This Teacher Appreciation post is sponsored by Hilton and Global Influence but all opinions expressed are my own.
Many years ago I ditched a career in cancer research to stay home with my babies when they were little. It was stressful and emotional and a definite drain on the finances but I didn’t regret it for one minute. However, once my kids hit preschool age I found a nice 3 hour program for them to join that would give me a few minutes of peace and quiet once in a while. Of course, I loved the preschool so much I ended up taking a job as a preschool teacher in the 2 year old classroom. Let me just say that if you think 2 year olds are loads of fun at home, having 13 of them in one classroom is a blast…and yes I am being just a tad bit sarcastic here. They call them the terrible twos for a reason! I spent 4 years teaching in that classroom and gained a lot of insight as to why teacher appreciation day is so darn important! Teachers, no matter if they are preschool teachers or high school teachers, can give our children so much if only they are provided the support and resources that they need.
Why Teacher Appreciation is Important!
What sort of things did I spend those 4 years teaching my little classroom full of 2 year olds? Here is what they learned:
1. To say please and thank you at snack time and to only eat the food that is put in front of them, NOT their friend’s. When you try to eat your friend’s goldfish you risk getting bitten!
2. Play-dough is a great way to spend free time but it does NOT belong in your ears. Or your mouth, or your friend’s nose. One of my students ended up at the doctors office to remove a wad of play-dough from her ear. She was not happy about that and firmly told us for weeks afterwards that play-dough does NOT go in her ear…ever!
3. How to count to 13. Why 13? Because that is how many students I had in the classroom and we counted them every time we went ANYWHERE. In fact, we counted them about 15 times a day because you would be amazed at how quickly a 2 year old can escape if you so much as blink!
4. Children do not stand on tables….or chairs, or rocking horses, or our friends. Our feet stay on the floor and need to be in shoes at all times. Even if they are incredibly proud of how good a job they do at taking them off. Especially when mom sends them in Crocks. Moms…please do NOT send your children to preschool in Crocks!
5. School is FUN. If my students learned nothing else during their time in the classroom I would be okay with that as long as they left happy!
I bet you never realized how much fun your children could have at school, right? If you had to spend a few hours in their shoes I bet you would understand teacher appreciation day a lot better! Teachers give up a lot of things in their dedication to our children…their time, personal finances, and their sanity to name just a few. As parents, we need to help support our teachers as much as possible and the Hilton HHonors loyalty program is doing it’s part to help, too.
The Hilton HHonors loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 different hotel brands, has announced the 30 finalists of its Teacher Treks Travel Grant Competition and YOU get the chance to vote! What is the Teacher Treks program? 15 teachers will get the chance to travel and experience the subject they teach in school. This will help enrich their curriculum and inspire their students to explore the world. Hilton HHonors developed the Teacher Treks Travel Grant Competition in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE)to help celebrate different cultures and build stronger communities. Teachers play an important role in spreading understanding of other cultures to our children and they can have a huge impact on their students’ lives. Hilton HHonors is giving teachers a passport to see the world and bring their experiences back to the classroom through Teacher Treks.
A panel of judges, including K-12 teachers and other education experts selected by IIE, narrowed the competition down to 30 finalists from 20 different states. The finalists are from Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Washington. You can vote for the teacher you want to earn this amazing opportunity! 15 winners will receive a grant valued at $6,000 to travel to a destination of their choice; in addition to the trip, each winning teachers’ school will also receive a $2,500 grant to use for cultural activities or enhancements. This is an amazing opportunity, not just for the winning teacher but for their entire school!
Want to help? Individuals can cast one vote per day during the duration of the voting period. From those that voted in the Teacher Treks competition, 10 random winners will receive one Hilton HHonors Gift Card valued at $250. Each vote counts as one entry toward a $250 Hilton HHonors gift card. Every time you vote you increase your chances of winning! For more information on the 30 finalists, voting or for full Terms and Conditions, please visit www.hhonors.com/TeacherTreks. Winners will be announced in May 2013.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
