Christmas Gifts for Teachers/Staff

[tmbowers]

How much do you spend on average for your child's school teacher? If there is an aide in the class do you spend the same on her as the teacher? Do you buy gifts for any other school staff members... Principal, are teacher, music teacher, etc?

 

[dakcp2001]

My best friend is a teacher. Her favorite is a gift card. She gets a lot of 5 dollar gift cards to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and Panera .She loves those. She has 10 million mugs, candles, and other type of apple teacher knick knacks. On a teacher salary she rarely treats herself to Starbucks or eating out. She loves everything when people think of her, but the gift cards are her fav. She mostly gets 5 , 10 , and a few higher gift cards. Most are 5 or 10.

 

[mjantz]

I''m buying for my DDs classroom teachers & her 3 'specials' teachers plus a teacher who is helping her with something.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm giving them. I usually go out the day after Christmas & get a bunch of items so I'm not running around during the holidays. I need to make my 'non-family member Christmas list' so I can figure out who gets what & start wrapping. I hate wrapping so if I start now its not too bad.

 

[dreamin_disney]

dd is in middle school so she has several teachers. When she was in elementary we would give a giftcard $20-$25.In middle school this is what we did
6th grade- she only had 3 teachers so we gave $10-$15 giftcards to each teacher
and to after school program we gave both teachers 1 victoria secret lotion
(those can be exchanged for a scent they prefer)
. The lotions I got free when they hads the victoria secret card give away dh's had $50 and mine had $10 so we bought lots of lotions for gifts.

7th grade- dd has many more teachers so she just wanted to give a canister of shortbread cookies that you buy from costco or Sam's theres 4 long tall canister with cookies. Plus I made a cute holder with coco packets

8th grade- she want to do the cookies again with hot coco packets

high school- we might just do favorite teacher gift, i dunno.

 

[snoopy5386]

I do a $20-25 gift card for main teachers (she has two this year) or teacher and aide (last year). I didn't do christmas gifts for specials teachers but I did do end of the year $5 gift cards for them - art, gym, music, library, health, guidance counselor. My DD is in 1st grade and I am a former teacher. Gift cards are the best, but I do have some neat gifts from kids I have had in the past.

 

[mckennerk]

teacher aides are just as important as the main teacher! you should check out pinterest for some great ideas but I agree that gift cards are an easy and useful option. any coffee shops right near school? also, what about classroom supplies to refill whats been used during the year? teachers spend their own money on these supplies and great big box filled with pencils, erasers, crayons, snacks!, could be really useful.

 

[tcufrog]

For staff and extra teachers I buy decorative plates on sale at Tuesday Morning or World Market and bake cookies to place on them. I have a roll of wired ribbon and gift basket cellophane I wrap around the plate. It's easy to do and looks professional which is impressive since I don't have a crafty gene in my body.

 

[sk!mom]

I'm a teacher and know how much stuff can accumulate so I always did gift cards to main teachers and usually Bath and Body Holiday scented soaps to the specials. We also included a note to those really loved teachers. A few times DD had teachers who I knew well enough to choose a gift that they would love and in those cases sometimes I did.

Middle School and High School- $5 gc to Starbucks to all 7 teachers.

Every few years, I load up the supply of knick knacks and mugs and take them to Goodwill. It just builds up to more stuff than I can store. Mugs that are made in China are disposed of immediately as DH refuses to have anyone drink from them. He is paranoid about the lead paint possibility.

 

[littlele]

Just wanted to chime in as a recipient-
I work in an elementary school library and have received many gifts each year from students. I can't tell you how nice it is to feel appreciated! To be remembered during such a crazy busy time definitely makes me feel good

I am thankful for each and every gift received, no matter how 'small' it may seem to others.

 

[Pigeon]

We'd do a $15 gift card for the primary teacher and $10 gift cards for the music, art, etc. teachers. We gave Target cards as dh is a teacher and I know how much of their own money teachers spend on supplies. This way the teacher can either spend the gift card on supplies or use it for themselves.

 

[IUTBAM]

I found a huge stack of those 3.5 oz. Ghirardelli Gourmet milk chocolate bars on the clearance end cap at Target the other day ($1.00 each), and will give each of my son's paraprofessionals (there are about 10 of them....he's special ed) one of those, with a $5 gift card attached. I'm not sure what I'll give his main teacher, but it'll be a little bit more than that.

 

[disneychic2]

I gave gifts to the teachers when the kids were in grade school, but not Jr. high or high school. I sometimes gave gift cards, and sometimes did movie tickets. Gift cards weren't as prevalent as they are now and they were gift "certificates" that had to be made out by hand! I especially liked giving ones for Walden Books or Borders. (yes, it was a long time ago!haha) One year I think I did popcorn tins. I always tried to stay away from mugs or "apple" knickknacks!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

My best friend is a teacher. Her favorite is a gift card. She gets a lot of 5 dollar gift cards to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and Panera .She loves those. She has 10 million mugs, candles, and other type of apple teacher knick knacks. On a teacher salary she rarely treats herself to Starbucks or eating out. She loves everything when people think of her, but the gift cards are her fav. She mostly gets 5 , 10 , and a few higher gift cards. Most are 5 or 10.

I'm glad to hear this I have been giving DD gift cards to the teachers.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[tmbowers]

Thanks for the input. I never know if I am spending an appropriate amount and/or remembering the right people. I have done gift cards in the past for my oldest dd's teachers. Last week I bought a Vera Bradley tote bag and id holder for my youngest dd's preK teacher. I got a really good deal on it - I think I paid $25 after various discounts but the retail value is $60. Now I wonder if I should give it to someone else and get the teacher a gc?

 

[v.t.]

Thanks for the input. I never know if I am spending an appropriate amount and/or remembering the right people. I have done gift cards in the past for my oldest dd's teachers. Last week I bought a Vera Bradley tote bag and id holder for my youngest dd's preK teacher. I got a really good deal on it - I think I paid $25 after various discounts but the retail value is $60. Now I wonder if I should give it to someone else and get the teacher a gc?

One year I gave the teachers monogramed tote bags. They are still carrying them. But I knew the teachers would use those, I saw the homework pile they took home each day! Now that they are in middle school I give food, everyone loves that.

 

[100AcreWood]

So far one of the moms (sometimes me) takes a collection from everyone and buys one big gift card for each teacher. Normally people give between 5 an 10 dollars. I normally give the same for teacher and TA. I do give gift cards to the helper teachers at preschool but I do not give money to the art teacher, etc. in elementary.

 

[ktrask]

My DD school asks parents to not do individual gifts. Since it's a preschool and all of the teachers help out in each classroom.

We send a gift card in for either Dunkins or a local place they like to get lunch as a group from. Most of the parents do this, so the teachers pool the gift cards and get free lunches etc for a while once a week.

I also send in some baked goods for them to share.

For her gymnastics coaches I give them a $10 Starbucks gift card each. She has 2.

 

[Happiest mommy]

One year I gave monogramed canvas bags from the Disney store they LOVED them and I still see them carrying them, I was looking at the personalized Blankets they have currently on the Disney.com store along with a gift card hmmm

 

[KennesawNemo]

I gave $25 gc from Target/restaurant to DS's teacher and teacher's aid. I gave $5 gc from Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts to his art/PE/music/Spanish teachers. I gave chocolates to librarian/ASP/media staffs. DS always wrote a card to go with the gifts.

 

[lady9]

I'm a teacher and so appreciate being thought of at the holidays. GC are very appreciated. One year early in my teaching a mom got the other moms together and each bought a book to help me build my class library. I think those books were my all time favorite gifts. A word of caution on the homemade food-make sure you know the teacher well. I do not eat food that is sent from a family I don't know well. Here's why-a sweet little boy offered me a homemade chocolate chip cookie he brought for his birthday treat. After I ate it, he told me his cat was on the counter licking the bowl!! while his mom was trying to make the cookies. I know many teachers shy away from homemade treats for similar reasons.