Teacher & Staff Appreciation Printable

 School is almost out!!

I'm so excited for summer (except for the blazing Phoenix heat)!

 

This year, I left the classroom and joined the office staff at a middle school.

It's been fun but, man,

it is a LOT of work to run a school!

I'm glad that Teacher Appreciation is observed nationally

{see what my kids gave their teachers here}

but there are so many people behind the scenes who help make learning possible:

the receptionist, attendance clerk, registrar, office manager, nurse, psychologist, custodian, advisors/counselors, cafeteria staff, crossing guard, reading aides, math aides, ELL, one-on-one aides, PE~Music~Band~Drama~Art specialists, librarian, technology, maintenance, and PTA/PTO are some that come to mind.

 

These jobs are vital but largely thankless.

 

Here's a little something your students can give to these people to let them know you appreciate their daily efforts to make school awesome!

 Simply pick up a box of mini chip bags at any grocery store and attach these little tags:

"You're all that! {and a bag of chips}"

And, "Thanks for ALL you do!" on the back.

{Print it here}

 

 A little gratitude goes a long way!

How do you show appreciation the educators?

Brain Boosts for Remembering Names

I often meet new people at work.
They're always nice and friendly.
They introduce themselves by name.
And I completely forget it . . . like, instantly.
It's gone.

So when I run into them again, I just say stuff like,
"Well, hi there!" Or if it's a child they are now
known as "Sweetie" or "Dude".

This is not a good habit for a teacher to have.
Here are 5 ways I found at Psychology Today
that help me remember names:

FOCUS ON THE EYES

A person's eyes don't change much as time passes.

Perfect example: Disney's Beauty & The Beast. At the end, when The Beast is changed back into a prince, Belle recognizes that it's still him by looking into his eyes.

ADD MEANING

Create a connection in your mind with the name and one of the person's traits.

For example, there are 2 sisters, Rachel & Emily, at my school that look so much alike (to me) that I often mixed up their names. They didn't like that very much. Everyone should get to feel like (and be identified as) the individual they are. So, I made up in my head that the sister with the Longer hair had the longer name. I never had a problem again!

{Here's hoping she never cuts her hair!}

PLAN AHEAD

We tend to remember things better when we see them written down.

So if at all possible, study the names on your class list, guest list, or interview panelists.

That's why "Hello, my name is. . . " stickers are so popular!

 

PRACTICE AT HOME

Quiz yourself on familiar faces, like celebrities, to build your brain power.

I often find myself spending most of a movie thinking, "Where have I seen that guy before?!"

I'm actually one of those people that likes to watch the credits. It's helps me put names to faces.

 

RELAX

When stressed, the body releases higher levels of cortisol (aka: the stress hormone),

which does the opposite of the same hormone in small doses: it hinders memory retention.

Maybe that's why I can't remember my own child's name when I'm trying to give

a meaningful "spontaneous lecture".

 

 I'm looking forward to using my new strategies when school starts in a couple of weeks!
How do you boost your memory?

Name Tracer Template

I taught Preschool for several years before becoming a reading interventionist.

Those sweet little ones were so excited every day!

 

They loved mastering new skills, especially writing their names.

Here's how we helped them learn:

 

I made a tracing page.

{PRINT IT HERE}

 

Then I typed each child's name on every other line using a font called TRACE.

(free font download here)

We laminated them and had the children write

with washable markers every morning.

 

They would trace the top their dotted name and then

copy it on the blank line underneath.

Once they finished, we simply rinsed it with water

so it was ready for the next day.

 

Happy Teaching! =) 

Teacher Appreciation Gift with FREE PRINTABLE

Another school year has flown by.

I have LOVED my boys' teachers this year and wanted them to know it.

 

I searched some ideas and found a cute M&M jar at Frugalissa Finds.

However, my 5th grader's teacher doesn't like chocolate.

{Wuuuuuut?!!}

 

 I found this SWEET printable

from Simply Sprout {GO VISIT!}
that I fell in love with!

  

So I decided to make it with Skittles instead!

I bought a couple bags at Costco and had my boys sort the

colors into their own jar.

They looked awesome but the M&M poem no longer worked;

so I wrote my own. =)
 

 

 

Then I had to tweak the printable a little to match the poem.
{changed the word DAY to WAY}

^ here's Simply Sprout's tweaked printable ^

 

I printed the poem on the back 

and VIOLA!! 

Instant teacher-in-tears gift. =)

Feel free to print and share.

TSFL: Day 14

This is the exercise I've been doing for the past several days:

moving classroom after classroom!

It's serious work! But I'm pretty much a professional mover now. =)

 

It has me drinking 120 ounces of water every day, which I think helps the weight loss. It also keeps me keep hunger at bay between eating. Get some of that goodness in you!