5 Ways to Show Crofton Teachers Your Appreciation

Anne Arundel County recently honored top educators but now it's your turn to honor your pick for top teacher.

Monday marks the start of Teacher Appreciation Week. Many local school PTA's will have special events—and a little bit of pampering—to show thanks to teachers as they wind down the school year. 

There were several local teachers who earned special recognition this year. Jodie Hogan of South River High School earned the area's top honor, as she was awarded Teacher of the Year for 2013. 

Jessica Riley of Crofton Middle School was also nominated for the award. 

Merideth Hansen, an elementary school teacher for 19 years, shares what she enjoys most.

“For teacher appreciation, our PTA provides little treats and goodies for our staff for four days, and on the Friday of that week they provide lunch for us. Last year we had a baked potato bar with loads of topping choices and a large selection of desserts and beverages. This is always prepared by the parents too, which means more than coming from a restaurant, as it takes a lot more effort to do. This week is always so fun, as each day is a surprise.”

Here are some more suggestions from Hansen to help you get an excellent grade from your favorite teachers.

1. Starbucks card or gift card to any store/restaurant they enjoy.

2. Gift card to a local bookstore. Teachers love to be able to purchase new books for their classrooms.

3. New board game for the classroom. Hansen said this is her favorite teacher appreciation gift.

4. Go the extra mile with a theme gift. Hansen said, “One year for Christmas I had a family buy a Redbox gift certificate for movie rentals, which they then put in a plastic popcorn box, along with several packages of microwave popcorn and movie theater-size candy treats."

5. Potted plants. Hansen said, “Two of my all-time standouts are a mini herb garden I was given over a decade ago and an orchid I was given recently that I enjoy looking at every day.”

TELL US: How will you show teachers in Anne Arundel you appreciate all they do? Start with giving them a shoutout in the comments sections below!