No matter how much I think I’m culturally adept in my bicultural world-tuned in to both Hispanic and US culture, inevitably I make some blunders! In our house, Sofía and I have been working on making gifts for her teachers or profesoras, as we call them. I was proud of myself because I had not waited till the last minute. But alas, it seems like I have! For me, Teacher Appreciation Day has always been May 15, but evidently the National Education Association has declared May 8 (Yes….this coming Tuesday!) to be National Teacher Day in the US! Unfortunately, it never occurred to me that these might not be INTERNATIONAL days of celebration — kind of like how Mother’s Day is not celebrated on the same date in every country! The irony of course is that I am a certified teacher! C’est la vie, no?
So without further ado….some fun, easy, inexpensive, somewhat practical, and very personal gifts for you to make for those special teachers in your child’s life. We used supplies that we had at home, and what we didn’t have, we found at a craft store. Here are some of the items that we chose to personalize and will give to our teachers….evidently on May 8.
Sofía’s favorite profesora is her Music teacher. She has taken class with Mariana since she was 11 months old. Coincidentally, Mariana is Panameña!
For Mariana, we chose a wooden initial to paint and decorate with butterfly gems. Our total? $2.39.
You could even leave the letter white and decorate it with any of the really nifty and chévere embellishments available. They range from 3-D stickers to small beads and glittery miniature figurines.
Today, Sofía is going to paint a wooden plant decoration for her swimming teacher. I really like this idea the best because it is so practical and yet a very personal way for Sofía to show her appreciation to la Profesora Robyn. Total: $1.19.
Our $2.39 birdhouse is a present for our Ballet teacher. This is a little bit of a risk to give because we don’t know her that well and maybe she won’t have anywhere to put it in her house, but when Sofía saw it; she insisted that we buy it for la Profesora Lily.
And if your May is anything like ours, you will have plenty of other events such as birthdays, graduations, First Communions and, of course, Mother’s Day for which these ideas will also make special gifts from your Little One.
Whatever the date, May 8 or May 15, it is always nice to say GRACIAS to our teachers, from preschool to university, for all the hard work they do!
How are you celebrating the teachers in your life?
