Today our middle school PTSA hosted an appreciation event for the staff, something we’ve been doing once a quarter. This time it was an afternoon tea to accompany an after school staff meeting. Our events aren’t catered, they’re not fancy but there’s lots of homemade goodies. This fall we hosted a taco bar for dinner on back to school night since the teachers weren’t going home, then we did a soup and chili bar for lunch on a parent-teacher conference day. Our last one later in the spring will be a salad bar.
It never ceases to amaze me how what I think looks like a modest offering…don’t get me wrong, once it’s all set up, it all looks really good and smells wonderful…but like I said, we don’t cater these events, they are homegrown…yet the teachers and staff absolutely love them.
And that’s why we do these events. Because we need to say thank you and they love these special offerings. Because of all the time and energy they give to our kids, including time and energy when they are at home and still dealing with school work or over the summer going through some training for the latest thing in the school reform pipeline. Because having no opportunity to take that long lunch, or having to stay through the dinner hour which will mean another brown bag or fast food meal, or having to stay for that exciting staff meeting where maybe someone will have brought a pack of Oreos…can really be a bummer.
So the parents showing their appreciation with something a little bit special, a little bit unexpected, a little bit different from the mundane goes a long way.
Saying thank you is always a good thing, but sometimes doing a little bit more is even better. And it really doesn’t take much more…a pretty flower, a batch of a favorite recipe, a cup of coffee and a chat, an actual handwritten note (something longer than 2 sentences), a handcrafted item that shares your time, talent and energy…
So next time you should/need to say thanks…how will you do it? What talents can you share?
Think I should go make a list…
Valerie
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