Teacher Appreciation, Rewards, and Certificates

I was browsing through a catalog today and noticed an entire section dedicated to teacher appreciation. What a wonderful thing. The teachers do great things for students. They get paid, although not as well as they would like and as most think they should be. So why not occasionally get a gift for your child's teacher to show how much you appreciate what they do for your child. After all they are preparing them for jobs, for adult life, and for the world, right?

This led me to think of myself. I homeschool so that makes me the teacher of my children. I get the appreciation of my children telling me how wonderful I am and how much I am loved by them. They give me little rewards like a letter, picture, or craft that they have made especially for me. I have the self gratification of knowing that I have taught my children to the best of my ability. That they are receiving a good individualized education at home while being able to explore their interests, build relationships, and develop into strong, intelligent, capable adults. These are great rewards!

But wouldn't it be nice to have some other perks. I was thinking that while I don't know that I need an apple shaped notepad or a coffee mug that says "#1 Teacher" I wouldn't mind having the opportunity to treat myself to a gift. A way to reward myself for completing a year. I believe that after thinking about this today I just might implement a gift certificate to myself. It just might say something like, "This certifies that Lindsey is awarded one item, of her liking and choosing, as a reward for another year completed." Sounds pretty good! After all, like the catalog said, "all teachers deserve a gift of appreciation."