No ceramic apples. No macramé apples. No pictures of apples. No real apples. I suppose if you wanted to give a teacher an Apple iPhone, that would be fine. But beyond that -- seriously -- no apples! My mom taught first grade for 20+ years, and let's just say we had a lot of apples around the house every December and June.
So what's the appreciative PTO or PTA to do? In my opinion, you can do no better than sincere service and sincere thank-yous. Notes from the kids. Notes from parents (sometimes even better and more unexpected). Have a surprise crew wash every teacher's car out in the parking lot (be sure to leave a well-penned note). Bring in a sandwich and salad buffet to the faculty lounge. Hire a massage therapist to give 15-minute chair massages to teachers throughout one day. Get creative. Here are some resources from ptotoday.com to help you get inspired:
Creating community around your school and creating a positive, communal environment in your building are great goals of most PTOs. Showing your teachers how much your whole community values their contributions fits those goals perfectly. If your enthusiasm and appreciation shine through (and your apples are left at home), then you'll do great! Good luck.
