“You can do magic, believe it or not…”

 
 

Pre-Order Special: $69/school

 
Order Now

What is it?

Brand new for 2026, Once Upon a Teacher is the culmination of everything we’ve learned about creating effective, joyful staff appreciation weeks, and it has absolutely BLOWN AWAY our test schools.

As one of our easiest and most genuinely heartfelt weeks, it hits that rare sweet spot where organizers are amazed by the simplicity and the staff feel truly seen and appreciated.

And don’t let the ease of the week fool you. Once Upon a Teacher is packed with just as many laughs, challenges, games, prizes, and treats as our other programs are know for, giving you the flexibility to go as big or small as you like. Your entire appreciation week is already prepared for you, start to finish.

How Much?

Pre-Order Special: $69/school for first 100 schools. ($119 after special ends)

Program will be delivered on March 1st.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee - Love it or email us to exchange or refund.

Flexible: Use it any week you need (not limited to only National Teacher Appreciation Week in May), plus you can include all staff in the celebration (not only teachers).

How it works

Once Upon a Teacher unfolds as a weeklong adventure, told one chapter at a time. Each day introduces a new part of the story featuring the familiar moments from an educator’s journey, all designed to spark laughter, recognition, and plenty of “that’s exactly how it feels” reactions. Staff quickly realize this isn’t just another appreciation theme; it’s something they’re following together, talking about between classes, and wondering what comes next.

Every chapter sets the stage for that day’s appreciation moment. As the story moves forward, you follow up with a thoughtful thank-you note that recognizes moments most teachers were never thanked for at the time: choosing the profession, putting in the long preparation, surviving the early years, and continuing on when it wasn’t easy. These notes are often hand delivered by administrators, parents, students, or others, turning simple recognition into surprisingly powerful moments that staff truly feel.

The story and thank-you notes are the heart of the adventure, but the fun builds from there. Optional games, activities, and treats bring the story to life throughout the week, letting schools add surprise, laughter, and shared experiences along the way. Schools can use as many or as few as they like, including favorites like the

  • Fairy Godmother Ticket Game

  • The Enchanted Breakfast

  • Catch the Gingerbread Man… Wait, why is he on a remote controlled car?!!

  • The Magic Bean Growing Contest

  • If We Could Wave a Wand

  • The Grand Celebration

  • Knock the Dragon from the Castle

  • And of course, “Sure, I’ll take my chances kissing that frog!”

How much time or extra money is involved?

The instructions take 35 minutes to review and customize for your staff. Everything is designed to be extremely easy and allow you to then layer how big you want to make the week.

One person can run the entire week, or it can be shared across a team. There are no assemblies, no schedule changes, and no pressure to do it all. The story carries the week, and the fun follows naturally.

Sample

Click here for a sample of Chapter 1, normally emailed on Sunday evening to kick off your appreciation week, with the Thank You note hand delivered the next morning

Reviews

“This had our teachers in tears in just the best way ever. Watching people receive notes that acknowledged parts of their life no one had ever thanked them for before was incredibly powerful and I think deeply human. And then you always have such funny games, which was the laughter release and comradery that tied it all together. This will easily be remembered as one of the best weeks our school has ever experienced.” – Philip Daniels

“We’ve done Wicked and The Amazing Race and loved both of them, but you truly outdid yourselves with Once Upon A Teacher. Yes, it was insanely easy to execute, and my teachers MELTED with each thank you card and moment of recognition. We added 4 of the games, one for each day, and while they were all terrific as usual, I will say that we will be brining that gingerbread man back whenever we need some energy and laughs. That was priceless! I would recommend it, without hesitation, to any school looking to truly celebrate their staff.” – Grace Peters