Craft: Teacher Gift
by Jennifer Cooper, posted on June 18th, 2010 in Arts & Crafts
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. -William A. Ward
The other week, I dropped my daughter off at school midday. Her class was out a recess. As we came into view, her classmates started cheering. This was my daughter’s home away from home. These were her friends welcoming her back to their community.
The teacher ran over and gave my daughter a hug. She was happy to see my daughter return to school after battling a little illness. Then the kids came over to give her hugs. One of the boys in the class asked her to play. Many of the kids smiled and waved to me. “Hi, Mrs. Cooper!”
It was exactly what I had hoped for my children’s school experience. If they must be away from my care, then this is how I wanted them to be treated—warmly and with respect.
This strong sense of community, and the warmth and respect, is in large part, the work of a great teacher.
So for this year’s teacher’s gift, we wanted to make it special and personal. It had to be something that came from the heart.
The day I dropped my daughter off at recess, she had overheard the teacher comment on my motherbird necklace. My daughter must have taken mental notes. For when it came time to make a gift for her teacher, she chose birds to be the central theme.
Inspired a little by this and some of that, we chose to turn an old olive jar into a gift with the help of a little paint.
Directions:
You’ll need a glass jar that has been washed out an dried, paint made for glass, a piece of paper, and paint brushes.
1. Cut out a piece of paper that will easily fit into the jar. It’ll be your template.
2. Have your child draw a picture on it. Trust me, teachers love your child’s drawings, even if they’re stick figures, swirls or geometric shapes.
3. Put the drawing inside the jar and use it as a guide for where to apply the paint.
4. Apply glaze. It should come with the set of paint.
It’s pretty much that easy. Don’t forget to add your child’s name and school year. Thanks Cheryl for that tip!
We presented the jar as a vase by filling it with flowers. Later, it can sit on the teacher’s desk to hold pens and pencils.
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Tags: Arts & Crafts, friends, Parenting
Jennifer Cooper Says:
