How do YOU Reward Your Staff Members?

What do you do to reward your staff?

I know we just finished with Christmas celebrations and gifts, but what about a random surprise?

 Do you stop and thank them in some big or small way once in awhile? Have you ever thanked them on a day that wasn't a special day on the calendar, like Teacher Appreciation Day? Maybe it's time to brainstorm with your staff some days within the year that you can give the others some special attention. 

 I'm so glad to have this support staff to do some of the work that I can't possibly get completed by myself.

Have you ever sent the bus drivers a kind note? We like to send a bowl of candy to the bus garage at Christmas time to thank them for taking the kids home every night. (Well, we do thank them for bringing them TO school also! It's just that sometimes it's more meaningful that they have a ride home.)

                                        

Click HERE to see the candy bar link in Pinterest. 

Do you thank your custodians? Have you left them a note or a treat once in awhile? I know that some of them may not seem to deserve a special treat, but maybe if you kill them with kindness, they'll turn around and do something for you too. I've often heard of custodians who complain about all the mess in a classroom. . . .. hmmmm. . . let me think about this. . . . if there were NO messes, would they have a job? Isn't that what they were hired for? Don't they get paid to clean up after us? Imagine that all of us kept our rooms spotless, why would we need them?

Attach this sign to a muffin. 

                                                      Click HERE to see the Muffin post on Pinterest. 

Oops, I digress. .. this was supposed to be about good stuff.

One day, my principal brought all of us a large drink from McDonalds and one of their chocolate chip cookies. She hand delivered them to us. . . .Yes, she is a peach and yes, I love her on every other day too, But wasn't that wonderful that she did all that for us?  She said it was National Appreciate You day. . . or something like that. . . I was so amazed at the treat, that I don't think I heard what came from her lips. 

We also have maintenance people who come in during the day to fix things and clean up when a child gets sick. There are the people who run our district office. There are the school board members. Who else do you have in your district that does something big or small for you?  

Attach this to a bag of  microwave popcorn.

Click HERE for the link to the popcorn sign. 

With Valentine's Day approaching, maybe you could get the ball rolling and find a way to show them some extra love. Divide and conquer. Let each grade level pick a group and a day to shower your staff with some goodies.

                                                             


Moral to the story. Stop and look around you. Who helps you? Who is always there for you? And who do you need to give warm fuzzies to? It can be a group effort or a class letter. You can be creative about this. Treats, cards, pictures, or whatever. 

I would love to hear what things you do to appreciate your staff. Leave me a note. I'm anxious to read your thoughts.