Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, my fellow teacher friends!
As teachers, we demand so much of ourselves. We do and do and do, and sometimes, we forget to breathe. We scarf down lunches in twenty minutes and are fortunate when we find time to use the restroom for a minute. We bring home stacks of papers, and we work long after we physically leave the school building.
I think that even when we are physically away from school, we are never really mentally away. Even in the summer, we are thinking about it in the backs of our minds. I can recall being on vacation and seeing things I just HAD to buy for school! I bring an extra suitcase for the things I "need" to take home for my classroom! It's just the way a teacher's mind works. My husband has learned to just deal with it.
In the first two or three years of my career, I never even considered classroom niceties for myself, though. I would spend so much money at teacher stores, on rewards for my kiddos, on classroom games and decorations and...well, you all know what I mean. However, I went to school with a teacher bag that was a bit worn on the bottom. A fellow teacher had a beautiful bag that she carried her papers in, and I told her how much I loved it. She told me where she had purchased it, and it really wasn't even expensive. Then she grinned and said (as she was older and wiser), "Sometimes I like to reward myself, too."
Since then, I've realized that allowing myself the little niceties in my teaching day is a lovely thing, and though they may not seem like much, they color my world a little bit brighter. They are the little splurges that make me feel at home in my classroom. That, in turn, makes me a happier teacher. A happier teacher equals happier kiddos.
Go ahead, indulge every so often. This week, it's Teacher Appreciation Week. I can't think of a better time to appreciate YOURSELF and the great job you do each and every day!
Here are some of my own favorite "teacher treats" or niceties:
1. I have a special soft spot for Vera Bradley. Carrying my papers to work in a Vera tote is a beautiful thing. She also makes very pretty desk accessories! I love her pencils.
2. I love to have B. Witching Bath Co. lotion on my desk. My hands get very dry in the winter months, and I have found that their goat's milk lotion is the absolute best. It smells so good, too!
3. I love pretty pushpins and thumbtacks! I ordered this set from YUMYUM Buttons at the start of the year, and now I am hooked! She has so many beautiful designs!
4. I treat myself every morning with a different flavor of coffee. However, my newest favorite is Green Mountain's Wild Blueberry Coffee. I know...blueberry coffee sounds YUCKY! I thought so, too, until I tried it. When I drink it, it makes it very easy to imagine I am eating homemade blueberry pancakes on a lazy Sunday rather than on my way to work. I'm serious!
5. I also love interesting cups and mugs for my teacher coffee or tea. Have you seen the great stuff at Anthropologie? They have some really pretty teacups. I love their pencil cup as well!
6. I also love anything from Papaya! Art. They make the absolute prettiest sticky notes in the universe! Every "To Do" list is more bearable on a whimsical sticky note!
7. Though I don't have one YET, I am thinking of treating myself to a lesson plan book for next year from the amazing Erin Condren. If you haven't seen her things for teachers yet, you have to head on over to her shop. She has personalized planners, desk pads, clipboards...you name it. They are just so much fun! What's even better is that during the month of May, she is offering 25% off for Teacher Appreciation!
Don't forget that the HUGE Teacher Appreciation Sale (TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!) is also going on right now at Teachers Pay Teachers! What better way to treat yourself than to save up to 28% on teaching resources to wrap up the year or start the year off right in the fall? All of us here on ATUE are offering 20% off in our shops. Add that with the coupon savings from TpT (just enter the code TAD13 at checkout), and you have a savings of 28%! Just click on the pic below to see some special featured products on sale!
Now that I have mentioned some of my favorite teacher treats, what are some of yours? I'd love for you to share them with me!
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I'd like to offer a special THANK YOU to our blog readers here on ATUE! The first three people who leave a comment with the mention of a "teacher treat" that's a small indulgence for you (AND your email address) will receive my End of Year May and June Writing Prompts for FREE!
UPDATE: The first three spots filled up so quickly (and I love hearing about the teacher treats so much), that I have decided to extend the fun. There are three new lucky numbers (between 4 and 20). Leave a comment with your teacher treat and email, and if yours is one of the three posts that matches one of those numbers, you will also win the prompt set for free!
Until next time, happy teaching, friends!
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