Teachers are Givers
All across the country, people have been celebrating teachers this past week –
bringing them cups of coffee, plates of cookies,
and handwritten thank you cards.
May 2-6 was Teacher Appreciation Week, but Educators for Excellence celebrate the entire month of May…because who can cram all that educational thanks into five days?
We like their approach. When it comes to gratitude, go big or go home.
Here at ILG, we think teachers are some of the most generous people in the world.
They give of their wisdom.
Their words.
And their finances.
Savings.com shared that teachers in the U.S. spend an average of $511 on out-of-pocket expenses for their classrooms (and I know many who spend much, much more!).
Why would they do that?
Because teachers are generous.
And they love our kids so they give to them. Every. Single. Day.
How Many Hours Does it Take to Grade Homework?
Teachers are also crazy generous with their time.
In case you didn’t realize it, when your kiddo leaves the classroom, her teacher is still hard at work.
Grading papers. Creating lessons. Planning field trips. Cleaning up abandoned snack wrappers. Brainstorming interactive projects. Connecting with parents. The list goes on…and on.
One in four teachers works 65 hours per week.
Not only that, but 20% of all teachers in the U.S. hold 2nd jobs.
Keep in mind that a whole lot of these folks also have kids of their own. Which is a whole other job in and of itself.
They exhaust their calendars in this way because they see your child as an investment. They don’t just see 25 (or 32) wriggling kids who need to know the difference between a noun and a verb.
They see a room full of potential.
Teachers believe the ROI of your kiddo is exponential.
Don’t you?
We do too!
Teacher’s Are Passing on a Generous Worldview
Teachers these days aren’t just teaching fractions and geography, they are teaching generosity. ILG is super excited to be partnering with educators in teaching a new generation about the fun of giving.
ILG launched our 3rd-5th grade generosity curriculum, Generosity Roadmap: A Guide to The 7 Ways of Living Generosity, to help in this process.
Teachers are seeing the need to teach children a different skillset besides the 3 R’s: one that embraces kindness and giving.
Students need to be taught how to engage with encouraging words,
how to share what they have,
and how to see the world through a lens of giving.
Our curriculum gives teachers a tool to do that.
We know the impact that teachers have. We can’t think of a better way to spread generosity than by partnering with the folks who are shaping the next generation of givers.
(For your own teacher inspiration, check out our I Like Teaching film. Be sure to grab a tissue…it’s a good one!)
Raise Your Hand if You Like Teachers
In the spirit of teachers everywhere, take some time this month to be generous and show your nearest and dearest educator how much you like them.
Drop off a Starbucks card (coffee=life), or thank you card, or both.
Remind your student’s teachers that you see all that they do each day,
speaking words of wisdom and encouragement, over your children.
You may never know how much that cup of coffee or kind word means after a long day of interacting with a group of vivacious kids. (Hurry up, summer vacay!)
Your generosity will energize them to teach another day.
Three cheers for teachers!
Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!
Susanna Aughtmon is a gifted writer, wonderful wife, mother, daughter and friend, and a valued member of the I Like Giving team.
