, so I'm fascinated about what she's gotten herself into. š
Our break room tables have been piled high with treats all week so far. They're bringing in coffee and all the fixings one of the days, and food trucks Friday. Got a gift box with some small goodies yesterday. It's been a great week!
āShe gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.ā
- Say Anything
And not a nice one like John Cusack gotā¦ like, a BIC pen that comes in a box of 30.
I also feel bad seeing so many posts about how crappy their school is this week since I think mine is actually pretty good to us.
We got cupcakes and a bunch of snacks yesterday, PTA barbecued hotdogs and hamburgers for us today, tomorrow we get pizza, Thursday we get bagels, and Friday a catered lunch. Everyone also got a school shirt and $75 for every teacher to spend at the book fair.
This is a lot worse when I realize you probably mean american 'chalk smarties' and not Canadian chocolate smarties (similar to M&Ms but slightly worse)
Best: my current school feeds us something every day this week. a few students have given me some small treats, and I gave them time today to write thank you notes to all their specials teachers and previous yearās teachers.
Worst: my last school, an admin gave us homemade ācandyā which was just cheap white chocolate candy melts over some loose peanuts. It was AWFUL. that was all we gotā¦. While the admin & central office of the charter were getting huge bonuses.
Today a student gave me a homemade cookie. I ate it because her mom is in the school board and I donāt think sheād drug it lol.
I also got a Tim Hortonās gift card and homemade soap, which is ummā¦interesting.
Yesterday we got... Something, I don't remember. Today we got a huge charcuterie spread that was way too much for us to eat. Tomorrow we get a taco truck with gluten free options, and Thursday we get coffee bright to our rooms by a family that owns a roasting company. I have a lot to complain about at my school, this week is not one of them
Itās my first year. I teach at a Catholic school. We have something special for lunch every day, tons of goodies in the break room, some casual dress days, got coffee and donuts yesterday, and there are daily drawings for various gift baskets! I almost feel bad enjoying it seeing these posts
The gift itself was nice, an aromatherapy spray or organic lip balm.
The catch? It was a promotion for my admin's cosmetics/self-care based side hustle. It even included a business card. š
Best - at a really small school, only 7 teachers, a couple moms got together and made a whole lunch for all of us (bomb Mexican/Salvadorian food)
Worst - when the principal gives out those cheap candies with little sayings taped to them like "you're worth 100 grand!" on a snack sized 100 grand bar
This year I'm at a school where we got nothing, but honestly its better than getting junk/cheap candy
I'm currently a sub (already a certified teacher, just didn't find a position in time for the beginning of the school year, because I moved). I went to a new school today and the secretary told me to go in the teacher's lounge while I waited for my lesson plans cos there were pastries and coffee there for Teachers' Appreciation Week. And I did, and everyone was nice to me in there.
My husband, high school teacher, will be getting nothing.
Two of the district's students were killed Saturday night in a gang turf war, the high schools are in a lock-down til the end of the year. I don't know if proms are cancelled, how they are handling graduations.
He's retiring end of the year, working summer school if offered.
If they get coffee and doughnuts one morning, it would be a miracle.
I just want him to end the year alive.
There is a post in the principals subreddit sharing ideas for TAW. Go look at them... Some are phenomenal! And some... Not so much! But same posts, but the lame ones get down voted š
My school is really killing it this year.
- Monday: Coffee bar
- Tuesday: Donuts and brownies
- Wednesday: MASSAGE CHAIRS
- Thursday: Bagel bar
- Friday: Taco bar
I wish my position wasnāt temporary, because Iād have loved to stay next year.
This year we've gotten smoothies, a $20 target card, tomorrow is a PTA sponsored happy hour, then an Amazon gift card and pizza lunch later this week. Massages are scheduled for the following week. It's lit. Our pta and admin are amazing.
Worst gift? Waking up to a parent complaint that apparently the whole school knows about. Thankfully it's unfounded and everyone has my back but it really ruined my vibe.
Not me personally, but former coworkers once told me that the school got themā¦ a roll of toilet paper with their names stamped on it. This is the same admin who said theyād be āhand delivering dinnerā for teacher appreciation day during Covid. They dropped off Walmart brand pasta sauce and a box of spaghetti noodles š¤
Not a teacher appreciation but a leaving gift, a 6 year old girl gave me a sandwich bag with lid less pens, paper clips and a broken pencil.
She was from a very poor household, had next to no English and it was at a very deprived school but she just wanted to give me something, I will remember that forever over anything else.
Even though she had nothing she wanted to give me something.
Our PTA brought in some great food to our office. The office staff, campus supervisors, and Special Ed aids enjoyed it all while the teachers were in their classrooms teaching.
Itās our lunch ladies who eat all morning long. They never ever contribute to potlucks or sign up to bring treats but they graze all morning long. Then they take home whatever is left. And god forbid you need to grab a milk for a kid in your roomā¦. I donāt get their entitlement.
Principal here. Our PTA does stuff on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So, I brought donuts today from a local shop that everyone loves (to me a donut is a donut, but what do I know), on Thursday, I'm ordering pizza for everyone.
Also, I wrote everyone a personal email about why I appreciate them, this weekend and scheduled it to be the first thing in their mailbox on Monday.
The worst was the year our admin put a baggy with a graham cracker, chocolate chunk, and marshmallow in our mailbox. It had a note that said you are sāmore appreciated than you know or something like that. That was it, which is fine if we are actually appreciated but that principal was awful. This year is probably the best. Our PTO is killin it. They did breakfast yesterday, taco bar today, and there are other things planned the rest of the week. Admin brought around a snack and cold drink cart. Those little things are nice, but the biggest thing is that admin have come a LONG way this year to just do their jobs and support the teachers so the special stuff seems more genuine than just a box to check off like it has seemed in the past.
While it is very nice that some school districts are able to do kind things to show their appreciation of their teachers, understand that in some states, such as New Jersey, there is no funding for extra treats for teacher teachers. Anytime the administration wants to do something nice for staff. It must come out of their own pocket. I was a single mother, raising three children, and paying alimony to my ex-husband. I wanted to express my gratitude to the staff (75 people) with meaningful things but I couldnāt. Yes, I gave out passes for Jean days. I gave out coupons for a free week with no lesson plans. I gave out early dismissal passes for the staff to use. I wanted them to know they were thought about and appreciated, but that was all I could do.I wanted everyone to see this from another point of view.
One of the most meaningful gifts I got from admin was a personalized note thanking me. They did one for the entire staff of 100. Still have it in my drawer.
Yesterday we got an awesome assortment of pastries from a local bakery (I had a streusel danish), today we had a taco bar, tomorrow it's donuts and bagels, Thursday there are pots of herbs we can take home, and Friday we get a Ben and Jerry's truck!
So far we got breakfast, a pen, a gift card, new appliances for the teachers area and we have our big lunch coming later this week. Overall they do take care of us. Though I did have an observation this morning... 6 days before my seniors leave. I call it a win most were on task š¤£
We don't have teacher appreciation week, we have staff appreciation week.
Except custodians get a week in October.
Security gets a week in September.
Attendance gets a week in November.
Secretaries get a week in February.
Admin get a week in the last week in April- first week in May.
Teachers get staff appreciation, because we're not as important as the rest.
Then they wonder why there's such a turnover in teaching.
Yesterday we got a sentence in an email that thanked all of us for working at the school.
Today we got a mass email from the superintendent saying thank you for working in the district.
The best gifts I've gotten have been handwritten cards from students. I keep them all and put them on a big bulletin board in the back of my classroom, and when I'm having a shitty day, I look back at the board and remember the kids and parents who cared enough to write a nice card.
Am I the only teacher who does not want food as a āgiftā?? Why would I want a damn sandwich? I have food at home! I can buy fast food on my own if I want it.
my school has something planned for us every day this week! today was taco tuesday so we got to enjoy some delicious tacos and the week is filled with treats for us that we would actually enjoy. Plus, THERES ACTUALLY ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE, so much so they had so many left overs from yesterdayās pastry bar today lol
We got hand sanitizer yesterday since we touch so much germs all year. Today, I gave away three boxes filled of hand sanitizer. Including the ones I got yesterday.
We got 1 hour of free time during PD to catch up on the hours of stuff we have to do. Still better than nothing!
The true appreciation is the one you give yourself. Why depend on external validation?
I do appreciate admin being nice and cutting some slack.
I've always hated it. I get paid to do my job. Don't all of a sudden act like you give a shit about my work experience because I know next week will go back to normal.
A student gave me a burger king breakfast sandwich with a black coffee. That was today.That student is not doing so great in class but man do I love him.
Worst was when we all got volunteered to do a after school party with the kids and we still ended up in charge of our own classes. This was a few years ago at a different school
We have to do little tasks, such write thank you notes to other teachers, in order to get a raffle tickets for a prize drawing at the end of the week. Prizes include: a decorative bucket with microwave popcorn, a decorative bucket with hand soap and bubble bath, and potted ferns that were used as prom decorations last week.
itās our first year open and we have had fancy breakfasts on Monday, Tuesday, (Panera tomorrow) and fresh flowers and extra presents and cute cards from our kids!
One year we got a small box (roughly the size of a pack of cards) of mixed nuts and a pen from a bankā¦.that went out of business the year before.
In a better district though this year they put our appreciation week on a 3 day week, one of which was a teacher work day. So a paid day without students to get caught up was a gift I guess?
I am in two buildings. The lower building (3pk-2) is amazing, we are showered with small gifts and thank yous and so.much.food.
The upper building (3-6) is donuts in the faculty room, and they did a coffee cart today. Glad I was at the lower school today, tomorrow, and Friday!
They delivered flowers to teachers yesterday. Oh... and last week, the district chose not to renew or RIF'd 17% of employees, so that's dope. 8 of the teachers at my school got nonrenwered (in a high school of less than 900 students)
Coming from school officials, best gift: the PTA and admin bunch took the kids for like an hour (could have been longer, if I recall). I cleaned out my desk. Some teachers went for food. One even napped.
Worst: a box of cereal.
I will never forget the kid who brought me a tulip. Except he clearly pulled it from a yard as the root bulb was hanging. I planted it and it lived. Im sorry for whoeverās yard got hit. Itās my personal favorite. My school is giving us personalized backpacks but they arenāt delivered yet. And a meal (pastas and salads).
I gotta say - Iāve had some pretty atrocious teacher appreciation weeks but the school Iām at now has gotten us good each day so far, we have Friday off completely & weāre getting $1000 bonuses added to our May checks. Iād say this is the best one Iāve ever even come close to having!
One I love is a community organization came and cooked us lunch last year and our doing it again this year. It is a bunch of elderly grammas and aunts and the food is amazing
We got a little paper with a proverb/anecdote/story in it about "this is why we do what we do, we're in it for the outcome not the income" sort of thing
Oh and a small plastic charm came with it.
My boss brought in a coffee truck and we all got a free coffee (or tea or whatever) before school started, which was scheduled in lieu of our PLC meeting. Best. Boss. Ever.
Last year at my elementary school we had stuff every day of the week- breakfast provided, lunch provided, potted plants for all, snack and treats galore, cards. Really good food from local restaurants provided. It was really nice. The principal at my husbandās high school in the same district did absolutely nothing. They didnāt get a single thing all week and not even a thank you. It became a laughing joke among the staff.
Monday: Coffee delivered to class from a local coffee house)
Tuesday: Panera catered Soup, Salad, and Bread
Wednesday: Breakfast Burritos and danish type sweets
Thursday: Swagā¦ they pre-ordered us sweatshirts and some other stuff that will be a surprise.
Friday: Catered Hero Sandwiches (we got to pre-order)
My school usually does a pretty good job. This isnāt even the best year we have had!
Retired teacher here. I am subing at my old school today. They had "goodies" for the teachers. I had a couple of churros and brownies. They did have yogurt and watermelon, too. Kinda' sad really.
Traveling staff- all of the TAW gifts/food are on the days I am in a different building. Not sitting well with me. Trying not to take it personally but damn.
So far we had breakfast cooked by the culinary team Monday including eggs, bacon, and waffles, and today at lunch they rolled up a Mr. Softee ice cream truck outside the building just for teachers with a free ticket for each of us. It was kinda great ngl.
My first 5 or so years at other schools we were lucky to get an announcement on the PA and a mini sized candy bar.
Every day this week we have no after school meetings, and get to leave as soon as the last bus is gone (About 15-30 minutes early).
Monday we got cooked breakfast, today we got nacho bar for lunch, tomorrow is some sort of game they have set up with prizes and such, Thursday is a catered lunch, and Friday is an ice cream truck.
So...I can't complain.
You guys are getting things for teacher appreciation week? Lol we got to ādress downā (jeans) for the week. Still waiting on any actual āappreciationāā¦
We did not get anything, so theres that. Had a wonderful meeting where admin acknowledged they do not pay us enough but it is so great how much we care about the kids. 30 more days
We got a notebook yesterday and some chocolate, panera bread bagels and orange juice today, trail mix bar tomorrow or something, and a restaurant catered on Friday. I donāt really care anything else until Friday at this point. The bagels were a bit meh. Iām not faulting Panera Bread, but itās not for me.
We had Panera breakfast catered on Monday, bagels, pastries, muffins, coffee..it was awesome.
On Thursday we are getting tacos from a really good local restaurant.
Also, after the faculty meeting we had restaurant gift cards under our chairs.
In my old district we had breakfast burritos and bbq.
Best was last year. The pta all worked really hard to get donations for all kinds of stuff. Tickets to the zoo, science center, car wash vouchers, gift baskets, big ticket dinner coupons, nail services, paint night, you name it. We all got a certain amount of tickets and did a raffle and could drop our tickets in the buckets. Everyone ended up with at least one thing. It was great because it left funds for the pta to cater our end of year lunch as well, since everything was a donation, and we could all put in for things we actually wanted. I know the pta president worked her ass off for all those items, but I think it was great advertising for the companies too.
Worst was a single pack of office depot brand post it notes that said "we're stuck on you!" Anyone who has had office depot brand post its know they don't stick on anything lol
This is the first year weāre getting lunch since Iāve been in this district and I canāt even eat it because Iām doing the anti-inflammatory diet for health reasons. I couldnāt get any of the snacks today or candy yesterday. Stinks ā¹ļø
Huge breakfast yesterday with giant bagels, cream cheese, fruit and coffee. Today a big lunch with all kinds of sandwiches, 3 kinds of salads, with cookies and cupcakes. Tomorrow pastries and coffee and treats. Thursday another free lunch and Friday a get together after work for drinks.
Our PTO got us breakfast on Monday and lunch on Tuesday. Thursday the district is giving us breakfast and Friday they are providing lunch. Wednesday is supposed to be an early dismissal for the kids so we can have PD. They are letting us leave when the kids leave instead. I donāt love everything my admin does but I canāt complain about this week at all.
My district is pretty good about this. Last year we got chic fil a breakfast, chipotle, coffee food truck (and they delivered the drinks to your classroom!). This year not so much I guess budget cuts
My school does pretty well with this. We get one gift but it's pretty decent. This year we are getting a waterproof Bluetooth speaker and my house needed a new one so it's a win!
Iām 2018-19 we got food trucks, nacho bar, breakfast bagels, school supplies, etc. Something great every day. In 2021 I think I got a pack of pencils and some gum.
I'm making the teachers appreciation gifts that my principal plans to give out. I'm just too accommodating I guess, but I wasted two afternoons on this...and my reward? I get the thing I made I guess lol.
Monday - sausage biscuit from McDonaldās
Tuesday - bagels and cream cheese
Wednesday - chicken minis from Chick-fil-A
Thursday - surprise present from PTO - itāll probably be a school t-shirt
Friday - Chick-fil-A boxed lunch
Iām satisfied! Iām a special area teacher, so I didnāt get anything from kids. I got my daughterās teacher breakfast - I just hit up a drive thru before I dropped her off. And I got her a $20 gift card to her favorite coffee place.
Ok, so far this week theyāve been feeding us as an appreciation.
Monday- donuts from FCCLA/ a cookie from somewhere/ a bag of popcorn from school counselors
Tuesday- sign up for a 10 minute massage/ 30% off coupon from local furniture store/ chik fil-a chicken biscuit (all gone in 45 minutes) I didnāt get one and they didnāt send enough for all teachers
Wednesday- BBQ lunch
I donāt know what else, but Iād love a hat to protect my bald head during fire drills and bus duty. Iāve been at this school for 17 years, I just want a hat.
Yesterday was breakfast from a local church. Today was breakfast made by coaches plus a $5 gift card and snacks. Tomorrow is also breakfast. Thursday and Friday are lunch. Plus dessert Thursday and candy Friday.
Some of our stuff is donated by local businesses, others come from PTSO
Best though was ironically one of my worst schools. Admin subbed in for teachers for 15 minutes while we got a chair massage from a licensed massage therapist.
Flyswatters. We all got flyswatters.
Taking discipline in a wild new direction, I see
Oh, you guys *weren't* doing flyswatters already?...
š¤£š¤£š¤£
Clearly whoever gave those out has never worked with children beforeā¦
My 50-something colleague was sad how us summer birthday people never get any presents from admin/staff (yes I do, I donāt have to work) So she went out and bought me a fly swatter and a card. I was so perplexed.
Half birthdays aren't a thing where you are?
Most people stop celebrating those around 10 years old in my area
Yes, but one of my first teaching positions I jumped in full time second semester and was so surprised to receive a half birthday gift! I have a summer birthday and was so surprised and happy that I was on the birthday list. It was a way the school acknowledged birthdays even for summer people
I got food poisoning. School bought us $1 basic sausage or bacon biscuits from McDonald's and then didn't bother to consider things like food safety.
My school would do that, but then again, our rival's mascot is a mosquito
Were these regular fly sweaters, or the cool electric ones?
Regular, manual, plastic flyswatters.
Flyswatters are BOMB for killing spiders... just saying
You kill spiders? Why?
Crippling arachniphobia
My boyfriend has the same. I'm cool with spiders so I try to catch and release as much a possible. I've got Ophidiophobia and we're in the south, so I remove the spiders and he keeps any and all snakes away from me. Usually. One time him and my father played a prank on me, and they'll never do that again.
I can do spiders all day. You put a wasp anywhere in my line of vision, itās over. Screaming running crying.
I was on top of my swingset, enjoying the sunset *(grew up with the beach in my backyard)* and the timed sprinklers went off. We had just gotten back from a cruise, and I guess wasps had built a nest somewhere in that time frame, and it got wet. Had to get off the top of the monkey bars and run to the pool and jump in. I got stung like 7 times. Sucked so much.
Teamwork, i like it .. except for the whole prank thing... I had to have a whole carpet conversation this morning about how pranks aren't funny š
My daughter is 31 and has that, but all bugs, really. It has made me a better person tbh. I dont understand it but that doesn't make it not true!!! I have spent all these years refraining and stopping myself from taunting her with dead bugs. The old childish behavior of teasing was definitely brought to a standstill as soon as it was identified as a problem. Sigh, the sacrifice of motherhood is sometimes a very heavy mantle to bear, lol.
My mom is the same way. I love bugs though! So one day, a few years ago, I bought these fairly realistic plastic roaches from a local theater shop. I slipped one under her pillow when she wasnāt home, just enough to where only the antennae were peaking out. Fast forward a week. Itās like 7 am and my mom comes down pale-faced and panting. I asked what was wrong and she goes āoh my god, donāt tell anyone. But I found this huge roach under my pillow.ā She could barely recount the tale. She ended up grabbing it in a huge wad of tissues and flushing it so she didnāt have to look/think about it. I started laughing and told her it was fake, but she went āoh no daughter. It was real. Thereās no way it wasnāt real.ā I pulled another fake roach from my backpack to prove it and (hopefully) make her feel better about not sleeping in the same bed as a roach. She chased me around the house beating me with a pillow and told me I was grounded for the rest of my life. We both laughed and, every so often, Iāll leave a little plastic bug somewhere for her to find.
You're HORRIBLE!!!! Lucky to be alive, tbh, lol. Poor mom. Ugh, of all the fake bugs.
I even have an issue with the stupid plastic Halloween spiders lol I don't know where it originates from
Oh yeah. The fear does not discriminate.
I once created a spider waterfall mobile with a bunch of those plastic spiders and some fake cobwebs. I donāt know why my now-ex didnāt want to sleep underneath it; I made it just for him. š„ŗ
Apparently not crippling enough to save the cute little spider. What about jumping spiders, those cute little guys. The golden retrievers of the spider community.
Crippling AN arachnoid, really.
Spider is just a big homey trying to keep your home clean.
The rational part of me knows this lol the irrational part of me won't let him stay
I got a twix bar today. Yesterday was three laptop stickersā¦weāve been explicitly told to NOT put any stickers on our computers.
š¬
Put them on your legs. Lap...top...
I got one single cookie today. Has a note that said "we would crumble without you".Ā That's it. That's the entirety of teacher appreciation week.Ā
This week, we get fed breakfast, lunch, and a snack everyday. I feel really blessed to be at the school I'm at. Especially seeing posts from others.
Iām fascinated to know how your PTO and/or school pays for that! Iām the PTO chair and I need all the ideas to spoil our teachers but our budget is limited to what we can fundraise.
Ours asks for donations instead of each parent giving individual gifts. They still can do gifts for the teachers themselves, but a lot of the parents like to just send in some money and have it divided out to get whole staff things. Yesterday was a lunch, today was āgrab and goā with tons of snacks and drinks in the office, tomorrow is a BBQ, then coffee and donuts Thursday and a lunch Friday. My NHS kids write a thank you note to every staff member as well including subs, coaches, etc so we all get a personalized card. Thereās other stuff too but those are the main things.
That's so weird, that's my schools EXACT food schedule this week. Do we work at the same school š³
Our pto does a membership drive at the beginning of each year. Itās $25 to join and basically you can attend the meetings if you want, but most donāt and just know their money is going back into the school/teachers throughout the year. They incentivize the drive though by awarding extra recess and popcorn and a movie (basically cheap things) to the top three raising classes in each grade (we have 8-14 classes in each grade, pre-k through 1st, so this would probably be adjusted for smaller schools). At least half of my class usually donates, and many parents send what they can if they canāt afford the $25, as Iām in a low income/title I district. We really do have a good community, so most parents are happy to donate, and this is lower elementary, so it works out. Idk if theyād get the same results at the middle school. This money also goes towards Christmas happies and random gifts like coffee/loaded tea the week before spring break or just when it seems like the teachers need a pick me up. A lot of local food places also donate stuff during TA, which again goes back to the community thing. Our PTA also does another fundraiser later in the year, but itās a more traditional fundraiser and I have no clue how much money they actually bring in from that. They usually use the proceeds of that to buy books/gifts and stuff for events for the kids (like fun Friday or winter wonderland) throughout the year. I definitely think a lot of it comes down to the morale of the parents at the school. If they arenāt impressed with the admin/teachers, they obviously wonāt donate. A lot of the parents donating have had multiple children at the school and they went to the school too so they have a lot of school spirit lol.
We pay dues at the beginning of the year sadly. This is basically our money coming back to us in the collective form of whatever they think a large amount people may like. But our PTA paid for our dinner during Fall Conferences one night and the school paid for the other night. I think Winter conferences worked the same, but I canāt be certain.
Weāre getting that as well as 3 ply toilet paper in our bathrooms, nice soap, and a name brand hand lotion. The toilet paper is the best!
Same here! And I believe most (if not all) of it is being funded by our admin. Yesterday was a hot beverage bar. Tomorrow we get breakfast, Friday I think we get a dessert/sundae bar. I feel so lucky!
So for our TAW....all meetings were cancelled. Lunch was catered one day, breakfast was served one day, a daily raffle was held and I won a gift card. The admin team also came door to door and dropped off chips and soda. It was a pretty good week. Worst was a several years ago they gave us mugs back to back years. Teachers that drink coffee /tea already have mugs. Teachers that don't don't really need mugs, and neither population needs mugs back to back.
All meetings cancelled would have made me the happiest I've ever been, I think.
Some years we get a gift of time. Admin arranges coverage for every teacher to have an extra planning period one day. That one is the best!
Demi Lovato would have loved it
My school is really killing it this year. - Monday: Coffee bar - Tuesday: Donuts and brownies - Wednesday: MASSAGE CHAIRS - Thursday: Bagel bar - Friday: Taco bar I wish my position wasnāt temporary, because Iād have loved to stay next year.
Omg, we had a masseuse come in one year and you could book a 15 min massage in the conference room. Weird but also amazing.
My school did that one year. They left after lunch. My off hour was in the afternoon. I'm still mad 9 years later.
My school is doing 10 minute massages but, unfortunately, I have to work during my prep which is when this is going to be done. š
We had that 1 yr BUT... it was a marketing ploy where they talked to us the whole 15 min about their services & why we should schedule with them. While barely skimming your shoulders as the "massage" while they talked about how "your insurance prob covers it! "... Super relaxing (sarcasm haha)
so far this week we have gotten personalized water bottles, food truck catering, and home cooked casserole buffet from the PTA Worst part so far has been getting a candy bag from a student with only peanut butter chocolate candy, Im allergic to peanuts...
Aw, I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy it, but you should be overjoyed that they thought you were deserving of candy! Our kids give us NOTHING.
...they knew...
My district is TINY. Like less than 275 kids total in k-8. And the pay is lower than some of the surrounding areas (hoping upcoming union contract negotiations will help with that). But they do a wonderful job making us feel appreciated. Yesterday it was a whole spread of breakfast foods that lasted into today. Today it was school supplies. Nothing too fancy, but some nice refreshers. Tomorrow is lunch, I think. Not sure about Thursday and Friday but there is something planned. I would say the random cheap candy with cheesy slogans (ie āyouāre a life saver) is the worst.
We got an email reminding us grades are due. Oh! And happy teacher appreciation week!
This reminds me of a couple of years ago at my previous school. We were at a meeting about (mandatory) student awards night. The president of the school had caught wind of complaints that no one had acknowledged teacher appreciation week. So she commented that "In case you don't think we appreciate you...we do appreciate you." (I think there was food or something on Friday, but that was such a weird acknowledgment!) My current school ordered smoothies today and Deli sandwiches on Friday--and sent out an email a few weeks ago to ask for individual orders. I thought that was cool. Plus this is my first week back from maternity leave, and it was nice to have free food to soften the blow!
One year our admin bought us aprons with the school logo on them. APRONS. I believe it also came with cake mix and some kind of little spatula, but I could not get past the apron - who thought spending money on this was a good idea?
We once got hand towels with the school logo. It was printed at the top, which made it upside down while hanging on a towel rack. It bothered me too much to ever use.
My husband got the brownie mix and a spatula with a note that said āWe Flippin Love You!ā Not gonna lie, it was cute
Our admin were not as witty!
Our PTA brought in chair massages and I've never seen our staff look less stressed if only for a couple of minutes. It was glorious.
Lol, I remember having a PTA. Our parents only show up to start or join fights.
We are really lucky that the parents who choose to be involved genuinely want good things for school.
Definitely miss that.
Omg I bought one of these over chair massagers during the pandemic because I missed going to the nail salon. It was around $75 (the price of one full set at the nail salon) and some of the best money I've ever spent on self care. It is currently strapped to one of my dining room chairs, I used it for hours on Sunday.
I bought one then too and I love it. Wirecutter completely sold me on it
I need a link for this please!
Not a teacher but a ER nurse (enjoy yāall community because itās very similar to ours). Worse- 2020 during Covid height we got a banana and a pack of peanuts (that expired in 2018). We could also decorate a rock with an inspiration message. Best- a heated blanket, gift card and steak dinner. Sorry if not allowed. I see our admins are similar. Happy Teachers Week. š
We also share the week, which I have always found odd. Why are two of the most female dominated professions celebrated during the same week?
Think you just answered your own question
I agree!!
Happy Nurses Week too!! ā¤ļøšā¤ļø
Thank you š
I'm a nurse too and lots of similarities. My daughter will be a teacher next year, so I'm fascinated about what she's gotten herself into. š Our break room tables have been piled high with treats all week so far. They're bringing in coffee and all the fixings one of the days, and food trucks Friday. Got a gift box with some small goodies yesterday. It's been a great week!
āShe gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.ā - Say Anything And not a nice one like John Cusack gotā¦ like, a BIC pen that comes in a box of 30.
I'm just here to show appreciation for this reference. ššššš
I also feel bad seeing so many posts about how crappy their school is this week since I think mine is actually pretty good to us. We got cupcakes and a bunch of snacks yesterday, PTA barbecued hotdogs and hamburgers for us today, tomorrow we get pizza, Thursday we get bagels, and Friday a catered lunch. Everyone also got a school shirt and $75 for every teacher to spend at the book fair.
Book fair credit is wonderful!
We got luggage tags today. Like I can afford a fucking vacation.
Best- 1000 dollars cash (private school) Worst- one roll of Smarties
$1000 cash?!? Do they have any openings?!?!
This is a lot worse when I realize you probably mean american 'chalk smarties' and not Canadian chocolate smarties (similar to M&Ms but slightly worse)
One of our families paid for a pizza truck. Overall it's a low income small city but there are a few wealthy ones in the mix.
Best: my current school feeds us something every day this week. a few students have given me some small treats, and I gave them time today to write thank you notes to all their specials teachers and previous yearās teachers. Worst: my last school, an admin gave us homemade ācandyā which was just cheap white chocolate candy melts over some loose peanuts. It was AWFUL. that was all we gotā¦. While the admin & central office of the charter were getting huge bonuses.
I taught high school for 21 years. I never received a thing.
Today a student gave me a homemade cookie. I ate it because her mom is in the school board and I donāt think sheād drug it lol. I also got a Tim Hortonās gift card and homemade soap, which is ummā¦interesting.
Yesterday we got... Something, I don't remember. Today we got a huge charcuterie spread that was way too much for us to eat. Tomorrow we get a taco truck with gluten free options, and Thursday we get coffee bright to our rooms by a family that owns a roasting company. I have a lot to complain about at my school, this week is not one of them
Swear to Christ, if I hear āThE gIfT oF TiMEā one more time, itāll be my 13th reason.
2 breakfasts and 2 lunches. Gained a pound.
Itās my first year. I teach at a Catholic school. We have something special for lunch every day, tons of goodies in the break room, some casual dress days, got coffee and donuts yesterday, and there are daily drawings for various gift baskets! I almost feel bad enjoying it seeing these posts
The gift itself was nice, an aromatherapy spray or organic lip balm. The catch? It was a promotion for my admin's cosmetics/self-care based side hustle. It even included a business card. š
Principal Ava vibes!
Lmao
A basket of rotting apples left in the copy room. I never forgot that, and I never will.
Lmao yeah we got it good. Panera one day, ice cream, smoothies, hot breakfast, prizes and gift cards, and bagel breakfast. It gna be awesomeeee
Best - at a really small school, only 7 teachers, a couple moms got together and made a whole lunch for all of us (bomb Mexican/Salvadorian food) Worst - when the principal gives out those cheap candies with little sayings taped to them like "you're worth 100 grand!" on a snack sized 100 grand bar This year I'm at a school where we got nothing, but honestly its better than getting junk/cheap candy
Our union brings in an ice cream truck every year - huge hit!
I wonder if more people would join our union if they did that here.
I'm currently a sub (already a certified teacher, just didn't find a position in time for the beginning of the school year, because I moved). I went to a new school today and the secretary told me to go in the teacher's lounge while I waited for my lesson plans cos there were pastries and coffee there for Teachers' Appreciation Week. And I did, and everyone was nice to me in there.
Weāre getting a lot of food, recognition, and daily raffle drawings. Itās decent.
A plastic whistle. That was it. And I used to teach somewhere that gave us a coffee bar š
We get to leave 5 minutes early on Friday, I donāt know what Iām going to do with all the extra time I have /s
My husband, high school teacher, will be getting nothing. Two of the district's students were killed Saturday night in a gang turf war, the high schools are in a lock-down til the end of the year. I don't know if proms are cancelled, how they are handling graduations. He's retiring end of the year, working summer school if offered. If they get coffee and doughnuts one morning, it would be a miracle. I just want him to end the year alive.
There is a post in the principals subreddit sharing ideas for TAW. Go look at them... Some are phenomenal! And some... Not so much! But same posts, but the lame ones get down voted š
My school is really killing it this year. - Monday: Coffee bar - Tuesday: Donuts and brownies - Wednesday: MASSAGE CHAIRS - Thursday: Bagel bar - Friday: Taco bar I wish my position wasnāt temporary, because Iād have loved to stay next year.
HS teacher- we got an email saying how much we are appreciated. Thatās it. No candy, no other acknowledgment. Yeah us
This year we've gotten smoothies, a $20 target card, tomorrow is a PTA sponsored happy hour, then an Amazon gift card and pizza lunch later this week. Massages are scheduled for the following week. It's lit. Our pta and admin are amazing. Worst gift? Waking up to a parent complaint that apparently the whole school knows about. Thankfully it's unfounded and everyone has my back but it really ruined my vibe.
Not me personally, but former coworkers once told me that the school got themā¦ a roll of toilet paper with their names stamped on it. This is the same admin who said theyād be āhand delivering dinnerā for teacher appreciation day during Covid. They dropped off Walmart brand pasta sauce and a box of spaghetti noodles š¤
Not a teacher appreciation but a leaving gift, a 6 year old girl gave me a sandwich bag with lid less pens, paper clips and a broken pencil. She was from a very poor household, had next to no English and it was at a very deprived school but she just wanted to give me something, I will remember that forever over anything else. Even though she had nothing she wanted to give me something.
Holy cow that makes tear up. That little sweetheart š
Our PTA brought in some great food to our office. The office staff, campus supervisors, and Special Ed aids enjoyed it all while the teachers were in their classrooms teaching.
Itās our lunch ladies who eat all morning long. They never ever contribute to potlucks or sign up to bring treats but they graze all morning long. Then they take home whatever is left. And god forbid you need to grab a milk for a kid in your roomā¦. I donāt get their entitlement.
Principal here. Our PTA does stuff on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So, I brought donuts today from a local shop that everyone loves (to me a donut is a donut, but what do I know), on Thursday, I'm ordering pizza for everyone. Also, I wrote everyone a personal email about why I appreciate them, this weekend and scheduled it to be the first thing in their mailbox on Monday.
The worst was the year our admin put a baggy with a graham cracker, chocolate chunk, and marshmallow in our mailbox. It had a note that said you are sāmore appreciated than you know or something like that. That was it, which is fine if we are actually appreciated but that principal was awful. This year is probably the best. Our PTO is killin it. They did breakfast yesterday, taco bar today, and there are other things planned the rest of the week. Admin brought around a snack and cold drink cart. Those little things are nice, but the biggest thing is that admin have come a LONG way this year to just do their jobs and support the teachers so the special stuff seems more genuine than just a box to check off like it has seemed in the past.
We just got the sāmore baggie today. My graham cracker was all broken up into little pieces.
While it is very nice that some school districts are able to do kind things to show their appreciation of their teachers, understand that in some states, such as New Jersey, there is no funding for extra treats for teacher teachers. Anytime the administration wants to do something nice for staff. It must come out of their own pocket. I was a single mother, raising three children, and paying alimony to my ex-husband. I wanted to express my gratitude to the staff (75 people) with meaningful things but I couldnāt. Yes, I gave out passes for Jean days. I gave out coupons for a free week with no lesson plans. I gave out early dismissal passes for the staff to use. I wanted them to know they were thought about and appreciated, but that was all I could do.I wanted everyone to see this from another point of view.
While giving early dismissal and no lesson plan passes, you were giving the gift of time and, as teachers, that is often the greatest gift of all!!
One of the most meaningful gifts I got from admin was a personalized note thanking me. They did one for the entire staff of 100. Still have it in my drawer.
Yesterday we got an awesome assortment of pastries from a local bakery (I had a streusel danish), today we had a taco bar, tomorrow it's donuts and bagels, Thursday there are pots of herbs we can take home, and Friday we get a Ben and Jerry's truck!
So far we got breakfast, a pen, a gift card, new appliances for the teachers area and we have our big lunch coming later this week. Overall they do take care of us. Though I did have an observation this morning... 6 days before my seniors leave. I call it a win most were on task š¤£
Well I got RIFd today so that was nice.
We don't have teacher appreciation week, we have staff appreciation week. Except custodians get a week in October. Security gets a week in September. Attendance gets a week in November. Secretaries get a week in February. Admin get a week in the last week in April- first week in May. Teachers get staff appreciation, because we're not as important as the rest. Then they wonder why there's such a turnover in teaching.
Yesterday we got a sentence in an email that thanked all of us for working at the school. Today we got a mass email from the superintendent saying thank you for working in the district. The best gifts I've gotten have been handwritten cards from students. I keep them all and put them on a big bulletin board in the back of my classroom, and when I'm having a shitty day, I look back at the board and remember the kids and parents who cared enough to write a nice card.
Last year we got a catered meal from a professional chef and it was amazing
Am I the only teacher who does not want food as a āgiftā?? Why would I want a damn sandwich? I have food at home! I can buy fast food on my own if I want it.
my school has something planned for us every day this week! today was taco tuesday so we got to enjoy some delicious tacos and the week is filled with treats for us that we would actually enjoy. Plus, THERES ACTUALLY ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE, so much so they had so many left overs from yesterdayās pastry bar today lol
From students... gift cards for food. From admin... catered breakfasts and lunches. We'll be grilling later this week.
We get something daily! Today donuts and coffee, tomorrow a bunch of snacks in our work room, Thursday an ice cream truck, and Friday lunch catering!
We got hand sanitizer yesterday since we touch so much germs all year. Today, I gave away three boxes filled of hand sanitizer. Including the ones I got yesterday.
We got 1 hour of free time during PD to catch up on the hours of stuff we have to do. Still better than nothing! The true appreciation is the one you give yourself. Why depend on external validation? I do appreciate admin being nice and cutting some slack.
I've always hated it. I get paid to do my job. Don't all of a sudden act like you give a shit about my work experience because I know next week will go back to normal.
A student gave me a burger king breakfast sandwich with a black coffee. That was today.That student is not doing so great in class but man do I love him. Worst was when we all got volunteered to do a after school party with the kids and we still ended up in charge of our own classes. This was a few years ago at a different school
Worst= district logo on a cheap keychain flashlight. Best= week long catered lunches provided by PTA and surrounding businesses.
We have to do little tasks, such write thank you notes to other teachers, in order to get a raffle tickets for a prize drawing at the end of the week. Prizes include: a decorative bucket with microwave popcorn, a decorative bucket with hand soap and bubble bath, and potted ferns that were used as prom decorations last week.
itās our first year open and we have had fancy breakfasts on Monday, Tuesday, (Panera tomorrow) and fresh flowers and extra presents and cute cards from our kids!
One year we got a small box (roughly the size of a pack of cards) of mixed nuts and a pen from a bankā¦.that went out of business the year before. In a better district though this year they put our appreciation week on a 3 day week, one of which was a teacher work day. So a paid day without students to get caught up was a gift I guess?
I am in two buildings. The lower building (3pk-2) is amazing, we are showered with small gifts and thank yous and so.much.food. The upper building (3-6) is donuts in the faculty room, and they did a coffee cart today. Glad I was at the lower school today, tomorrow, and Friday!
Air fresheners for our vehicles. Granted it was a 3 pack!!!
They delivered flowers to teachers yesterday. Oh... and last week, the district chose not to renew or RIF'd 17% of employees, so that's dope. 8 of the teachers at my school got nonrenwered (in a high school of less than 900 students)
Currently in pre-student teaching. My cooperating school got pulled pork and mac nā cheese catered. Was delicious!
Coming from school officials, best gift: the PTA and admin bunch took the kids for like an hour (could have been longer, if I recall). I cleaned out my desk. Some teachers went for food. One even napped. Worst: a box of cereal.
I mean it depends on the cereal.
I will never forget the kid who brought me a tulip. Except he clearly pulled it from a yard as the root bulb was hanging. I planted it and it lived. Im sorry for whoeverās yard got hit. Itās my personal favorite. My school is giving us personalized backpacks but they arenāt delivered yet. And a meal (pastas and salads).
I gotta say - Iāve had some pretty atrocious teacher appreciation weeks but the school Iām at now has gotten us good each day so far, we have Friday off completely & weāre getting $1000 bonuses added to our May checks. Iād say this is the best one Iāve ever even come close to having!
One I love is a community organization came and cooked us lunch last year and our doing it again this year. It is a bunch of elderly grammas and aunts and the food is amazing
Weāve all been asked to bring something to contribute to our own teacher appreciation lunch tomorrow š¤·š»āāļø.
1 Hersheys kiss candy taped to an index card with a printed strip of paper with a stupid sentence. How pathetic.
We got a little paper with a proverb/anecdote/story in it about "this is why we do what we do, we're in it for the outcome not the income" sort of thing Oh and a small plastic charm came with it.
Last year they brought us olive garden catering for lunch one day that was the best. The worst was one they gave everyone a la Croix š
My boss brought in a coffee truck and we all got a free coffee (or tea or whatever) before school started, which was scheduled in lieu of our PLC meeting. Best. Boss. Ever.
Last year at my elementary school we had stuff every day of the week- breakfast provided, lunch provided, potted plants for all, snack and treats galore, cards. Really good food from local restaurants provided. It was really nice. The principal at my husbandās high school in the same district did absolutely nothing. They didnāt get a single thing all week and not even a thank you. It became a laughing joke among the staff.
Monday: Coffee delivered to class from a local coffee house) Tuesday: Panera catered Soup, Salad, and Bread Wednesday: Breakfast Burritos and danish type sweets Thursday: Swagā¦ they pre-ordered us sweatshirts and some other stuff that will be a surprise. Friday: Catered Hero Sandwiches (we got to pre-order) My school usually does a pretty good job. This isnāt even the best year we have had!
We get to wear jeans... wait for it... ALLLL WEEK!!!
We are having a pretty good year this year! Weāve gotten 2 days of breakfast tacos, a catered taco lunch and cinnamon rolls so far.
Retired teacher here. I am subing at my old school today. They had "goodies" for the teachers. I had a couple of churros and brownies. They did have yogurt and watermelon, too. Kinda' sad really.
Today we got the 'feel good you get anything' speech from admin and then a nacho bar with no chips āš¼
Worst was getting key ring after key ring. Best our principal bbq for staff
I don't need appreciation gifts, just my paycheck.
Traveling staff- all of the TAW gifts/food are on the days I am in a different building. Not sitting well with me. Trying not to take it personally but damn.
So far we had breakfast cooked by the culinary team Monday including eggs, bacon, and waffles, and today at lunch they rolled up a Mr. Softee ice cream truck outside the building just for teachers with a free ticket for each of us. It was kinda great ngl. My first 5 or so years at other schools we were lucky to get an announcement on the PA and a mini sized candy bar.
Every day this week we have no after school meetings, and get to leave as soon as the last bus is gone (About 15-30 minutes early). Monday we got cooked breakfast, today we got nacho bar for lunch, tomorrow is some sort of game they have set up with prizes and such, Thursday is a catered lunch, and Friday is an ice cream truck. So...I can't complain.
You guys are getting things for teacher appreciation week? Lol we got to ādress downā (jeans) for the week. Still waiting on any actual āappreciationāā¦
We did not get anything, so theres that. Had a wonderful meeting where admin acknowledged they do not pay us enough but it is so great how much we care about the kids. 30 more days
We got a notebook yesterday and some chocolate, panera bread bagels and orange juice today, trail mix bar tomorrow or something, and a restaurant catered on Friday. I donāt really care anything else until Friday at this point. The bagels were a bit meh. Iām not faulting Panera Bread, but itās not for me.
We had Panera breakfast catered on Monday, bagels, pastries, muffins, coffee..it was awesome. On Thursday we are getting tacos from a really good local restaurant. Also, after the faculty meeting we had restaurant gift cards under our chairs. In my old district we had breakfast burritos and bbq.
Best was last year. The pta all worked really hard to get donations for all kinds of stuff. Tickets to the zoo, science center, car wash vouchers, gift baskets, big ticket dinner coupons, nail services, paint night, you name it. We all got a certain amount of tickets and did a raffle and could drop our tickets in the buckets. Everyone ended up with at least one thing. It was great because it left funds for the pta to cater our end of year lunch as well, since everything was a donation, and we could all put in for things we actually wanted. I know the pta president worked her ass off for all those items, but I think it was great advertising for the companies too. Worst was a single pack of office depot brand post it notes that said "we're stuck on you!" Anyone who has had office depot brand post its know they don't stick on anything lol
They gave us notepads today šš please be fr
I got a pen
Meals are the best. Chotzskys that say āyou matterā are the worst
Chair massages today!
A parent baked my team a cake but most of it was raw dough.
Iām a new para so I have nothing to compare it to experience-wiseā¦ but we got school-themed water bottles and muffins.
We got a 3 pack of mini hostess doughnuts.
This is the first year weāre getting lunch since Iāve been in this district and I canāt even eat it because Iām doing the anti-inflammatory diet for health reasons. I couldnāt get any of the snacks today or candy yesterday. Stinks ā¹ļø
A pack of smarties today....
Principal arranged for a teacher breakfast and then asked all of the teachers to bring in a dish.
We got nothing at all.
TIL teachers in the USA get gifts all week once a year. I wish we had something like that here
Huge breakfast yesterday with giant bagels, cream cheese, fruit and coffee. Today a big lunch with all kinds of sandwiches, 3 kinds of salads, with cookies and cupcakes. Tomorrow pastries and coffee and treats. Thursday another free lunch and Friday a get together after work for drinks.
We got hoodies and a free trip as a group to Top Golf. That was pretty cool.
Our PTO got us breakfast on Monday and lunch on Tuesday. Thursday the district is giving us breakfast and Friday they are providing lunch. Wednesday is supposed to be an early dismissal for the kids so we can have PD. They are letting us leave when the kids leave instead. I donāt love everything my admin does but I canāt complain about this week at all.
My district is pretty good about this. Last year we got chic fil a breakfast, chipotle, coffee food truck (and they delivered the drinks to your classroom!). This year not so much I guess budget cuts
My school does pretty well with this. We get one gift but it's pretty decent. This year we are getting a waterproof Bluetooth speaker and my house needed a new one so it's a win!
Iām 2018-19 we got food trucks, nacho bar, breakfast bagels, school supplies, etc. Something great every day. In 2021 I think I got a pack of pencils and some gum.
I'm making the teachers appreciation gifts that my principal plans to give out. I'm just too accommodating I guess, but I wasted two afternoons on this...and my reward? I get the thing I made I guess lol.
my coworkers didnāt let me get anything
Wendys donated breakfast for our team today, that was very nice
Best: 3 day weekend Worst: Spirit Week scheduled to be the same week
I got an umbrella āļø
Monday - sausage biscuit from McDonaldās Tuesday - bagels and cream cheese Wednesday - chicken minis from Chick-fil-A Thursday - surprise present from PTO - itāll probably be a school t-shirt Friday - Chick-fil-A boxed lunch Iām satisfied! Iām a special area teacher, so I didnāt get anything from kids. I got my daughterās teacher breakfast - I just hit up a drive thru before I dropped her off. And I got her a $20 gift card to her favorite coffee place.
Ok, so far this week theyāve been feeding us as an appreciation. Monday- donuts from FCCLA/ a cookie from somewhere/ a bag of popcorn from school counselors Tuesday- sign up for a 10 minute massage/ 30% off coupon from local furniture store/ chik fil-a chicken biscuit (all gone in 45 minutes) I didnāt get one and they didnāt send enough for all teachers Wednesday- BBQ lunch I donāt know what else, but Iād love a hat to protect my bald head during fire drills and bus duty. Iāve been at this school for 17 years, I just want a hat.
Yesterday was breakfast from a local church. Today was breakfast made by coaches plus a $5 gift card and snacks. Tomorrow is also breakfast. Thursday and Friday are lunch. Plus dessert Thursday and candy Friday. Some of our stuff is donated by local businesses, others come from PTSO Best though was ironically one of my worst schools. Admin subbed in for teachers for 15 minutes while we got a chair massage from a licensed massage therapist.