"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something to eat.. THANK YOU. "

My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter has been practicing what to say this afternoon as she goes door to door begging for candy. She's all excited to be dressing up as an ice cream cone. She really doesn't remember trick or treating last year, when she could just barely get out the words "trick or treat" but she knows today is a BIG day and she knows candy is in her future.

School is a lot like trick or treating. We knock on the doors of our students, hoping to get something back in return: participation, completion of assignments, sharing of knowledge, respect, effort.

How often do we as teachers take the time to say, "Thank you" when they deliver? How often do we show our honest appreciation for a job well done by them? I wonder if more of us consistently showed our appreciation of their efforts, would they be willing to give more? Just food for thought....