Create & Give a Thanksgiving Card
Purpose: To give recognition and thanks to people who do thankless jobs in our life.
Reading AssignmentDefinition of a Thankless Job:
If you work hard, and your efforts consistently go unnoticed or you never hear a “thank you” for your hard day's work — you might be have a thankless job. Thankless jobs become even more thank... less when they are underpaid, disrespected, or overworked in hard conditions. Top 12 thankless jobs
(adapted from this link) 1. Farmers - The stuffed turkey with that finger-licking gravy you may have for Thanksgiving was raised by a farmer. Almost all the food on your dinner table was grown by a farmer. They get up early, do labor intensive work all day, come home and go to bed, and do it all again day in and day out. All so that we can eat good food. 2. Teachers - Unlike farmers, you know your teachers better. But how well do you really know what they do? You may see them come and go from work but have you ever asked how they spent their evening, weekend, or holiday break. For most teachers the job they do can't be completed within the normal 7am-3pm school day. They plan lessons and learning activities for you, grade student work, they listen, counsel, manage behavior, keep track of time, and teach...It's like trying to be a lawyer, police officer, secretary, teacher, and nurse all at once. Think about it...within one 40 minute class what do your teacher's accomplish? The answer is a whole lot! They do more than you know and often times students don't take the time to say, "Thanks!" or "I really liked this project I had fun learning about (project name)" They accomplish a lot of things that seemingly go unnoticed. Be the one to notice, it could brighten their day. Their yearly median salary is only about $50,000, depending on how long they've been teaching. 3. Social workers - Social workers help many get back on their feet. They also diagnose and treat emotional, behavioral and mental issues. But what do they get in return? It is not uncommon for social workers to be abused, both physically and psychologically. Their yearly median salary is only slightly above $40,000 and they usually work long hours including evenings and weekends. 4. Military - A lot of what you take for granted is actually assured by that unnamed soldier who stands on the wall and promises you a peaceful night’s sleep. The U.S. military, from the beginning, has sacrificed so that the American way of life can be preserved. Yet more than often their job is not appreciated and sometimes even criticized (remember the returning soldiers from Vietnam). They work unimaginable long hours, and serve in the most inhospitable environments and do not make a “killing” when getting paid for their services. Although with time service members are becoming more widely recognized for their service to their country. 5. IRS Agents - They review tax returns, collect overdue tax payments, identify taxes owed and conduct audits. As no one likes to pay taxes, obviously everyone hates them. In short, they get the government its dues owed by eligible citizens. In return they earn less than a yearly median salary of $50,000 and absolutely no gratitude from the general public for performing their duty. 6. Garbage collectors - Just think about it, without them the neighborhood where you live would become virtually unlivable. Think about the filth and stink filling up the streets. And how many times do they get a thank you with a smile? Their annual median salary is a little over $22,000 for them depending on where you work. Custodians also fall in this category. Think about who empties the garbage, cleans of your lunch table, sweeps and mops the floor at school... What might the school environment be like if they didn't do their job. Do you make their job easier or harder by picking up your own messes? Hopefully next time you'll think before you throw a wrapper on the floor or leave something spilled on a cafeteria table. They deserve a thanks and you can show them respect by helping to clean up after yourself. 7. The window cleaner - The squeaky clean windows that you see on Sears Tower and other skyscrapers is the not the work of the weather gods alone; humans keep them clean and that too from the outside. Hanging by a thread, they hardly ever get a thank you from the person sitting comfortably on the other side talking on the phone as he casually turns and gives them an indifferent glance. They also make almost as much as the garbage collectors. |
Writing assignment
8. Paralegals - Paralegals are those unsung heroes who assist lawyers during trials. They help with drafting, opinion writing, and conducting legal research. They also do every day office work like keeping track of case files, etc. Yet they hardly ever receive the same gratitude as a lawyer standing next to them. There is also a big disparity between the two when it comes to yearly median salaries which in the case of lawyers is in excess of $100,000 while paralegals barely make $46,000. You call this justice! 9. Interns - Apart from Monica Lewinsky who became famous for all the wrong reasons, interns hardly get noticed at work or receive a thank you from their employers. Often we don’t even know their names, we just call them ‘coffee with two sugars’ and if we are having a good day a ‘please’ in the end makes us feel good about ourselves. Usually they don’t work for money, just a good reference or some respectable mention on their resume. 10. Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers - They are the ones who pick up your 9-1-1 call. Without them there is a slim chance of an ambulance, police car or a fire truck reaching the site. They are behind-the-scene people who are calling the shots but hardly ever get noticed. In return for their invaluable services they earn slightly in excess of $35,000. 11. Parents - For most kids and young adults, parents pay for all of your basic needs and then some. They provide you with a roof over your head, school clothes, cell phone, sneakers, food, spending money, that new video game system you've been wanting. They run you to school, to practice, they work a job, cook dinner, and spend time with you. They may have even stayed up late baking cupcakes for your birthday party at school or helping you finish a project you put off until the last minute. They work hard and sometimes you don't notice. 12. Secretaries & Principals - Think about all they do through out the day to help school run as smoothly as it does. Their jobs are similar to teachers. Secretaries help send out progress reports, report cards, keep the schedule of an administrator they're assigned to, and a whole lot more! The principals are on the go all day, observing teachers, managing student behavior, creating a building wide atmosphere that makes school a great place to be. All of these jobs and others I'm sure, could be listed as a thankless job. Lots of work, not much recognition. Use this Thanksgiving as a way to recognize the people you are thankful for. A sincere message of thanks could turn their day around! |
Greeting Card Project
Constraints:
- Create a thanksgiving themed card for a family member or friend & a staff member (2 card designs)
- You decide the layout - the layout must be folded in some way to resemble any type of greeting card
- Your design and layout should be aesthetically pleasing (use the principles and elements of design with purpose)
- Your card must include your first and last name as the creator of the card. Research what the back of greeting cards look like.
- Include a sincere and thoughtful message to the recipient that clearly states why you are thankful for them. For example:
I wanted to take a moment and say Happy Thanksgiving! I see you everyday in the cafeteria cleaning the floor after all of us students have eaten lunch. I appreciate that you take pride in the work you do, I'm very thankful to come into school each day and enjoy breakfast and lunch at a clean table in a clean cafeteria. I'm also very thankful for all of the other ways you make this school a great place to be. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Student name
6. Be creative and have fun!
7. Print the card in color
8. Design and create an envelop for extra credit, place your card in the envelope (see HERE for ideas)
9. Give the card to your recipient before thanksgiving break. Giving in person during a free period is more sincere than leaving it in a teacher's mailbox.
The top 5 designs from both classes will be printed in color and used to send to community members who serve in one of the top 10 thankless jobs we recognized from our reading
Please let me know in class if you'd like to help print out mass quantities of cards and get students to write messages to community members. Keep some of these themes in mind for your 2nd card design.
My ideas:
My ideas:
- Send out personally addressed cards to a few of the following places
- Police department
- Fire Department
- Nurses at the hospital
- Nursing home patients
- Ambulance companies (TLC)
- The mayor
- Department of Public Works
- A local garbage company
- A tow truck company
- NYS troopers
- Post office
- Newspaper
- Volunteers (