Thank a Teacher

by Kristen Bierma

May 5-9 marks "Teacher Appreciation Week," which made me realize that I do not often enough say thank you to all the teachers in my children's lives. Whether your children are homeschooled, preschool age, or out of the house, I am guessing that they have, at some point, been blessed by a teacher. If you are home with young children or homeschooling, YOU are their earliest teacher, passing on The Really Important Things such as please and thank you, ABCs, and that boogers belong in tissues. So, consider yourself thanked as well--for doing all the hard work, from the very beginning.

If, like me, you do not have time to make a cute or elaborate thank you gift from Pinterest, here are some other simple options for affirming the teachers in your life:

Suggestions:

- Drop off a latte when you drop your kids off to school. If you're really feeling creative, write "Thanks a latte for all you do."
- Write a thank you email or note. Affirming words are powerful and will long be remembered.
- Say thank you. In person. Add a genuine hug, if you are the hugging type.
- Have your child write a note or color a picture of thanks.
- Hang a "Gratitude Graffiti" poster outside the teacher's classroom. Ask the children to write a note of appreciation.
- Send them the words below. Acknowledgement and recognition, even in the simplest forms, go a long way.

For Our Children's Teachers
For your endless prep times, weekend grading, summer planning, and all you do that is above-and-beyond...
we recognize you.
For dealing with budget cuts, bureaucracy, administration, curriculum changes, standardized testing, and all other similar issues that most likely suck up your time and mental energy....
we acknowledge you.
For knowing our children so well that you recognize their learning styles, personalities and strengths, and for teaching them accordingly,
we thank you.
For reinforcing what we teach at home by teaching our children not only facts, but also wisdom, social skills, empathy, and that the world does not revolve around them....
we are so grateful.
For caring for hundreds of children over the years, and in so doing, building up our future electricians, doctors, pastors, social workers, teachers, and citizens...
we applaud you.
For the many moments that you wonder if what you do matters or makes any difference, and for pouring yourself into these many children's lives with little recognition, pay, or acknowledgement...
we give you a standing ovation.
We see you, we appreciate you, and we value you, even when we forget to tell you.
For you have blessed our children and there is no greater gift.

What are your simple or creative ideas of showing gratitude to teachers? Please share!

In Search of Elephants

September 22 is National Elephant Appreciation day and you may or may not know, Alaska doesn't have any elephants living in the state. We used to have an elephant (two actually) at our local zoo. But after much controversy, she moved to California. We really miss her, but we understand that an elephant sized treadmill just wasn't enough. NO, I am not kidding!

So, with it being National Elephant Appreciation day and nooooo elephant to appreciate, my daughters and I set out on a mission. You guessed it... in search of elephants.

We made four stops today... and found elephants at each place!

As you can see, we stopped at Title Wave books looking for pachyderm... found a few picture books, but NOT exactly what we were looking for. All of those books are there still...just waiting for someone like you to take them home! Then, on to Barnes & Noble... as we had a specific elephant in mind. There, we found the stuffed version of Elmer... but no books!

 

 

The girls and I decide that we must bring Elmer home for adventures at our house and he has surfed the net to find that he is famous, had a princess tea party and painted.

The only place we found the actual Elmer the Patchwork Elephant book for sale in Anchorage was at Over the Rainbow toys! and they only have two! It is a treasured story at our house (we can't find our copy, thus the search!) about an elephant thinking he needs to change to fit in.

 

Amazon's Book Review:

Elmer the elephant is bright-colored patchwork all over. No wonder the other elephants laugh at him! If he were ordinary elephant color, the others might stop laughing. That would make Elmer feel better, wouldn't it? The surprising conclusion of David McKee's comical fable is a celebration of individuality and the power of laughter.

Elmer the elephant, a colorful character because of his patchwork hide and sense of humor, tries to blend in with the herd, but soon realizes that he's happiest just being himself. "McKee's gentle humor and love of irony are in full force in this celebration of individuality and laughter." -- Publisher's Weekly.



"Thank you for believing in my weirdness."

Kaleidoscape Play Studio is a dream coming true for me. I honestly believe that my whole life’s work has led me to to do this. Our name is based off of how when you look through the lens of a kaleidoscope and turn it, the picture changes. We believe that as our community changes and our children grow, how we play changes too! 

With paint in my cuticles and glue in my hair, I laugh that if I had a super-power, it would be transforming ordinary items into new forms. I have always said there are no mistakes in art – only room for more embellishment! I am a mother of two and a longtime Alaskan and I take pride in using that super-power of creativity for the betterment of our community. (Hmmm is that a real word?)



Creativity is my super power!

I have taught art classes based on literature, storywriting workshops, have been a fairy-for-hire and it thrills me to take birthday parties to impressive heights. With Kaleidoscape Play Studio, we just expanded the party to everday life.

One of my favorite quotes is from pop icon, Katy Perry and I used it to lead off this post, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, truly, for believing in my weirdness.