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Toms of Maine and I are partnering together today for this sponsored post to share 10 things teachers are doing that you probably don’t notice.   For a second year, Tom’s of Maine and DonorsChoose.org have joined forces to launch the #GreenSchoolFund, which will give $1 million to support environmental education in classrooms nationwide.

Because of this, our students and children are helping! They are tackling hands-on projects all around America.  They are learning how a huge impact they have on the planet through their own two hands.

With that in mind, I am partnering with Tom’s of Maine to share the 10 things teachers are doing that you probably don’t notice.

A girl posing for the camera with text beside her.
Since teachers have helped our students so much… I wanted to write about the 10 things that they are doing that we DON’T get to see on a daily basis.

I was a teacher and looking at my children’s teachers, I have noticed something… they truly care about our children.   This is the time to honor those people that go above and beyond, after all.

1. They are thinking about our kids when they are at home.
My husband knew every single name of the students in my class.  Why?  Because I talked about them all night long.  “Maddie did the most hilarious thing today!”   “Jon is so thoughtful!  Today he…”

2. They are working during non-work hours.  My sister in law and my brother both work in the upper-aged schools (middle and high school) and they both spend hours a night doing work at home.   They are putting in extra time and they are not being paid for it.  Why?  Because they care about your children.

3.  They are worried about your kids.  Do you know that I still worry about students that I had ten years ago?   I still think about them and wonder if they made friends, did well, got out of that family scenario that they were in… I worry about them.

4. They are cheering for your kids as much as you are!  I used to root my kids on, in the classroom.  I wanted to see them succeed.  If I knew that they weren’t meeting their full potential, I pushed a little harder, because I knew that they had it in them.

5.  They want to have fun with your kids!   They love to see them laugh and smile, too!   It brings joy to our hearts during the day!  They ask about your kid’s day and they want to know details about their fun trips or playdates. 🙂

Children petting a baby ram at a zoo.

6. We recognize your child’s talents.  I knew which of my students would struggle in math and which ones would blow me out of the water!

Do you know what is even better?  When parents would tell me, honestly, which areas their children did well and in what areas they struggled.   It was great to have insight like that, because I could give my own findings back to the parents and together we could make an amazing team!

7.  We are dealing with things on our own.   Please remember that teachers have hard days, too.  Maybe our car broke down on our way to work, maybe someone close to us passed away, or maybe our kids were up all night long (or sick).

Other things are on our minds, yet we keep your kids their too, because they are close to our hearts.   If we forget to send a note or don’t get to your e-mail right away, have patience. ♥

8.  They are going into work on their ‘off’ days.   If you drive by an elementary school during the summer, chances are pretty high that you will see a few cars in the parking lot.

They are preparing for the upcoming school year.  The ones that aren’t there are probably planning ideas at home.

9. Giving your child a hug when they need one.   I know that things are so ‘on the fence’ now – we are afraid to give hugs.   I wasn’t.
I hugged my kids that needed hugged.
I patted them on the back when they answered a question correctly.
I braided their hair  if their pony-tail was coming out and their hair was falling into their faces.
I don’t know any teachers who don’t do these things.

Becky & her son
Becky & her son

10.  They care about your kids.  In that 8 hours while your child is in their classroom. they are caring for your child and thinking about your child.   Maybe not all teachers, but all of the ones that I taught with (which is probably why I sent our kids to that school.)

Since 2016, the Tom’s of Maine Green Your School Fund has reached nearly 300,000 students, and counting! How amazing!  Think of how much more we can do this year.

Plus, all year long, Tom’s of Maine gives 10% of profits back to helping people and the planet, so by choosing Tom’s of Maine products, you’re helping create the $1 million fund to help make schools more sustainable through DonorsChoose.org.

 An ad with a boy sitting in grass with text beside him.

Are you a teacher?  Just visit GreenSchoolFund.com and share your creative environmental projects through DonorsChoose.org.   Tom’s of Maine will automatically match every citizen donation made to qualifying environmental projects.   Once projects are fully funded, supplies are sent straight to the school to make the project a reality.

Are you a parent?  Share the program with teachers that you know, so you can help them secure funding for their project.   Also, share #GreenSchoolFund hashtag and  GreenSchoolFund.com

Thank you, teachers, for all that you do!

More posts you might like:
please stop plastering teachers notes all over the internet

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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19 Comments

  1. My daughters 2ND grade teacher is wonderful. She had been a 4 th grade Teacher then switched to become 2nd grade because of overcrowded class rooms. So all these kids that had to change Class rooms within the first month of school had a big change again. Can’t speak for all parents but I was a little worried about the change. My daughter did well with the help of Mrs Herman. She made the transition very smooth and welcomed all the kids so happily. She is a great communicator and I love that about her. I can tell she cares for her kids like we do. THANK YOU Mrs Herman. from North Star elementary in Graham Washington.

  2. Such a great reminder to appreciate the teachers in our lives. Thanks! I really liked your note that your husband knew all your kid’s names. That makes sense, but I never thought about it before.

  3. My daughter’s sixth grade teacher this year says her goal is to help her students learn to think. She wants them to fully understand WHY things work and understand the background. She wants them to be proactive about asking questions until they get it and can explain it to someone else. I love that she is focused on helping the kids develop deeper learning about concepts.

  4. Thank you so much for posting a positive teacher article! We work our butts off and sometimes it seems all there is negativity out there about teachers..this is refreshing 🙂

  5. Hi Becky, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to reassure the parents and grandparents (me) about how loved and very well cared for, our precious babies are. It warmed my heart reading how you and other teachers feel about our beloved children. We think about them all day too, wondering what they’re doing, how they’re doing, are they safe, are they learning, behaving, etc. It is wonderful to hear that they are so loved and so well taken care of and that you took the time to communicate that. Thank-you for your heart felt dedication and all the teachers who feel the same! A grateful Grammy

  6. My younger son got lucky when he got Mrs. Swenson and Mrs. Hopkins in First grade. One worked Mon & Tues. The other teacher worked Thurs & Friday and the alternated Weds. They were both so friendly, nurturing and caring. Some how they managed to put on two plays for parents. Our elementary is huge! Almost 1100 students grades k-5. But, this 1st grade class of 18 students were close and friendships were made! (I cried the last day!) Fortunately, my son had a great teacher the following years. But, I L-O-V-E-D First grade!

  7. I used to teach 4th and 5th grade and can attest to all of these! Building relationships with my students was by far the best part of the job.

  8. This is so very true. I appreciate my children’s teachers over the years and have some very fond memories of my own.

  9. I would love to do something wonderful for my sons 6th grade math teacher she is the most caring person and sounds a whole lot like you describe yourself as. I can tell she guinually cares about my son doing well in math not for sol scores or too look good but for him to be successful and understand why and what he is doing . When talking with him and I at a parent teacher conference, i feel like im looking in a mirror when watching the way her soul shows her concern for everything we discussed and because I can tell she wants everything I want for him . She’s awesome and deserves to be noticed

    1. That is the sweetest thing! You should write that in a card & give it to her – it would mean more than you know.

  10. Thank you for sharing this with parents. I want them to know most teachers generally about the child’s well being and academic successes. Even more so about student failures which are true learning opportunities in disguise. Thanks from all the teachers out there.

    Kim Caise, NBCT, M. Ed.
    Connects Education
    PLS 3rd Learning

  11. My daughters teacher came out if her way to ask if she could tutored my daughter and she’s been doing it for months.after school. She has alot of heart and enthusiasm. Amazing teacher.