Loving on the kid's teacher

Guess who (oh, guess who) will be done with all of her classes one week from this very moment.  This instructor right here.  Which means, obviously, guess what this instructor will be feeling exactly one week from this very same moment? 

Oh, yes.  Bored. 

It's like a summer vacation that never ends around here - equal parts fabulous, horrid, and spending too much time raiding the pantry.  I probably walk over there five times a day "just to look," which inevitably translates to "maybe this is what I'm hungry for."  And then hindsight kicks in and "Nope, that wasn't it.  I'll just have to try again in fifteen minutes."

Boredom, thy name is raiding the pantry.

(There was a point I was going to make when I started out.  I feel a bit wayward today.)

Well.  Teacher Appreciation Day is next week, which is rapidly approaching.  And if there's something I've held fast and firm to even before I had any children attending anything remotely resembling a classroom, it is this: I will not be that parent.  The boy won't either, but that's mostly because he does things like coach and work full-time to occupy a good amount of his time, and he feels certain things like fretting mindlessly are best left to me.  Bless him.  He's something like the big old glass of cooling milk you drink after you bit into my fiery, jalapeno taco.

I promise, I'm not a crazy, obsessive mom.  But comparatively with the boy, I get pretty fired up.

But I'm also a devout believer in buying into my children's teacher's good graces.  Oh, yes...I will be giving the teachers and the aides presents at Christmas.  Indeed, they will be getting a smarmy little Valentine along with all of the kids in the class.  And you can bet your sweet buttons that I'm slipping them a little something at Teacher Appreciation Day.

Let's consider all of the benefits that a simple gift card for coffee brings.
1.  It's a simple way to show appreciation for those who are helping us in our daily lives.
2.  Teachers get a lot of guff from parents, even in the best of schools.  It's obviously part of their jobs, and they know that.  But still, it's pretty sweet when you're able to throw out some anti-guff. 
3.  Teacher Aides get paid badly for dealing with a lot of the monotony and drivel that a teacher does not always have the time to cover.  Sometimes, the Aide takes care of issues that would otherwise distract your child, which enables your kid to focus and learn better.
4.  When you give a smile and a thank you, teachers remember that, which means...
5.  ...teachers remember that your kid has approachable parents.
6.  A teacher will pass that information along to your kid's next teacher.
7.  If I need to talk to my child's teacher and I have already established an attitude of "I appreciate you and all that you do in my child's classroom," the teacher will respond accordingly when you need something from them. 

On the flip side, I'm out $20 today after buying a couple of gift cards.  Money well spent, I say.