When it comes to love languages my daughter is the poster child for receiving gifts. In addition to quality time, she gives and receives love through gifts. Her encouraging “gift notes” and the personal, creative gifts she gives others make those around her feel not just loved, but loved extravagantly!
No matter what your love language is, we notice when others make an effort to bless us!
How can you bless your teachers?
1. Make time and space with God
No, you did not read that wrong. You see, when you spend time in God’s presence it changes you. It changes your heart! It makes a difference in how you interact with others. Time with Him aligns you with His plan saving you oodles of time. Listening to Him will give you solutions that will simplify your life and save you time in the long run.
As you spend time with Him, pray for your teachers and others that help you make a difference in the lives of children. You decide how. Maybe you designate a specific day like Mondays or Thursdays to focus on praying for them. Or you may prefer to pray for a few teachers each day. Whatever works best for you, but pray for them!
The good news is that as you pray for them it will positively impact both of you!
2. Send notes by snail mail
In spite of the many ways we have to connect these days, everyone is delighted to receive a note in the mail! It is still a very inexpensive way to boost someone’s day!
Consider including two parts in your notes. Share a little bit about what God is showing you in your life. Then take the time to share something you appreciate, potential you notice, or something you admire about them as a teacher.
Writing hand written notes takes time, but so does recruiting! Letting your team know you appreciate and value them this way will ultimately save you time down the road! The other hidden bonus – it will slow you down long enough to think about what God is up to in your life and cause you to take a moment to consider what you treasure about those you work with!
And your teachers will feel loved, valued, and appreciated.
3. Consistently support them
Check in and make sure your teachers have what they need to teach before kids arrive. It can be quite frustrating to feel ignored or all alone. Follow up after they teach to see how things went. Celebrating successes and addressing frustrations with them creates an atmosphere of support and keeps little issues from becoming big issues.
If you are pulled in too many directions to do this yourself, be sure to delegate this support role to someone who can keep you informed. Your teachers will be grateful!
4. Say positive things about them
Acknowledging and sharing the efforts of your teachers to parents, the congregation, or other staff members let’s others know how much you treasure your teachers and there’s a good chance those positive words will get back to them!
5. Plan a meeting
Yes, plan a meeting! Gather your teachers together to inspire, inform, interact, reward, equip, and have fun! When you take the time to invest in them it they feel it! Why not set a date and get it on the calendar today.
When your meetings are worthwhile and your teachers feel valued – your teachers and volunteers will want to be there!
What’s your favorite way to love on your teachers?