End of the Year Teacher Book

i’ve gotten so many requests regarding the Teacher Book that i mentioned last year in this post that I made for each of my kiddos teachers last year, so i figured i’d devote an entire post to it today in case some of you are interested.

i’ve been room mom each year for my kiddos, and i have to say…i’m kinda happy to be passing the buck come next fall with a newborn in my arms! i’ve loved my time as room mom, but it really is work, and i just don’t think i can handle it while adjusting to life with a newborn again.

however, each year, as apart of their end of the year gift from the class, i’ve compiled a little book for each teacher, and so far its been a hit! i am working on them for Bella’s class again this year, and thought i’d give you the details.

the idea is to have each child complete a fill in the blank worksheet, attach a picture of themselves, and draw a portrait of their teacher, and then compile them all into a book as a way for the teacher to remember each individual personality. this is an example of Bella’s from last year:

we give the books, along with a gift card, to the teachers as an end of the year gift to thank them for all that they’ve done throughout the year:

i think if i were a teacher, i would get a kick out of reading each of the kiddos answers, and seeing their drawings of me, and then i would cherish the memory of each of my students for years to come.

i created this template: Teacher Book Template. i~~, really really really hope,~~ think that if you click that blue text that you should be able to download the document to edit for your own personal use. if not, i unfortunately cannot individually email the document, as there is not enough time in the day to respond to those types of requests, but i would be more than happy to accept recommendations on how to upload it a different way. however, i’m really hopeful that this works, as i just spent the last hour trying to figure out the best way to share an editable document with you. i seriously at times cannot believe i even have a blog, considering how technologically illiterate i feel!

anyways, here’s the how-to:

i place one worksheet and a blank piece of card stock into a manilla folder.

i then send the bunch of folders to school to be sent home with each individual child.

i send an email to all of the parents with the specifics on the project, asking them to help their child complete the worksheet:

attach a picture of their child in the space provided on the worksheet (the dotted square), and then to have their child draw a portrait of their teacher on the card stock.

i then ask the parents to put the completed worksheet and portrait back into the manilla envelope, and send it back into school for the teacher to put in my child’s backpack. (i make the teacher aware that they can’t peek into the folders.)

once i have received back all of the envelopes, i organize the worksheets and portraits together from each child, in alphabetical order. i then attach a class picture to the book cover. i’ve created a book cover template for you as well, that ~~i hope,~~ i think you can download here: Teacher Book Cover

i then bring the stack to my local Fed-Ex (by now, y’all already know about my love of my local Fed-Ex. they are so handy for projects like this! i get zero compensation for mentioning them so often…i just love how they come through for me with projects!) for a few bucks, they bind the book for me right then and there. there are different options for binding, but i just go with the least expensive, which is a spiral bind, with a clear plastic cover over the front and a sturdy plastic back page.

i’m sure that if you know the world of graphic design, then you could make this super cute! i unfortunately, do not, so this is the best its gonna get.

that’s it! we usually present the book to the teacher during the end of the year class party.

hope you are able to download all the files and edit them for your personal use, and that your teachers love their books as much as our’s have!