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Teacher Rewards That Will Supercharge Your School Culture

We need to recognize, reward, and celebrate our educators all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
April 22, 2022

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

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Teacher Rewards That Will Supercharge Your School Culture

We need to recognize, reward, and celebrate our educators all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
April 22, 2022
Doors open at 7:15 am. Rain or shine, the car line will be backed up before then. The day for many of our educators begins with opening car doors for little ones or waving in buses and assisting students into our schools. 

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

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We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.
Doors open at 7:15 am. Rain or shine, the car line will be backed up before then. The day for many of our educators begins with opening car doors for little ones or waving in buses and assisting students into our schools. 

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

quote icon
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

Teacher Rewards That Will Supercharge Your School Culture

We need to recognize, reward, and celebrate our educators all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
April 22, 2022

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

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About the Presenter

Jordan resides in Lexington, Kentucky. He has experience in Public Education as an Administrator, Science Teacher, and as a Coach. He has extensive experience with School Discipline, PBIS, SEL, Restorative Practices, MTSS, and Trauma-Informed Care.

About the Event

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

Register Now

About the Event

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Doors open at 7:15 am. Rain or shine, the car line will be backed up before then. The day for many of our educators begins with opening car doors for little ones or waving in buses and assisting students into our schools. 

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

All Reward Ideas for Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Snowball Fights (& Popsicles!)
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch With the Teacher
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Assist the Custodian.
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Loudspeaker Shoutout
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
School Spirit Day
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Dance Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Silly School Leader
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Night
Grades 9-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Awards Show Afterparty
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Food-Themed Party
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Attendance Popcorn Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Follow a Friend
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Pie a Teacher
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Free

All Reward Ideas for Elementary School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Snowball Fights (& Popsicles!)
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Attendance Popcorn Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Messenger
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Camp Read Away
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Meet the Teacher
Grades K-8
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Jobs
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Career Day
Grades 3-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Ice Cream Sundae Party
Grades K-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Event Ideas for Schools

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Fast Pass
🎉
👑
🎁
Partner Work
🎉
👑
🎁
Vote
🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
🎉
👑
🎁
Camp Read Away
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
🎉
👑
🎁
Game of Thrones
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Serenade
🎉
👑
🎁
Seating Choice

All Reward Ideas for High School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Special Screening
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Holiday Classroom Carousel
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
TikTok with the Teacher
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Emcee the Announcements
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Dance Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Gift Cards
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Food-Themed Party
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snacks
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Drop Lowest Quiz
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Kickback Vibes
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Reservations
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Glow Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Reward Ideas for Middle School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Family Feast
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
The A-List
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Play Games
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Jobs
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Water Bottle Stickers
Grades 6-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Cut the Principal’s Tie
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch with an Admin
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Serenade
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Picnic Lunch
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Old School Cookout
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Fast Pass
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
The Love Soiree
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY

All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

💰
🎨
Game of Thrones
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Board Game Party
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Drop Lowest Quiz
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Wristband
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Extra Recess
Grades K-5
Class/House
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Follow a Friend
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Dress Up or Down Day
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Line Leader
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Cut the Principal’s Tie
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Assist the Custodian.
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
The Big Ticket
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Emcee the Announcements
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Silly School Leader
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Trip to the Treasure Box
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Design the Bulletin Board
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY

All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
See all Rewards

Want more ideas?

Rewards that Rock 🎸 has 100+ rewards, incentives, and event ideas to build your school culture.
Find Rewards
Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Doors open at 7:15 am. Rain or shine, the car line will be backed up before then. The day for many of our educators begins with opening car doors for little ones or waving in buses and assisting students into our schools. 

For others, it will begin in the cafeteria as they make sure our kids enter a safe and welcoming environment and can start their day off right. From there it's homeroom for advising and tutoring, or it's manning the tardy table to encourage stragglers to get to class. 

They are greeting students by the door and are making themselves available to chat or provide guidance to students who are struggling. They have had hundreds of interactions and made dozens of small decisions before ever teaching a lesson. All with the intent of providing the best learning environment they can for our kids. 

From there it's teaching, facilitating, mentoring, grading, planning, supervising, and inspiring. And that is just the first period! Great schools are great because they employ and support great teachers. No other variable can impact student learning like providing high-quality teaching.

Our teachers deserve to be praised, respected, and recognized. They deserve to be rewarded!

What Are Teacher Rewards?

Teacher rewards work much like student rewards. By this, I mean that they are designed to reward actions that are desirable for the school. 

What does your school need and value? What do you need your teaching staff to do in order for your school to be successful? What goals will you set for your teachers? How will you know they have met them? How can you encourage your teachers to meet those goals? 

Reward them for doing so!

Why Have Teacher Rewards?

Motivation is a tricky subject. Some of us might see the idea of teacher rewards as maybe a “fluff” idea. They would argue that we should all want to be the best version of ourselves because that is what is best for students. They are right. 

Yet, there are 1000’s of motivational books on Amazon. Similar motivational videos on YouTube. Tons of podcasts on the subject. Countless motivational tweets. And so, so many motivational posters in classrooms.

Teachers Lounge Posters

So it would appear that yes we all want to do our best work, but we also feel the need to be motivated to do better. Students like to see their actions recognized. If they do right, they want to be rewarded for it. 

It works similarly for adults. Think about it: most quality staff meetings normally have shout-outs or recognition of your and your colleagues' hard work. We all like to be recognized and rewarded, and when we do so, we are more likely to do so again. 

This is why school events like Teacher Appreciation Week are so important in schools. Our teachers deserve that recognition, and as humans, they need the praise to spur more motivation and inspiration. 

Keep reading for some ideas on how you can reward your staff all year long, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

15 Teacher Reward Ideas

1. Lifesaver Award 

Create a trophy (be creative here) that staff can award each other at your faculty meeting to recognize colleagues who go above and beyond to help them, the school, and the students. 

A traveling trophy is a great way to develop a positive school culture.

2. Teacher of the Week

Use technology and create a google form that will allow students to nominate and recognize a different teacher each week or month. 

3. Professional Lunch

Cover a teacher's class during the lunch class period. Send the teacher out to eat an off-campus lunch with no rush. My personal favorite on the list!

4. Beat the Buses

Cover the final 15 minutes of a class period for a teacher on Friday. That teacher gets to be the first to the weekend!

5. Time

Cover all supervision duties for a teacher for a full day or week. The gift of time is huge in a profession that can often feel time-crunched.

6. Principal’s Parking Spot

Re-designate your parking spot for teacher recognition.

7. Teacher Profile on the Morning News

Many schools are now using technology to run morning news shows. Let students interview and create human interest pieces on your teachers to be played on the morning news.

8. Professional Development Lead

Have a strong teacher that you wish you could replicate? Let them share their strengths! In my teaching journey, I was fortunate enough to have a Principal who allowed me and others to present to our colleagues. This was massive in my growth as a professional.

9. Ball Game “Sponsorships” 

Give your announcer a list of “sponsorships” to read during the game. Each one should recognize the teaching staff’s contributions to our student-athletes. “And that is a math department double down the line!”

10. Decision Maker

Want to instill buy-in for your staff? Include them in the decision-making process. Invite the teacher of the week to your admin team meeting. Their participation will create shared ownership of the school and provide value in the form of ideas your team may not have!

11. Dean for a Day

Is your AP out sick? Request a sub and pull a teacher to cover the principal duties. No better way to recognize staff than to provide them with career development opportunities.

12. Wellness Wednesday

Athletic wear on Wednesday! Maybe even some staff yoga or meditation? Promote a healthy lifestyle and reward your teachers.

13. Coffee Cart

Wheel a complimentary coffee cart around, room to room once a week. Coffee isn’t terribly expensive and this has the added benefit of making certain you say hello to each and every one of your teachers for at least that morning.

14. Handwritten Letter from Principal

In the day of technology, a handwritten letter has taken on a whole other level of importance. This is the easiest one on the list and might have the most impact on a personal level.

15. Professional Conferences

Use your PD funds to provide professional opportunities for teachers outside of your building. 

Tangible Teacher Rewards

Note that very few rewards on that list will carve out space on your budget. Most are simply time-related. This is intentional. Most schools do not have funds allocated for teacher rewards and time is already a valued commodity in education.

If you would like to include tangible small rewards in your reward system consider gift cards as a means to achieve this. Dedicate a day in the summer to contacting local businesses. Explain to them what you're doing and who will benefit from a donation. 

You will be very surprised at just how much your local community would like to help your cause! Quality teaching increases student success. Successful students are successful graduates. Successful graduates are productive citizens. Productive citizens create great communities. 

How to Run a Reward System for Teachers

Step 1: Set the goal. 

Is this a group goal or an individual goal? Why is this important? 

Communicate the why. Sell it to your staff. Put on your marketer hat here.

Step 2: Set the time frame. 

How long are we monitoring this? When does it start? When does it end? Does your reward have a date? Is it a one-time thing, or recurring? 

Your goal is for teachers to have an attainable goal that isn’t too far out. Teacher Appreciation week is great, but it's awfully tough to look forward to May when it's only September.

Step 3: How will you monitor? 

What is necessary to keep track of this information? 

Use the tools your school already has to monitor your goals. If they don’t or you don’t have the necessary access, then you’ll need to use a data input tool like Google Sheets to track the goals you have set. This is simple and can be learned by watching a youtube tutorial if you're not already proficient with sheets or excel. 

A secondary note on this is who will decide who is recognized. Will it be admin, other teachers, students, or parents?

Step 4: Reward your staff! 

Carry out the reward as you promised. Put it on your calendar. Make it important, and weave it into the way you do business.

Step 5: After Action Report. 

Did your reward system achieve the desired results? Was the reward meaningful towards teacher morale? Did your monitoring system work as intended? Did the logistics of the event or system enhance or limit your success? 

Take time to think about your process and use that information to improve future efforts.

Teacher Rewards at Your School

We all want to do our best for students. But we shouldn’t ask teachers to strive for excellence in anonymity. Great work should be celebrated! 

Teaching has been a tough profession lately. It is extremely important for the future of our profession and for our kids that our teachers are treated as professionals and praised for quality work. 

There are a great many things to fix and improve. As your school’s leader, some of those you can control. Some you can influence. Some are out of your hands. 

Rewarding your staff is within your grasp.

Looking for help with incentives for students that follow PBIS best practices? Try our ultimate list of free rewards for students.

If your new to running behavior systems you should take a look at our resources on how to start your PBIS program.

For more ideas on celebrating teachers, check out episode 32 of our podcast!

All Reward Ideas for Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Game of Thrones
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Final Fridays
Grades K-8
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Game Week
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch With the Teacher
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher for the Day
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snowball Fights (& Popsicles!)
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
House Induction
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Picnic Lunch
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Read Across America
Grades K-8
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Pen
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Snack Party
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Trip to the Treasure Box
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
The Big Ticket
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Reward Ideas for Elementary School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Special Pen
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Theme Party
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Screening
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Sports Tickets
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Holiday Delivery
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Book
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Dance Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Career Day
Grades 3-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Attendance Popcorn Party
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Pet
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe

All Event Ideas for Schools

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
🎉
👑
🎁
Talk Time
🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Concert
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Recess
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Book
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
🎉
👑
🎁
The Big Ticket

All Reward Ideas for High School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Food-Themed Party
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Old School Cookout
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
The A-List
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Amazing Race
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Drop Lowest Quiz
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Partner Work
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Career Day
Grades 3-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Karaoke Night
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Backpack
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Picnic Lunch
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
The Love Soiree
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Homework Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Kickback Vibes
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher v Student Competition
Grades 6-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Rolling Chair Rental
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY

All Reward Ideas for Middle School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Picnic Lunch
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Video Game Rewards
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
School Assembly
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Serenade
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Graduation Celebration
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
♟️Chess With the Principal
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snack Pack
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Meme Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Silly School Leader
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Food-Themed Party
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Holidays Around the World
Grades K-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Old School Cookout
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe

All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

💰
🎨
Student Messenger
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Sports Tickets
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
💰
🎨
Loudspeaker Shoutout
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Seating Choice
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
💰
🎨
Teacher v Student Competition
Grades 6-12
School
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Tutor
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Talk Time
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Toys
Grades K-8
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
💰
🎨
Vote
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free

All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Brain Break
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
See all Rewards

Want more ideas?

Rewards that Rock 🎸 has 100+ rewards, incentives, and event ideas to build your school culture.
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Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 

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