Free For All Friday: Packaging is Everything

T.G.I.F. A busy week of mailboxes, journaling, whacking, and then even more whacking on the side of the head.

Today is all about teachers and what they consider - after a LONG, hard, year of work - to be ideal gifts/gestures of appreciation. Before I simply open the floor up to our loyal readers and visitors, let me add another dimension to our Free For All...

Before I got married, I always strived to be the most "creative" gift giver. That meant that I thought I was too creative to defer to the couple's registry. The registry, in my mind, was for lazy people who lacked any imagination. Then I got married. I came to appreciate - with every ounce of my being - the "experienced" people who in their infinite wisdom knew that a place setting of china would ultimately be more appreciated than his and her watches bearing each other's names. The truth is, neither of us has much occasion to wear our watches, but each time we set our dining room table we have cause to think about the thoughtful people who chipped in and helped purchase the place settings included in so many of our family celebrations.

My point... sometimes practical has its place. The handful of teachers and educators with whom I have spoken in the past three or four days have all suggested they appreciate receiving gift cards. Teachers, as we know, do not make a lot of money so the ability to shop for something they've eyed but couldn't afford, is actually a thoughtful gesture. So, gift cards should not be considered an impersonal, thoughtless, cop-out.

What is sure to transform a gift card from simply generous to... generous, thoughtful, and even sentimental is... PACKAGING. So, today our loyal readers and visiting teachers should feel free to comment on EITHER: (1) the gift you've most appreciated receiving, or (2) the best packaging of a gift card.

For those of you who love packaging... have no fear. This will not... I repeat will NOT, be the last time we visit this topic. It is one of my favorites and therefore will be revisited again (and again). To get us going, I am including a photograph our loyal reader Heather sent yesterday. It is a photograph of appreciation gifts she just presented to her daughter's teachers. I am happy to report it is a spin-off (much enhanced) of an idea shared via highlowaha.com. The stick of dynamite contains Hershey's Hugs and Kisses, along with Target gift cards for each teacher. The note on top reads, "Hugs and Kisses to a DYNAMITE group of teachers." Proof that creativity breeds creativity and, that on a good day, creativity can be found right here at this very blog site.

Have at it.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday: School's Out!

New Readers... today is Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday.  It is the day we draw a card from Roger von Oegh's magical deck of cards and use the concept described to jar our own creativity.  We do this with a particular highlowaha.com predicament in mind and then, of course, I also challenge you to apply the concept to something in your own world.

Today's predicament is compliments of my trusty and creative neighbor.  She called me last night suggesting that highlowaha.com spend some air time generating creative gift ideas for teachers.  It is, after all, the end of the school year and many of us will be looking for ways to show our appreciation.  This might even apply to day care providers... or heck... even your favorite college professors or administrators.  

To the untrained eye, this might sound more like an idea for Free For All Friday.  Friday's, after all, are reserved for generating creative solutions to problems just like these.  But, I got to thinking... Much like we did with Mother's Day (and to a lesser degree Father's Day), it might be nice to hear from actual teachers when generating gift ideas.  What are some of the favorite things/gestures teachers have received?  

How will we muster up enough teachers to make this segment truly useful?  That's where Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday comes in....

So, today's predicament... How will I assure a significant increase in readership among educators for THIS FRIDAY (5/16).  My goal... have 100 teachers post the favorite treat/gesture they have received... or wish they would have received!  Now to the Whack Pack for my creative solution.

Make a Metaphor.  Philospher Ortega y Gassett:  "The metaphor is probably the most fertile power possessed by man."  The key to metaphorical thinking is comparing unrelated concepts and finding similarities between them.  Example: what do a cat and a refrigerator have in common?  They both have a place to put fish; they both have tails; they purr; they come in a variety of colors; and they both have a lifetime of about fifteen years.  What similarities does your idea have with cooking a meal?  Conducting an orchestra?  Building a house?  Raising a child?  Waging war?  How can these help you understand your idea in a new way?  What can you compare your idea to?

Hmmm... I'll start with the first one and see where that takes me.  What similarities does my idea, of recruiting 100 teachers who are willing to post their ideal gift on this Friday's blog, have with cooking a meal?

• There's more than one way to cook an egg, just like there's more than one way to recruit teachers: Scrambled, poached, sunny-side up, fried, hard boiled, soft boiled... these are all the ways you can prepare and egg.  Call, email, write a note, personal invitation, list serve, word of mouth, students, contact professional teacher associations, notify the PTA, advertise... these are all ways to recruit teachers for Friday's blog. 
  
• Both require turning up the heat:  Barbecue is low and slow.  Grilling is hot and fast.  For the purposes of this week's exercise, we will be GRILLING.  Today is Wednesday.  We have until mid-night on Friday to solicit input from 100 teachers!
  
• Chefs and recruiters follow recipes: A recipe when talking about cooking a meal is fairly obvious, but what about a recipe for recruiting?...  For the purposes of this activity, we'll view recruiting as a form of marketing (marketing the idea of posting to teachers far and wide).  The four "P's" of marketing include : Product (getting teachers to post); Price (free); Promotion (Any teacher who makes a post on Friday will be entered in a drawing to receive school supplies for his/her classroom next year); Place (teacher lounges, highlowaha and other relevant blog sites, pick up and drop off lines outside of school, etc...)
  
• Both are better when they include dessert: Preferably CHOCOLATE.  So, have I got a treat for you!  Refer the greatest number of teachers (which we'll know if they mention your name in the post) and YOU too will earn a treat...compliments of Sous-Chef Claudia.
  

Now your turn.  What ideas can you cook up, using the analogy above?  Or, test out one of the other metaphors...recruiting teachers and... raising a child, conducting an orchestra, building a house, or waging war.  

Either way, we want everyone to pitch in.  Contact every teacher you know and have them tell their friends.  There's no time to waste.  ... Dig in!

Signing off until tomorrow...