Teachers need a little love.

I think we all know that. Whether they are trying to get kindergarteners to unmute themselves on a virtual learning call or spending their weekends learning the newest trend in education, teachers are working hard to make sure our kids are safe, loved, and learning.

If you are anything like me, sometimes words just don’t seem like enough. 

We all know the old saying that 'actions speak louder than words,' and for a teacher, a well-timed gift is unexpected, greatly appreciated, and sometimes (if I'm being totally honest) even tear-inducing!

If you want to show your teachers extra appreciation by getting them a little something-something, you can definitely stick with the go-tos and get a gift card for coffee, but if you made it this far, maybe you are considering going with a nontraditional route. 

10 Nontraditional Gift Ideas for Teachers

1| Custom ‘Word’ Jewelry from Myintent.org

Usually, you would buy one of these bracelets, selecting a power word ...

What kind of habits or routines do you traditionally establish in your classrooms? How linked are these with the big picture success you envision for your learners?

In this session, we'll talk about creating daily classroom routines that translate into the kind of lifelong habits our students need to achieve any goal they set.

Like anyone else, our students' success depends on the habits they build over time. But there's no such class in the school curriculum called The Art of Habit-Building or Habitual Literacy 101.

And while it might feel like teaching them good habits is their parents' job, or that of a life coach, a therapist (or a unicorn, for that matter), it actually IS our job, and here's why..

1. Habits make goals happen.
2. Habits define our character.

We are both in the business of helping our students achieve their goals AND responsible for shaping their character while they're in our care.

So what can we do to legitimately build strong habits...

In the thick of a global pandemic, where much of our instruction has migrated online, there are plenty of days where you've likely felt like this whole online teaching gig is simply *not* part of your calling.

And just when that feeling is at its height and breaking point: school gets cancelled for the rest of the year.

Like any Charles Dickens reader, I prefer the best of times.  So today’s post is your full glass of water in these worst of times we face...

So here’s the deal:

You may not see it from the thick of the trees in Failure Forest, but what we're doing *right now* to keep our classrooms afloat while learning from a distance is *actually* the penultimate example of what it means to be a student in the real world.

What you’re doing as you toggle new platforms and test out hyperlinks, track assignments online and--heck, figure out the ‘mute all’ button: this fumbling-and-figuring models exactly what it means to take risks, be gritty, and to fail relentless...

If you've ever flown on an airplane, you know well the following 'in-the-event-of-an-emergency' directive by heart:

'Please secure your own oxygen mask first before assisting others.'

--Flight Attendant (preferably one of the ones who let's me stuff all my crap under the seat)

I'll admit, it stings a little every time I hear it (no matter how many times!); because at face value, it seems a little counter-intuitive to the average Hero in all of us.

(Like, 'don't I *want* to put others before myself? 'cuzzzz the Bible tells me so...?')

Yet in the event of that kind of emergency, the most logical thing to do is--in fact--follow the dang directive (it's sheer oxygen + science, y'all).

Meanwhile, to a teacher, it's still straight-up blasphemy-talk.

By signing the dotted line to be an educator, we pledge (at minimum) the following:

• to put our students on a path toward productive citizenship,
• to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed for success,
• to lead by examp
...