Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, May 02, 2011

Jenna Alfonseca, a first-grade teacher at Arlington Elementary, beamed over her flowers at the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week. (Photo: Tammy L. Lane)

May 2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week 

Broad smiles rippled through Arlington Elementary as students launched Teacher Appreciation Week with handfuls of fresh flowers.  

One first-grade teacher improvised on vases, using a plastic salad dressing bottle to hold some colorful blooms. Down the hall, a bright yellow bulletin board awaited the schoolwide postings of special notes and poems from the heart.

“They’ll write a memory that the teacher may have forgotten about, but it impacted that child,” said Principal Kim Lippert.

That’s one of those “aha” moments, when an educator realizes how much the little things matter.

Rolling all those moments into one communal outpouring, students across the school district are doing their best to say “thank you” this week.

At Arlington, each day brings another opportunity – whether offering up a candy bar for a sweet teacher or restocking her classroom supply cabinet. And then there are the handwritten cards and other creative things the kids come up with on their own.

“It teaches them to appreciate the person who’s working with them and taking care of them every day. It helps them express their feelings and put it into words,” said PSA Jennifer Perkins, who still keeps a “No. 1 Teacher” pin in her jewelry box at home.

From fruit trays to prize drawings, schools and PTA groups find special ways to celebrate their teachers. Some also expand the sentiment to include all staff.

Veterans Park Elementary, for instance, honors different groups throughout the school year, including the cafeteria staff this month. Back in August, every school employee got a “Thank you for a Great First Week” card and goodie bag. In the fall, the custodians received gift certificates. In February everyone felt special on “We Love VPE Staff Day,” and in March each staffer got a bag loaded with office supplies, gift cards, candles, lotions and other items donated by parents and students through the annual staff appreciation campaign.

This week, Veterans Park’s teachers and instructional assistants will embrace student letters and drawings on decorative stationery sent home by the PTA. And the week of May 9, all staff will be offered manicures, massages, homemade goodies and a catered luncheon with door prizes.

“The teachers enjoy it more when we give them something throughout the year,” said Kelli Preston, co-chair of the PTA’s staff appreciation committee. “We always get five or six (thank-you) notes after each activity.”

As at Arlington, the personal notes from children often are what find permanent homes on the teachers’ desks or refrigerators at home.

“We encourage the parents to have the children express how they feel and show their appreciation,” Preston said. “It’s so important to thank the people who’ve worked so hard for you all year.”