When my older daughter Abigail was born I committed in my heart and mind that that I would raise her (and her siblings too) to be kind, thoughtful, and compassionate. I’ve been trying to influence the way they think of the world by constantly reminding them to be grateful for what they’ve been given in life, especially others who invested in them. Great examples of such people are their school teachers.
Abigail is now in 5th grade and her younger sister is in 3rd. Together, the girls and I decided we wanted to spontaneously show our appreciation for their teachers by baking scones packaged in individual boxes accompanied with a tea bag and a hand written note. Knowing how hard our teachers work each day in the lives of students, we thought it would be a great idea to gift them an afternoon tea break.
Setting up a craft work table, I brought down everything we needed to help our vision take form. The girls wrote the sweetest notes to their favorite teachers and embellished them with ribbon or personalized artwork. I laid down squares of parchment paper in the bottom of each box followed by a scone. We also inserted a spiced tea bag so the teacher could make himself/herself a cup of tea to enjoy along with our homemade baked good. We finished off each box by taping a card to the top of each box and tying a piece of ribbon around each one. It was the thoughtful details we added that made it special.
Armed with our appreciation boxes, the girls eagerly found their teachers and one by one handed them a box. Needless to say, the teachers were very touched by this simple random act of appreciation.
Abigail delivered her first box to Mr. Alfred (the PE teacher) -one of the most popular teachers in the school. He immediately demonstrated kindness when he explained he would only eat half of the scone so he could save the other half for his wife.
Next was Mr. Rogers, the school librarian and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Mr. Roger’s is like a rock star in the school because he makes every student feel so very special. His love for teaching and kids is one of the reasons my daughters love to read so much. He found me in the hallway later in the afternoon to tell me how much he enjoyed the scone and the note.
Then…. there is this very special lady.
Mimi was particularly excited to give a box to her 2nd grade teacher from last year. Mrs. Martin-Smith has always been very special to both Abigail and Mimi. When Mimi handed Mrs. Martin-Smith her box she seemed moved by the letter. She was also very excited to have an afternoon snack considering she hadn’t eaten lunch. Mimi’s and Abigail’s love for her is quite special, especially considering Mrs. Martin-Smith is their former teacher. It’s obvious how impactful she was and is in both Mimi and Abigail’s lives.
If there was a lesson to be learned today, it is this: a person does not need a particular holiday or event to honor those who have touched their lives for the better. All they need is a willingness to show someone how much they are appreciated for their contributions to their lives. Remember, what you add makes it.
I would love to hear your teacher appreciation ideas in the comment section below. I am always looking for ideas! – Thank you!
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I came to your site, via White on Rice Couple, to read your recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I’m so happy I scrolled down to find this post. The picture of Mrs. Martin-Smith brought tears to my eyes. You are now “bookmarked” on my laptop. Thank you
What a charming and sweet idea! It’s inspiring to hear how you are raising your girls to be kind and compassionate people, and expressing that through little gestures like the tea-break gifties. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful and sweet gesture! It’s the spontaneity that’s makes the gift such a sweet and appreciated surprise.
I don’t know which recipe you used, but I have used your Cream Scones recipe and it is GOOD, really good. GREAT. It is my one-and-only go-to scone recipe. I have to substitute the egg with ground flax and water (because I have a kiddo allergic to eggs) – and still, it is delicious. You listed 9 oz of flour, and I wanted to emphasize to your readers that it is IMPORTANT because it does not equal to a cup of flour. Weigh the flour and you will have moist and oh-so delicious cream scones.
Hi!
My mom was a teacher and this happened once to her (she received flowers though) and she was really happy. I appreciate the gesture you made. It’s so sweet.
PS
I’m loving your website.
-CL
Last year one of the advent presents I gave my boys (preschool and 1st grade) was a small ornament with a note saying that they were to give the ornament away to someone special. They each gave it to their teacher. This warmed the teachers’ hearts knowing that the boys could have picked anyone and those chose her. It warmed my heart too knowing they love their teachers that much. It will be a tradition from now on for certain.
These are sooooo cute! And I love that it’s something unique – it’s not the traditional Starbucks gift card. Great idea!
XO Star @ Peace Love Wander
I love bringing teachers gifts, and the kids love it too. My kids love to give homemade stuff…but I also bring teachers bottles of wine (because we own a winery…that’s sort of homemade since I am the winemaker…right?). Beautiful post.
I’m a teacher so know the value of any kind of thanks…doesn’t have to be more than just a heartfelt word. THANK U!
This is so thoughtful and sweet! What a great way to raise your daughters to think of others more than themselves! As teachers, we get lots of gifts and sweets around the holidays when people think it’s “expected”. But the best gestures are the ones that come out of nowhere but students’ (and parents’) hearts! Their teachers were SO blessed by this move, I’m sure!
It is so sweet of you to do this for teachers! Sometimes they can be so under-appreciated and could use a nice little treat basket like this. Nice work!
What a great idea! My teenager gave his two favorite teachers a mini bouquet of roses at the end of the school year last June. Not the same as home-baked, but still much appreciated.
Soo Sweet of you & ur daughters..this is a great thing to do..Keep up the good work!! So proud of the girls!!
What a great idea to show appreciation during a random
Time of the school year- I’m sure the spontaneity of it made it even more appreciated. Great idea!
I am a teacher. The sweetest thing that has happened to me was similar to your idea. At the end of each year I attend a Teacher Tea Party hosted by two of my former students. Every year, since Kindergarten, the 2 girls have been allowed to invite their favorite teacher over to their home for afternoon tea. Some years there are 20 of us and other years only a few. It’s always the kickoff to the summer in the teacher’s minds. I look forward to my invitation every May. I don’t know what will happen after this year since the oldest daughter is going off to college–but I sure hope they continue the tradition.
What a wonderful idea. We homeschool, so no teachers to give out to, but we could do something for the librarians or even postal workers who are so nice to us in our small town!! 🙂
What a sweet, thoughtful idea. Your post warmed my heart. I love the attention to detail. I am going to try to do the same with my kids and their teachers. Thanks for the idea!
I love your post. This is a great idea. Could you post the scone recipe and let me know where you got those cool boxes to hold the treats?
I would take a crockpot full of soup with rolls, spoons, bowls and napkins every week and leave it in the teachers lounge. They were so appreciative! Often times teachers and their helpers dont have time to take a break and just have a quiet moment. Soup warms my soul, hopefully it did theirs as well.
How incredibly sweet and thoughtful! What a fabulous idea. I love spontaneous acts of kindness. 🙂
what a great article! would love the link to the scone recipe.