Unsung Heroes

This week (May 3rd - 9th) is National Teacher Appreciation Week. My son's school sent home a note from the PTA last week reminding everyone to take the time to show thanks and appreciation to their child's teachers. The note had some suggestions for things to do each day: bring an apple on Monday, have the child write a note on Tuesday, bring a flower on Wednesday, have the parent write a note on Thursday, and a "spirit" day where each grade wears a different color on Friday.

Well, I had already planned on making something for my son to bring in at the end of the week, but my son, being the black-and-white, walk-the-line, rule-follower he is, insisted that he had to do what the note said...if it is written and came from school, it must be.

I could have sent an apple, but what is his teacher going to do with 25 apples? And I'm SURE she has plenty of apple magnets/pictures/pencil cups/mugs/dust collectors and would probably thank me for not giving her another one. I told him we'd pass on that one. The note from my son was easy. (Give my son blank paper and office supplies and you won't see him for an entire day.) He made cards for his regular teacher and his reading teacher.

Then there was the flower day. I think buying cut flowers is a big waste of money. Potted plants I can go for. But cut flowers just wilt and die and you're left with nothing but a dirty vase. So instead I had my son make bookmarks...I printed them out with a cute little poem I found about teachers and he drew flowers on them and added his name and the date. I laminated them, added a ribbon, and voila! We fulfilled the flower requirement to his satisfaction.

Tomorrow is the day I'm supposed to send in a note from me. I've got a couple of thank you cards to fill out and I'm going to send the gifts I made for them. Last year I made tote bags for the kids' teachers, and they were such a hit that I decided to do it again.

My son's main teacher collects all things ladybug, so I chose a cute ladybug print for the lining and accents and paired it with a nice denim for her bag.

The bag is a nice size for books, papers, etc and has an outside pocket and a tie closure. I also used my dear friend Tracey's great lanyard tutorial to make a matching lanyard for her school identification:

For my son's reading teacher, I had no idea if she collected anything or what types of things she's into. But I know she's young, so I picked something I liked and thought was a little "retro chic."

I used Robert Kaufman's "Fruit Basket" in the brown colorway, paired with a nice bright green for the lining and accent. (For some reason, my greens look a little "off" in this picture...but in person the green pears and the green lining fabric are very close).

I also made her a matching lanyard out of the "Fruit Basket" fabric. I hope they enjoy these totes as much as I enjoyed making them.

And I hope they know how much I appreciate all the guidance, support, knowledge, and fun they have given my son this year.

Don't forget to take a moment and thank all the teachers in your child's life this week!