End of year teacher gifts

[Lvsdisney]

Do you do an end of year gift? I gave small gifts at Christmas. I would like to do an end of year gift too.
Any ideas?

I was originally thinking GC to starbucks or something. Maybe movie theater GC? WDYT?

ETA: I will have DS write a thank you note of sorts. Though he already did something like that for Teacher Appreciation Week.

 

[joannamet]

As a former teacher I can tell you that a gift is certainly not expected. A card with a heartfelt message would be sufficient. However, if you insist a gift card to Starbucks or Target is a great teacher gift. Or a basket with fun summer things like flip flops, sunglasses, a novel, sunscreen, an insulated tumbler. You could put everything in a cute tote. Oh yeah. Love that idea.

 

[Shanti]

Do you do an end of year gift? I gave small gifts at Christmas. I would like to do an end of year gift too.
Any ideas?

I was originally thinking GC to starbucks or something. Maybe movie theater GC? WDYT?

ETA: I will have DS write a thank you note of sorts. Though he already did something like that for Teacher Appreciation Week.

I'm a teacher, and appreciate anything I get. The handwritten notes from students are especially nice- I've never thrown one away in 15 years of teaching. They make great momentos of past years. Gift cards, especially very practical ones, like for Target, are also appreciated (more so than very specific ones for places the teacher may be less likely to shop).

 

[seb65]

I must add to the above: If the teacher was amazing, I also write a note to the principal and the superintendent letting them know how happy they made our year.

 

[gatormom2tots]

As a teacher I love gift cards to teacherspayteachers website. I also give it every year to my kids' teachers. I'll be honest...my starbucks gets regifted every year- I am not a starbucks drinker!

 

[Lvsdisney]

As a teacher I love gift cards to teacherspayteachers website. I also give it every year to my kids' teachers. I'll be honest...my starbucks gets regifted every year- I am not a starbucks drinker!

I'm not a Starbucks drinker either, but I thought I was an odd ball. Nice to find someone else like me!

 

[Shanti]

I'm not a Starbucks drinker either, but I thought I was an odd ball. Nice to find someone else like me!

Not a Starbucks fan, either. Target gift cards, or local grocery store gift cards, are much more practical.

 

[disny_luvr]

I usually give teachers a gift card to Rita's or Diary Queen. This summer my sons' teacher is going to Disney for the first time so I gave her a Disney gift card and wrote a note in her card that she should enjoy some Mickey bars on us.

 

[redsonja76]

Our PTA did a "my favorite things" questionnaire for all the teachers in our school like favorite drink, favorite restaurant, favorite store, favorite hobby, favorite candy, etc. Then they loaded up all the questionnaires to the weebly site. So I look at those and buy gift cards to each teachers favorite thing and a candy bar with a card from my child.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I am on the PTO for my son's school and we are doing teacher appreciation week in a few weeks. We are doing breakfast, the next day lunch, then a sweets day. We are also getting each teacher a gift.

I always do a small gift card and thank you note. My son's teacher is about to go on maternity leave and she was amazing so I gave her gift already and did $25 to Starbucks plus a card to let thank her for being such a great teacher to my son. I am going to give each aid in his class and his speech therapist a gift at the end of the year. I am liking the target idea!

 

[DisMommyTX]

When my kids had only one teacher, we usually did a gift card, but now they both have a team of teachers.

Here is my favorite 'teacher-approved' budget idea. My mother was a teacher, and she always appreciated potted plants. I bought clay pots for less than $1 each, and used the kids' thumbprints to draw on ladybugs and centipedes with acrylic paint and paint markers. I wrote a poem on each pot "A teacher's love is special. It cannot help but show. Like flowers in a garden, her love helps children grow." Then we put in a little potted plant. Takes a bit of time, but we made 8 super cute gifts for less than $30.

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

I have two sons. The youngest is finishing up second grade. She is a very practical teacher, and she loves anything homemade. I sent her a cookie one day during Teacher Appreciation Week, and my son said she loved it so I am baking her an entire batch and putting it in a cute lunch bag with her initials on it. (Her lunch bag's handle fell off yesterday, so the gift is almost perfectly timed.) My oldest is completing fifth grade. His teacher loves all things Disney and puzzles. We found her a set of 6 different Thomas Kincaid Disney puzzles and are making her a card that says Thanks for helping me fit all the pieces together this year. My oldest is also on the autistic spectrum so the puzzles are double fitting.

 

[auralia]

I usually do a 20$ target gift card... expensive this year w/ my son having 2 teachers and my daughter 3 and then I try to find time to make something too. I make chain maile jewelry and can crochet lots of things. I know they might not use them so I do the gift card too. I usually include some kind of note that says the greatest give anyone can give is there time, thank you for giving yours to my child this was the only way I could think of to give some of my time to you... usually cuter and more personal but the gist of it

 

[havaneselover]

Elementary school teachers get target gift cards. After elementary school we stop sending gifts.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

I don't get them anything and I don't feel bad about it! Middle school and high school teachers usually don't get anything so I figure If they can be appreciated without gifts, so can my kid's teachers.

 

[aprilchem]

As a teacher I love gift cards to teacherspayteachers website. I also give it every year to my kids' teachers. I'll be honest...my starbucks gets regifted every year- I am not a starbucks drinker!

I love this idea! Can you get a physical gift card, or is it a printable?

 

[Alexle2007]

For Christmas, I had my son's teachers place orders for Panera and then picked up lunch for them. Along with giving the gift cards and a necklace with a locket with charms. For teacher appreciation week, we got them calla lilies and then gift cards and for end of year, I'll pick up lunch again from Panera and more gift cards. The one 4th grade teacher has been teaching for 40 years (and is retiring at the end of this school year) and she said that was the first time she has ever had a parent buy her lunch and she LOVED it! We love our teachers and really try our best to spoil them! They work so hard and, unfortunately, in our county they haven't seen a raise or their step increases in several years.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Zulily had a bunch of teacher items a few weeks ago and my son picked out a Christmas ornament, which we personalized with her name, the year and the school name. I will probably pick up a Dunkin or Starbucks gc to go along with it.

My older son is in middle school and we don't do end of the year gifts there. We gave chocolate at Christmas. I will probably pick up a gc for his bus driver, because she's been good and consistent over the past 3 years and he's moving on to high school next year.

 

[gottalovepluto]

No we never did. Christmas gifts always & the parents ran a special luncheon on Teacher Appreciation Day. Honestly in the craziness that is the last couple days of school I'm not sure the kids would have remembered, or been able to keep track of, anything to give the teacher! Barnes & Noble is another option for a gc. Or Target, it just now occurs to me if there is a Target in the area that could be a very handy gc!

 

[gottalovepluto]

For Christmas, I had my son's teachers place orders for Panera and then picked up lunch for them. Along with giving the gift cards and a necklace with a locket with charms. For teacher appreciation week, we got them calla lilies and then gift cards and for end of year, I'll pick up lunch again from Panera and more gift cards. The one 4th grade teacher has been teaching for 40 years (and is retiring at the end of this school year) and she said that was the first time she has ever had a parent buy her lunch and she LOVED it! We love our teachers and really try our best to spoil them! They work so hard and, unfortunately, in our county they haven't seen a raise or their step increases in several years.

That lunch idea is amazing. Never occurred to us!