We Put the “Tea” in Teacher Appreciation

Good teachers are invaluable, and oftentimes, we take them for granted. They provide the power of education, and they give our kids purpose, set them up for success, and instill a foundation of knowledge and confidence that open up opportunities down the road. Our children today are the leaders of tomorrow, and teachers can have an outsized impact on our kids in their impressionable years – whether that is in teaching preschool, kindergarten, music, dance, sports, etc. Good teachers provide our kids guidance, showing them their strengths and teaching them how to improve their weaknesses. Good teachers are role models, demonstrating positivity and compassion when things seem grim (which is more important now than ever before). Good teachers are dedicated to improving our kids’ lives and giving our kids the best education possible. Considering what a hectic year it has been because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to recognize the extraordinary lengths our teachers have gone to ensure our kids are still learning and receiving the best education. 

For many teachers, there’s nothing like going up to a kindergartner or a first-grade student at her desk and helping her out with a worksheet in person, but in times like these, that in-person interaction hasn’t been possible for many students and teachers. We know teachers who have gone the extra mile to engage their students remotely, and it’s these efforts that make us so grateful for our educators. Not only did students have to adjust to new learning environments, but teachers also had to get up to speed on new technology platforms at a moment’s notice. For instance, one of our dear friends, a piano teacher, had to resort to teaching her students over Zoom. She even had her students record themselves playing certain piano pieces, so she could listen to the recordings and then provide feedback over video chat. It’s this type of dedication that we are grateful for, and this year especially, we think out teachers deserve a little extra appreciation. 

When should you give teacher gifts? 

The best time to give teacher gifts is usually at the end of the school year, which is just around the corner here at the end of May. This year is especially important for teacher gifts. For the past nine months, students and teachers both have had to adapt to this entirely new learning environment, which has been nothing short of taxing and frustrating for many of us. Showing your kids’ teachers how appreciative you are of their efforts this past year will give these teachers encouragement and inspiration when they need it most. 

What is the best gift for teachers?

The best gift you can give a teacher is usually just a handwritten card that expresses how thankful you are for them and their impact in your (and your child’s) life. We recently wrote about this for Mother’s Day: a genuine, heartfelt card can be the most impactful thing you could ever give a teacher. At Tea with Tae, we’re big on handwritten notes. We believe that extra bit of personal touch goes a long way when giving someone a gift, and that’s why we always offer our customers the option of adding a handwritten note at no extra cost with every product. 

Although we might be a little biased, the next best gift you can give a teacher is a gift from Tea with Tae. It’s a well-known fact that teachers love tea, and we’re experts at putting the “tea” in teacher. After a long day of entertaining second graders or grading papers for high schoolers, a relaxing cup of delicious tea is exactly what a teacher needs. At Tea with Tae, teachers can pick and choose which teas best suit their teaching styles and schedules. In the morning, teachers can start their days off with a nice cup of Lemon Crème, which provides a rich, bold, fully oxidized and caffeinated blend of black tea. Midday, they can switch to their “teaching tea” – from what we’ve heard from our teacher-customers, many of them enjoy a nice cup of Oolong, such as our Fruit & Berry Oolong blend that provides a nice dose of responsive and stable energy with a full-bodied flavor. At the end of the day, many teachers like to switch to a non-caffeinated herbal tea and maybe with a hint of sweetness in it, like a cup of our Spa Bliss with a little dash of honey to take the edge off. 

Specifically for voice teachers and choir instructors, high-quality tea is a must-have. Tea not only keeps you hydrated, but also soothes vocal cords and helps bring out a more robust sound. Our Peppermint Tea with a little honey or lemon is a popular choice with singers and voice teachers, since it’s excellent at clearing your throat and provides natural energy without the added caffeine boost. 

What is your most popular gift for teachers? 

Tea Bento Box

The most popular gift for teachers is our Tea Bento Box. The reason why our Tea Bento Box is the most popular is primarily because of its exquisite presentation. It’s a premium gift box that contains an assortment of up to six different tea tins, each tin containing five tea pyramid sachet bags. If you really want to show a teacher you care, then consider giving them a Tea Bento Box. 

We offer three preset Tea Bento Boxes: the Sampler, Herbal, and Caffeinated. The Sampler Tea Bento Box is one of the most popular for teachers because it has a mix of both our caffeinated bestsellers (Jasmine Green, Lemon Crème, Fruit & Berry Oolong, and Bombay Chai) and herbal bestsellers (Bedtime Bliss and Calming Tea). Your favorite teacher can start his or her day off with a cup of Lemon Crème black tea, sip on some Fruit & Berry Oolong at lunchtime, and wind down the day with some Calming Tea. The Sampler has all the teas to get teachers through the opening to the closing bell. 

The Herbal Tea Bento Box contains only our herbal bestsellers. In addition to Bedtime Bliss and Calming Tea, you also receive Spa Bliss, Peppermint, Honella, and Caramel Rooibos. The Caffeinated Tea Bento Box contains only our caffeinated bestsellers. In addition to the caffeinated teas in the Sampler (Jasmine Green, Lemon Crème, Fruit & Berry Oolong, and Bombay Chai), we also include our Lavender Earl Grey and English Breakfast—two foundational black teas that are sure to give teachers that needed boost in the morning. 

And if none of the preset Tea Bento Boxes are what your teacher wants, then you can always customize it with our custom Tea Bento Box. You can pick up to six different teas from our tea menu, which boasts a selection of 20 different tea varieties. Mix & match to your tastebuds’ desire. 

Since most of our kids have several teachers that we want to thank this year, we are offering a special bulk discount on our Tea Bento Boxes: Buy 3 Tea Bento Boxes for $99. A single Tea Bento Box costs $39.99, so this deal knocks off about $20 if you buy at least three. This way, you’ll be able to save money and give a beautiful Tea Bento Box to at least three of your child’s favorite teachers who made an impact in their life this year. 

Use code TeacherBentoBox3 at checkout to activate the discount when you buy at least three Tea Bento Boxes. 

Tea Pouches 

Another popular gift for teachers is our Tea Pouches. Many teachers have one or two favorite types of tea that they drink all the time. If you know a teacher’s favorite type (or types) of tea, then you can opt to gift one of our Tea Pouches, which contains 20 premium tea bags. Each of our twenty teas from our tea menu is available to buy in a Tea Pouch. 

As with our Tea Bento Boxes, we want to incentivize showing appreciation to all of your child’s teachers this year without breaking the bank, so we also have a special discount for our Tea Pouches: Buy 4, Get 1 Free. Each of our Tea Pouches cost $12.99, but if you buy four, you’ll get the fifth one free. This works out to be about $50 for five Tea Pouches, so you can give a nice appreciation gift to at least five teachers or give a couple to those teachers who went above and beyond this past year. Your recognition of their efforts will be so uplifting to them.

Use code TeacherPouch5 at checkout to activate the discount. Make sure you have at least five Tea Pouches in your cart, so one of them will be free. 

Iced Tea 

With summer starting right after the school year ends, another popular gift to give teachers is our Iced Tea Pouches. We just recently launched our iced tea pouches, and they’ve been a hit with our customers. Now for the teachers in your life, many of them are definitely looking forward to summer break. There’s nothing more relaxing than sipping a cool glass of delicious, iced tea under the summer sun after this past school year, and that’s exactly what you can give your child’s teacher here. We offer three iced tea flavors: Traditional Black Tea, Peach & Apricot Green Tea, and Caribbean Cooler Herbal Tea. Each of our Iced Tea Pouches come with 8 premium “pillow” bags that make up to 2 quarts of iced tea (that’s 4 gallons of iced tea per pouch). 

For our Iced Tea Pouches, we are also offering a special teacher appreciation discount: Buy 3 Iced Tea Pouches for $39. Each Iced Tea Pouch costs $14.99, so this deal will save you $5 if you buy at least three Iced Tea Pouches. Feel free to order one of each of our three flavors, or order three of the same flavor. The discount will apply as long as you order three Iced Tea Pouches. 

Use code IcedTeacher3 at checkout when you have at least 3 iced tea pouches in your cart. 

Is it OK to give a teacher a gift card? 

Of course! As long as you’re being thoughtful and showing your appreciation, a teacher is going to be thankful for your recognition no matter what. We know that gift cards sometimes get a bad rap for being impersonal, but a gift card can actually be a perfect gift, especially if the gift card is to a unique store or somewhere you know the teacher enjoys shopping. At Tea with Tae, for example, many of our customers love to build their own custom Tea Bento Boxes. They get to go through our menu of 20 different teas, read about each one, and then ultimately build a box of six hand-selected teas that they want to try—all by themselves! This experience is so fun for our customers that many of them will gift a Tea with Tae Gift Card—instead of a Tea Bento Box directly—so that their friend or loved one (or teacher!) can also experience building their own unique Tea Bento Box. 

For the tea-lover teacher, a gift card to Tea with Tae is an excellent and easy way to say thank you and allow the teacher to build his or her own custom Tea Bento Box. It’s a win-win for you and the teacher! To show our love to our favorite teachers, all Tea with Tae Gift Cards are 10% off with a minimum purchase of $10.00. This discount will automatically be applied at checkout if you buy a gift card with a value of $10 or more, so no need to enter a discount code for this one 

We cannot begin to express our thanks to all the teachers out there that have fought hard to give our kids the best education over this past year. The enormous obstacles and unforeseen chaos that COVID-19 brought upon our education system is hard to fathom, but we know our teachers saw it and lived it firsthand—and they did not give up! Here at Tea with Tae, we are celebrating the grit and dedication of our teachers. We know that we would not be where we are today without our teachers, from preschool to high school to dance teachers to football coaches. They’ve all shaped our lives in incredible ways, and it truly is hard to find the words to express our gratitude. Each of us at Tea with Tae remembers at least one or two special teachers that really stood out, and it’s during times like these that it’s so important to make our appreciation known, to encourage and to inspire our teachers to keep mentoring our kids and giving them that invaluable hope that a great education brings to their lives. Teachers are truly life changing.

From the bottom of our hearts here at Tea with Tae, thank you to all the teachers! We love you!