Some Sunshine for a Teacher’s Day

Know of a teacher in your life? Do they look a little tired or blue? Maybe they need a hug? Ok not a hug, but better yet brighten up their day with a care package full of sunshine and rainbows!

Why do teachers need any extra encouragement? They are well paid, right? Haha!  Friends, teaching is one of the most difficult jobs I know. On top of all the regular teacher work, the standards they have put on teachers to perform in the last few years have made this difficult job at times downright impossible. The saddest part of all is many of the good teachers I know, like some of my mentor teachers, are leaving the teaching field. They are leaving the field of education because they have said “it simply isn’t worth it anymore.” As I am sitting here writing this, I honestly don’t know if I have what it takes to go back to full time teaching, especially with our two amazing boys at home. I know our boys would lose out on time with me, or for the short after-school amount of time they would get with me I would be exhausted and worn out. The time and energy it took while I was teaching was too much. I honestly didn’t feel like a very good wife or friend unless it was summer time.

All this to say, the teachers in your life might be worn out, too! How can we help teachers out, especially during the school year? How about we bring them a little sunshine! My husband and I have started doing this for some of the teachers in our lives. We have started to send sunshine boxes to brighten up their day. These sunshine boxes are great at certain points of the year when things seem to be very busy. For an outsider, when is it that teaching can be tiring or difficult? Here are times during the year when a teacher could use a little cheering up!

One Teacher Sunshine Box Idea

• Beginning of the school year. Yes, it is new and exciting, but chances are they have been in their classroom a while preparing. The beginning can be tough particularly as teachers learn the strengths, weaknesses, and personalities of their students
• At the end of the first quarter, because that is usually when parent-teacher conferences happen.
• Right before winter break can be stressful for many, as it is the wrap up of the semester. Time to get those report cards out! Kids are also ready for the holiday break.
• Any time in spring is a nice time to surprise them with a sunshine box. State testing is happening, and kids start to get spring fever , all while the end of the school year still seems a long way off.
• Anytime a teacher looks a little tired, or has had some difficult life situations come up. Don’t forget that teachers (try to) have lives outside of work, too, where they might be dealing with a new baby, a sick family member, working on further schooling or credit hours, etc.

Another Teacher Sunshine Box Idea

So what have we included in sunshine boxes? Lots of different things! We try to include helpful and fun items, such as supplies for the teacher’s classroom. Teachers rarely get the chance to buy fun school items for themselves. I try to find fun sticky notes and stickers for them, or fun grading pens. I have included small LEGO sets and fun coloring books. It really depends on what the teacher likes. I also try to send snacks and favorite teas or coffees. The items can be totally random, or they could match a color or theme. For example, this last time we made our sunshine boxes with items that were yellow or items that looked like a rainbow.  In addition to the two examples shown above in this post, here are two more.

Fun Sunshine Box

Sunshine and Rainbows Sunshine Box

What have you given to a teacher to brighten their day (and if you haven’t done anything yet, why not give them a sunshine box now 😀 )? Are there any other professions that could benefit from a adding a little sunshine to their life?  Let us know!