Teacher: an educator, instructor, and mentor.
The simple definition of a teacher is someone who teaches at a school, but we all know an educator’s impact stretches far beyond the classroom walls. A teacher is someone who inspires, guides, and motivates their students. A teacher makes learning fun, encourages students, helps the next generation realize their potential and has the power to change the world, one pupil at a time.
It’s a big job, a job that comes with its fair share of headaches and heartaches. It’s also a job that has impacts on so many Americans-there are more than 76 million students enrolled in U.S schools.
Take time to show all the dedicated educators who work with our children that they are valued – during teacher appreciation week or anytime. Despite a pandemic, teacher appreciation gifts during COVID don’t have to be canceled or go virtual, either-we have options for you!
When is Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher Appreciation Week occurs the first full week of May each year. That means Teacher Appreciation Week 2022 will be May 2-6.
Originally started in 1953 as Teacher Appreciation Day by Elanor Roosevelt and later expanded by the National PTA in the 1980’s to cover an entire week, Teacher Appreciation Week is the time of year to give teachers the extra credit they deserve.
Teachers are so important in creating a brighter future, why not show them your appreciation by sponsoring a special event or presenting them with personalized promotional gifts.
While Teacher Appreciation Week is a great time to show the educators in your life how much they mean to you, giving gifts to teachers during COVID doesn’t have to wait until May.
6 Gifts to Show Teachers a Little Extra Love During COVID
There are many creative ways to show the teachers in your life how much you appreciate them, and we have teacher appreciation ideas during COVID to help you show them how going above and beyond during the pandemic has not gone unnoticed. Whether you are looking for something that can be completely packaged and deTeacher Appreciationlivered directly to your educators, or you’d like to mix and match various promotional items, MARCO Promos can help. Here are a few ideas to consider for giving gifts to teachers during COVID:
1. Teacher survival kit: While school is no Cast Away or Everest, it comes with plenty of hurdles to get past or mountains to climb that lead to making it to the end of the day an accomplishment in and of itself. In the wild, survival kits are meant to be packed with emergency essentials for when the worst happens. For a teacher survival kit, you can pack it with a few essentials-like snacks, lip balm and sanitizer-as well as a few nice-to-haves to help brighten their day, such as chocolates, a blanket or lotion. Build your own custom promo pack for teachers with things you know they’ll need-like a mug, water bottle, hand sanitizer, lip balm and more. Or choose from a pre-selected promo pack to help show the educators at your school how much they mean to you.
2. Sweet treats: An unexpected gift can go a long way, especially when it includes food! A custom 20-ounce mug paired with a treat (peanuts, Chex mix, gold fish or granola) packaged up in a custom box leaves an impression and definitely makes people feel appreciated. Share the love with your favorite educator and their loved ones by giving them a tin, such as the standard popcorn tin, cookie tin or the new charcuterie meat and cheese tin. Or give them a pocket-sized tin filled with jelly beans, a mug with cocoa or a candy bar for small, yet much appreciated sweet treat.
3. Tote bag: While always sporting a lanyard with their ID, school apparel or apple and ruler-patterned wallet may be dead giveaways that someone is a teacher, it’s also highly likely that someone who is always carrying a tote is an educator. Teachers are notorious for always carrying one or more bags with them, and it makes sense with all the supplies for special projects, homework and first aid materials they bring to and from school each day. Consider a sturdy polyester bag with one larger pocket area with zipper, as well as a side zippered pocket for storing smaller items, or a tote with all the pockets – a large primary one, a clear side pocket for pens and small papers, a mesh pocket for a water bottle and a side panel for papers. A lunch tote complete with a cooler bag, tumbler and collapsible silicon lunch box with utensils is also a great option.
4. Notebook: Whether they are taking notes to prepare for their next lesson or a needed follow up, notebooks are a well-loved and useful teacher gift. There are many options to choose from, such as the cross-stitch hatch notebook with a pocket on the outside and pen loop, page marker and elastic band to keep the notebook in place. The thumbs-up notebook helps you encourage your teachers with a thumbs up every time they open this notebook, and the MOD journal with stylus pen set has a luxurious feel that helps them feel extra special.
5. Give them a gift card: : Make your mug, notebook or tote even more of a treat for your educators by pairing it with a gift card to a local shop or restaurant so teachers can treat themselves to something of their choosing. You’ll help your teachers feel appreciated while also boosting the local economy, which is a win-win.
6. Spruce up their desk: Help turn your teachers’ desks into a mini sanctuary in their classrooms with a supply kit to help them always have what they need. Or, consider a phone holder that doubles as a paper weight, a plant your teachers (and their students) can watch grow all year long or another desktop promo to help make their jobs a bit easier.
Teachers do so much for their students and have faced even more challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re here to help you show your appreciation to teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week or anytime! Connect with a teacher appreciation promo specialist by calling us or starting a chat.
