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FIVE WAYS TO BLESS YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER AT THE END OF TERM (IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES)

December 13, 2014 9 Comments

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Well, we’re well and truly on the home run now! Five precious days, and this long term will be over.

For those of us whose kids began school in September, this term will have been significant. There will have been huge leaps forward, perhaps some setbacks, new things learnt (for them and for us), and a whole lot of fun.

But it’s not over until the fat lady sings (or whichever kid has a solo in the Nativity this year), so here are a few ways we can support and bless our kids’ teachers in this final week before Christmas.

How can I support my child's teacher at the end of term? What should I give my child's teacher?

1) Thank them

Obvious, I hope, but for a longer explanation see my post on helping your child succeed in school. 

Some parents like to buy chocolates or wine for their kids’ teachers – and, if you have the resources to do so, this is great – but I would argue that a few thoughtful words in a card mean more.

Be specific – think about exactly what it is that you’ve appreciated about them this term (even if it sounds silly – at least it will sound genuine). And write it in a card if you can, as opposed to just saying it – that way, the teacher will have a lasting record of your comments, and you won’t be rushing the sentiment, tripping over your words as you catch the teacher in a brief few seconds between them handing you half a ton of your child’s artwork and running to catch another child who’s about to fall off the climbing frame.

2) Thank the headteacher

Unless there are serious issues and you’re considering moving your child to a different school, there should be a couple of lines you can type into an email to school, for the attention of the head, expressing how happy you are with the school, the Early Years unit, the way your child has settled in, the overall ethos, or whatever it is you’ve particularly appreciated this term.

If you mention your child’s teacher by name, that will be a great boost to them! (Often heads pass on this kind of praise to staff – even if they don’t, they’ll remember it next time a promotion or other opportunity arises.)

3) Compliment the Nativity play

Even if it was totally awful, cringeworthy and tuneless (although, more than likely, it probably spelled C-U-T-E from start to finish, and you were totally spellbound by how Other Adults managed to manoeuvre not only one but 30+ largely uncoordinated little people into their various singing/reading/acting roles), say something nice!

This has probably taken a huge amount of work and stress to put together. Make sure the staff know they’ve done a good job!

4) Keep your child focused

It may be the last week of term, with all manner of fun activities each day, but your child still needs to be bright enough to get to school in a good state each day, ready to engage with whatever is planned.

Especially with young children, try to avoid late nights, too many after-school activities and too much sugar this week. Come Friday, there’ll be two whole weeks of indulgence, so leave it till then.

5) Tell your child’s teacher to have a rest

Teachers are notorious workaholics. OK, so you telling them to take a break won’t necessarily mean they do it – but enough people say it to them, you never know: they might just take some notice.

My first boss always told us teachers to have a good rest over the holidays – and it had an impact on me (still does now).

Jan/Feb are often the worst times for staff sickness (a long Autumn term, followed by two weeks of not-much-rest over Christmas), and this will have a knock-on effect for our children. Our teachers’ physical and mental health needs to be a concern for us parents. So, whether spoken or written, encourage your child’s teacher to have some proper time off this Christmas!

>>Why I sent my child to a failing school<<

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. izzyinyork says

    December 14, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Thanks Lucy! The head of our school is about to get a little cheer in her inbox 🙂 x

    Reply
  2. sparklepetal says

    December 14, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    Great reminders. I’m already planning all the heart-felt thanks to put in my card for Snow White’s teacher this week. She moved up with the class from Reception to Y1, but is now leaving after moving house out of the area. She was the absolute perfect fit for my daughter’s first teacher and I want to make sure she knows what a total blessing she has been to our family. Must also remember to sow plenty of seeds of encouragement to the new teacher when she starts in January! (And try not to hold it against her that she is saddled with a long double-barrelled name and unusual title for us all to learn!!)

    Reply
    • desertmum says

      December 20, 2014 at 11:08 pm

      Ooh, you’ve got me wondering what the unusual title is. Is she a baroness? A dame?! Brilliant that your daughter has had such a great teacher, and hoping the new one is brill too.

      Reply
  3. Jen says

    December 19, 2014 at 12:16 am

    Oi! cheeky! 😉
    I hemmed and hawed over how to thank the teachers this term but was delighted to see that the card written by the boy who couldn’t really hold a pen at the start of term did the trick!
    Hadn’t thought of emailing the head…finding her quite a confusing character!

    Reply
    • desertmum says

      December 20, 2014 at 11:06 pm

      That is DEFINITELY a great thank you for any teacher!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. so that was 2014… | desertmum says:
    December 30, 2014 at 11:17 am

    […] With Joel starting school, I guess it was natural that I would start to blog about school from a parent’s perspective. OK, so the crazily popular post back in July had got a lot of hits – but purely because Mumsnet had backed it. In October, I was totally baffled when something I rattled off in minutes got a lot of views and shares: how to be a great school mum (read: parent!). I’ve lost count of the amount of personal stories people have shared with me, as a result of reading this blog. It has made me blush with embarrassment – but also smile with great joy, knowing that a few more teachers are being thanked and appreciated than might have been otherwise. Wow! In addition, I shared some things I had been learning since Joel had started school and some end-of-term ideas to bless your child’s teacher. […]

    Reply
  2. End-of-term teacher gifts: are they compulsory? – desertmum says:
    July 14, 2018 at 9:07 pm

    […] Five ways to bless your child’s teacher in the last week of term […]

    Reply
  3. five ways to bless your child’s teacher in the last week of term (each of which takes less than five minutes) – desertmum says:
    July 16, 2019 at 11:15 am

    […] post has moved! Check it out on my shiny new website here. Thanks, Lucy […]

    Reply
  4. FIVE WAYS TO BLESS YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL THIS YEAR says:
    May 21, 2020 at 9:58 pm

    […] >>Five Ways to Bless Your Child’s Teacher in the Last Week of Term<< […]

    Reply

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