The back to school season is here! Stores are stocked with notebooks, backpacks, pencils, and more getting students ready to return to the classroom. Teachers are already hard at work preparing lesson plans, prepping classrooms, and getting to know the names of their new class. Help ease the transition from summer to school by using a few of these back to school teacher appreciation ideas! Your teachers will love these small surprises and be motivated to jump back into the classroom! 

Schools are wrapping up for the year, and teachers and students are both looking forward to a well deserved vacation. Before the school doors close for the summer, take the time to express your appreciation for teachers and school staff. 

We’ve put together our 10 favorite teacher appreciation ideas for the end of the school year to give you a few good ideas. For more teacher appreciation ideas, download our free Teacher Appreciation Ideas eBook in our Recognition Resource Center. 

How do you thank teachers at the end of the school year? Share your favorite teacher appreciation ideas here! 

Today’s post comes from a special guest blogger! Diane Hodges is a friend of Baudville and a contributor to our Recognition Resource Center. In this post, Diane, an experienced educator, shares some of her creative and effective teacher appreciation ideas for the end of the school year.

Just as the start of the year is a celebration, so should the end of the year be celebrated. So much has been accomplished that everyone should reflect on the success of the year and set goals for the following year. 

To this day, one of my clear memories from elementary school is a special school assembly held in the honor of a retiring teacher. Some classes had prepared songs for her, she wore a crown and sat upon a “throne,” and coworkers shared special stories about her contributions to the school. The recognition was memorable – even for me! –and I’m sure my teacher felt honored by it. 

But why do we wait for a teacher to retire before we praise her contributions? Why don’t we praise a teacher’s dedication to the students before she’s left the building? 

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re talking about recognition in schools all week! . Recognition is important during special holidays and occasions, like Teacher Appreciation Week, but it should also happen year round. 

Schools are busy places for teachers, parents, and students, so it’s not uncommon to forget to “thank you” and “great job.” Regardless of our hectic schedules, taking the time to recognize the people at your school can make a huge difference.