Last week I shared seven great teacher gifts, but I realized after posting it that I had left out the greatest gift a teacher can receive from students and their parents: a sincere thank you.
In my experience, teaching is a mostly thankless job, and those of us that care are often frustrated about... well, everything. We're all perfectionists to some degree, believing that we have the power to change students' lives. If we're not successful, we wonder what we did wrong or could do differently.
Keeping this in mind, I can't tell you how powerful and important it is to hear "thank you," or receive some kind of thank you note from a student or a parent. I've received too many to count over the years, but every single one is special. It's those thoughts that keep us going, that remind us why we do what we do.
So please, don't fret over what to get or how much to spend on your or your child's teacher. A simple show of appreciation, in person or in writing, is more than enough to warm any teacher's heart.