Monica here! You know me as the blogger that has a super big farmhouse table and makes her husband take all sorts of weird bloggy pictures for posts.
But, did you know that I'm actually a high school English teacher?
Yup, Mrs. Mangin by day, blogger by night! I have a little quiz for you…
Yes, it's the sad truth! After elementary, it's all downhill… Middle school is hit or miss, but by high school you're lucky if you get a,"Have a good summer" from a parent. Of course I'm generalizing, but it's pretty widespread. Here are my thoughts on the issue (and this is as a mom, not a teacher). I entrust my kids to someone for 7 hours a day… that's a really long time! Yes, it's their job to teach their students, but giving extra encouraging words when a kiddo might be having a rough day, or taking time to talk to a high schooler about their love of punk music, etc. is going beyond the job description and truly playing a role in a child's life. For that reason, I always want to be thanking my kids' teachers and encouraging them as educators. This doesn't end when my kids no longer need help tying their shoes… if anything, when my kids are teens, I want to be encouraging their teachers even more. From what I've heard, the teen years can be a bit of a challenge! So I've got a few Back to School Teacher Gift ideas for you, and don't you forget the high school teachers (honestly, you just might make their day/week/year)
Simple, School-Themed Flowers I'm no florist, but I'm pretty sure these are just some mums and yellow ball thingies. You could even pick some wildflowers. We have tons of black eyed susans around this summer. Pile in some dollar store letter magnets… add mason jar… add ribbon… voila!
Source: None via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Smooth Year Lotion Ok, this idea comes from a blog with a hysterical name…"Oops, I CRAFT my Pants" HAHA! I honestly laughed right out loud when I read it! Well, she gives a great tutorial and FREE PRINTABLE labels to turn Bath & Body Works lotion into a cute lil' gift.
Source: oopsicraftmypants.net via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
The Legendary Diaper Cake ( Ok, the fact that the best title I could come up with was"Legendary Diaper Cake" has convinced me that I'm far too tired to finish this blog post…"Legendary Diaper Cake""Who says that??" Weak Sauce, if you ask me! So, this blogger is going to bed… it's been a very long day of 4 kids, teaching professional development for the high school staff from 8-4, doing a complementary staging job to help a missionary couple we know, and getting home at 10:30pm… So, you'll have to wait till I wake up refreshed to finish!)
**** Enter Dream Sequence Music****
Well Good Morning! It is I, the refreshed blogger who was up way too late, but got a good night's sleep!
So, let's get back to business!
Diaper Cake with a School Spin
Everyone associates a diaper cake with baby showers (Hello, Captain Obvious), but now we can add a school spin and make it into a rockin' teacher gift. The awesome part about this gift is that all of these supplies are on sale at Target and Walmart for about 99 cents or less! Glue sticks can get pricey, but you can substitute anything you want! I'm pretty sure this gift would be proudly placed in the teachers' lounge and some might even say it's"Legendary!" (hehe)
Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Back to the Grind This is what my kiddos are giving their teachers this year. We'll just bring them to"Meet the Teacher Night" this Thursday. Did I mention I've been sorta swamped lately? Well that's why it's sorta simple and no frills, but that's also kinda nice because anyone could throw this together in 5 mins! Coffee Tumbler… Ribbon, Giftcard… Cute Printable on Envelope… voila!
31 Reasons I Love School Last year, we gave Kenzie's teacher a Thermal Lunch Tote from 31 Gifts and she LOVED it! I called one of my BFFs, Mandy, a 31 Gifts guru and asked her what she'd recommend. Of course she had awesome ideas, and my favorite was the Mini Organizing Tote filled with supplies and a list that you an your child come up with for 31 Reasons you're excited for a great school year. How cute is this? I love that you can get it personalized for your teacher. If you're thinking of something from 31, click the 31 logo on the sidebar you'll get 15% off your order, which is the special in August (Even if your kids start school really soon, you could still get one in time for Back to School Night I'm sure)
So, whatever you do, even if you can't pull together a"Back to School" gift, a note, or email just saying"Thanks" and"Have a great year" would mean a lot… I know Mrs. Mangin would adore that.
P.S. Don't forget to VOTE for the CBS Blog of the Year Today!