You know how some articles are full of thought-provoking content and “get your wheels turning” theological ideas? And some are full of practical ideas that you can use immediately or that spark your own creative genius within? This one is the latter! So if you need some practical “What can I do for Teacher Appreciation this year?” ideas, read on!
Teacher Appreciation is one of my favorite times of year – and it could be because I work with a most creative Christian Education Team who can dream up fun ways to show gratitude; or it could be because my heart genuinely is grateful for those that spend each week preparing a lesson, praying for their students, and humbly and wisely teaching others. Either way, it is an honor to show gratitude to those who have served the educational ministries of the church.
Bucket Fillers
This idea was born from one of our public school teachers – at the elementary school they were showing children how to be “bucket fillers” or encouragers of others. We took it literally! We bought cute Summer buckets (Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree) and had a creative girl with a cricut machine put everyone’s name on them. We lined the buckets up on tables in the Fellowship Hall for the month of August and invited others to fill them with notes of gratitude, small gifts (gift cards, hand lotions, note pads, books, etc) and then presented them to teachers at the end of the month. I made sure to add a small gift from the CE team each week too!
Educational History Luncheon
Plan a potluck following worship one Sunday and in the weeks leading up invite each class to designate one person to speak on behalf of their class by sharing a history of their class, ways their class supports one another as community, and some words of appreciation for their teacher(s). It is especially interesting to hear from members of third-age classes who have been together for 50 years or more as a class. And it’s a great way for younger members to learn about the legacy that being active in church school leaves. It’s also a beautiful reminder of the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before and a special time of story sharing.
Weekly Treats
One year, the CE team left a gift for each teacher, each week during August, in their space so they received it when they arrived to teach. Get creative – what can the folks in your church donate as the weekly gifts? Do you have t-shirt makers? Restaurant owners? Someone who can bake a mean brownie? The only “con” to this one is that if you have Midweek programming that breaks during the Summer (including the month of August) you’ll want to be sure to get gifts to those teachers as well, even though they may not be teaching at the time. It’s fun to walk in to class prepared to teach and find a treat waiting for you!
An Invitation-Only Dinner
Plan a dinner for only volunteers. Invite the CE team to prepare a delicious meal (or if several on the team are teachers maybe another team would be willing to prepare it? The session? The CPWM?) Set the tables with tablecloths and centerpieces and serve dinner. Place some conversation-starter-strips on the tables and invite teachers to use them to spark discussions. Some conversation starters could include: “Share a funny or favorite memory from your class this year.” “What was the hardest lesson you taught?” “How do you prepare for class each week?” “Share a meaningful church school experience you had as a child or youth.” Your teachers will enjoy the VIP treatment and the intimate conversation around the table.
Personalized Tables
Plan a potluck after worship and invite classes to decorate a table particularly in honor of their teacher. Invite classes to consider their teacher’s hobbies and passions and then to gather up decorations which represent the spirit of their 
teacher. For children’s classes, be sure to invite
parents of the kids in each particular class to help out. Teachers will be touched by the thoughtfulness of the members of their class. And everyone will enjoy seeing what everyone else has come up with!
So there you have it! Hopefully these ideas will awaken your own creative and grateful heart as you offer thanks to those in your church who teach and lead.
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