Thanking Teachers During COVID-19

Whether you’re in Ontario where we know kids won’t be going back to the classroom this year, or in Quebec where you may have had to choose whether or not to send your kids back to class, the teachers have had a year unlike any other this year, just as we all have. Despite not getting to see them very much (or maybe even more so because of that), you may want to take a bit of time to acknowledge the incredible learning curve that came with switching gears and attempting to connect with students and help support their education in a totally new way with no notice (during a crisis!).

We talked to a few teachers and parents to get some ideas on how you can thank the teachers during COVID-19::

Have your child make a card or write a note

Have your child say thank you by creating a piece of art or writing them a note. You can then either digitalize it and email it to the teacher, ask the teacher if they feel comfortable sharing their mailing address or send it to the school (though they might not get it for a while that way).

Have your child create a video

Kids are getting more and more comfortable with technology and creating a fun video for their teacher might be a great learning opportunity on top of a lovely gesture to thank the teachers that have been meaningful to your child/children. It could be a video from one child to one teacher, a video from one child to all their teachers or even a family video that is for all the teachers that impact the family. Send them the file or upload it to an unlisted YouTube page and send them the link.

Write the teacher an email

One of my friends who is a teacher has told me that one of the best gifts she ever got as a teacher was having a parent tell her how she impacted their child positively. Take a few moments and let teachers know how you believe they made a difference to your child and you’ll fill their hearts - that’s honestly why so many of them are in this profession to begin with!

Send them a gift card that supports their teaching

So many teachers spend money out of pocket for extra resources for their teaching (so much more than I ever realized!).

Send them a gift card that will help them pay for some of those resources.

There is a site called teachers pay teachers where teachers upload the resources they’ve created and other teachers pay them to use those resources (I love this idea, that could be the business coach side of me). :)

You can also buy a gift card from Staples, a local bookstore or even Indigo.

Send them a gift from a local business

There are so many great small businesses that are having to work harder than usual to keep their doors open right now and a gift card to a local restaurant, cafe, flower shop, etc would not only be a nice token for the teachers but also be a way to acknowledge the teachers in your life.

Whether you spend money or go with one of the free options, the idea is that if you have seen and noticed how much the teachers in your children’s lives really care and want to do something for them, they will appreciate the gesture, and I believe they really deserve it after the curve balls they’ve been thrown this year.