how much money for a teacher gift?

[torinsmom]

Our school district made a big fuss this year over gifts. The only cash / giftcard type gifts can be from the class as a whole and cant be more than $100 in total.

Individual gifts can't be monetary.

We may spend 10-20 on a small gift and bake some cookies.

I am fine w limiting the gift policy...
In our district the average teacher makes $100k/yr (yes, that is jusy a salary number... not including benefits) and they will get a fantastic pension and medical benefits for life.

WOW! Here, beginning teachers make $30,000 and 30 year veterans may make $55,000. Maybe I need to move, LOL, just kidding.

I thought I was doing okay... I have 3 girls, each gave a can of Girl Scout Mint-Meltaways (cute snowman tin, cost $9) a $5 Target gift "coin" tucked in the lid, and a handwritten letter to the teacher.

I cashier at Target and a mom I know from school bought $100 gift cards for her teachers!

At the class parties today, the teachers were getting a lot of fancy "swag." While I feel comfortable with our family's choice, I hope our teachers don't think we appriciate them less.

The school is brand new, zoned to many newly built, large, pretty homes, and there is a lot of "impressing others" going on around here by the parents. (My DH calls them 60k -a-naires. Because they make $60k but like to "appear" like millionaires!)

But these teachers are young, young, young... my kids' teachers are 23! (fresh out of student teaching), 26, 27. So they aren't banking on "years" of experience and feeling appreciated by "token" gifts. I hope they don't feel dissed (like when you give a paltry tip when you get bad restaurant service)

As a teacher, I can tell you that it really doesn't make a difference. I am just happy to feel appreciated, so anything is great. I do wonder sometimes why certain parents don't even send a card. It seems like it is the kids we do the most for, and then I wonder what I did wrong, you know? I know some people feel that we shouldn't get a "tip" for doing our job, but is it too much to have your child make a card? Although I appreciate the gift cards, it IS truly the thought that counts.

Marsha

 

[Mom2Ben02]

Well, DH is out of work, so our teachers got $5 Dunkin Donuts cards. I had to buy 8 of them, so could not go higher (teachers, aides, speech, social worker, etc, etc....)

 

[brandylouwho]

We're just doing homemade gifts. The Kindergarten teacher is getting a decorative pillow with a reverse applique snowman (cost me nothing, grandma helped my 5 yr old make it and it is actually pretty neat). Other teachers aides, etc are getting bird seed wreaths, again homemade by the 5 yr old.

Our emphasis is on homemade as my daughter is a big arts & crafts sort of gal. Since we don't really know the teacher personally, there is no way we can find the perfect gift. Although at fall conferences she did let on she is a Disney fan...

 

[d96j97]

I bought for 8 teachers...all small jar Yankee Candles in the Christmas scents. I got them on sale, but it still added up to a hefty total. I also bought for the 2 secretaries in the office. I volunteer at the school about 3-4 days per week...and trust me...the teachers and office help deserve it!

 

[emma'smom]

We bought 8 boxes of chocolate truffles (about 5.00 each) and the girls made ornaments to use as gift tags out of glitter and felt. They went to the head and assistant teacher for each class, the two after school teachers, the school secretary, and the principal.

 

[shortkathleen]

I am a 3rd grade teacher and also the mother of 2 elementary aged kids. I spent about $20 - $25 on their teachers. I ordered personalized items for them. They were so cute and the teachers loved them.

I appreciate everything and don't expect anything. I am a practical person though, so I like receiving gift cards to Walmart, Target or a teacher's supply store. I spend so much of my own money on supplies for my classroom so those kind of gift cards are a blessing. I got a ton of walmart type lotions this year, a teddy bear, and mugs. I would have prefered post it notes, reams of paper, electric pencil shapener,etc. I hope that doesn't sound bad. I did get a nice gift card to Cheese Cake Factory and I am really looking forward to using that on a night that I am just too busy to cook.

 

[sunlover13]

I bought for 4 of my DD's teachers:

1st grade teacher: $10 Barnes & Noble gift card & retractable sharpies ($2 w/ Staples coupon last year)

1st grade teacher: same as above; they co-teach

Reading teacher: $10 Barnes & Noble gift card

Teacher's aide: $5 Starbucks gift card

I will probably spend closer to $20-$25 at the end of the year gift.

 

[IDoDis]

I teach reading, writing, and math in an elementary special ed program, so kids come to me for 1 to 3 hours a day. I typically don't get much in the way of gifts. Yesterday I got 3 plates of homemade goodies. Today I got a small glass dolphin and a minature porcelean teapot knicknack, both from the dollar store. The families are middle and upper middle class. I oohed and aaaahed over the Dollar Store gifts because I know those kids picked out the gifts themselves based on where the parents took them.

I agree with a PP, that if you can't spend any money, at least have your child make a card vs doing nothing. Those are priceless and don't cost anything. Let your kids teachers know they are appreciated. Most are underpaid. Even if a teacher does make $100K a year (probably in an high area of cost of living, so salary is relative), the decision to not buy a gift shouldn't be based on the amount of income the teacher earns. I find it interesting that people will tip their hairdresser or a waitress $10 - $15 for an hour of service, but can't dig deeper than a couple of dollars for a holiday gift for their child's . Homemade gifts are also fantastic!

DH is also a teacher and came home with several nice gift cards, lots of homemade treats, and coffee mugs!

For DS's 5th grade teacher I bought a nice ceramic hand-painted bowl with snowmen on it, filled it with packages of microwave popcorn, a huge Hershey bar, and an oversized fleece throw blanket. I got the bowl for $11 which was 1/2 off during a sale. I got the fleece throw on Black Friday for $3 regularly $14.99. Adding in the popcorn & candy bar I spent $18 plus $1 for the gift bag.

DD is in 8th grade and gave her 6 middle school teachers an oversized throw blanket and added in a $20 B&N gift cards to her two favorite teachers.

 

[santa's surpriz]

DD is in the 1st grade and has two teachers. I got them each a Vera Bradley ID case. They loved it. I took my DD7 into pick out the pattern. It turned out to be a nice useful gift.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My DS14 goes to a specialized school because of his Asperger's. I asked him to name everyone who works with him everyday and he came up with 9 people (4 teachers, 4 aides and the bus driver). Since my DH is looking for a job, I needed to find budget gifts for all of them. I ended up using cellophane gift bags that I already had. I put in a large handful of chocolate candy, a wrapped Mrs. Field's cookie and a packet of hot chocolate. I also gave one to my DS11's teacher. I felt like this was a good way to acknowledge and thank them without breaking the bank.

As a teaching assistant, I got a few nice gifts from my preschool families. One mom gave us lottery tickets. I didn't win anything but my co-worker won $11 on hers. Another family gave us $5 Trader Joe's gifts cards and a jar of Trader Joe's jam. From another family, our teacher got a really nice fleece throw while the assistants got travel sets (make-up bag, toiletry bag and jewelry case). That was a really nice gift.

We have one family this year that is really struggling. They have 4 kids, 2 with special needs. The mom was in a bad accident in the spring and still doesn't have full use of her right arm. She said they hardly had enough money to buy presents for all their kids. But they still gave us gifts. It was a little box that contained 2 homemade cookies. After all they've been through, we appreciated that they still thought about us.

 

[mjkacmom]

I now give $20 per elementary teacher, $10 for student teachers. Middle school teachers are out of luck, since there are 6. Patrols $5. I buy gc's. I also contribute $5 (that's what they ask for) for the group gifts.

 

[denily]

We made ornaments for everyone this year. I bought the glass balls and we painted, glittered, filled, etc.
They are each unique and homemade. My kids are giving those to their teachers at school, dance teachers, Sunday School teachers...
My daughter's classroom teacher at school and my son's preschool teacher are also getting a gift card to Dunkin Donuts with their ornaments.

 

[OceanAnnie]

There are some great ideas on this thread. I'm going to jot some of them down for future presents.

In the past, I gave $25 GCs. We scaled back this year.

 

[daughtersrus]

I spent about $2.00 on each this year. My DD is disabled and besides the teacher, she has a 1:1 aid. There are 6 other aids in the classroom (some are 1:1's for other students but they all fill in if needed so I didn't want to leave them out). She has 2 physical therapists, 1 occupational therapist and 1 speech therapist for a grand total of 12 people.

I try to pick things up after Christmas when they are least 75% off but 90% is better! This year was bath robe and manicure kit (polish, toe spacers, file...) that I picked up for 90% off last year.

I just realized that I forgot DD's adaptive PE teacher, music teacher, vision itinerant teacher and her hearing itinerant teacher.

I'll need to plan for 16 for next Christmas.

I usually make homemade candy (chocolate covered pretzels, nuts, candy canes, flavored Craisins, peanut brittle, toffee, peppermint bark...) for the school but this year, I just ran out of time. I did make some and that I put together in tins for the bus driver and the 2 aids on the bus. The teacher hinted that they missed their candy this year. (she asked if I sent anything else on the bus because she wanted to make sure that it wasn't left on the bus) I told her that I just didn't have time but might have a treat for them when they return.

With needing to buy for that many people, even $10 a piece is a budget buster but I want to show them that we appreciate what they do.

 

[JamesMom]

My son's first grade teacher got $25 gift card to Target (coins)
My other son's special ed pre-school teachers (main and assistant) got $50 between them.
I rationalize that my special needs son has only 6 students in his class while 2 teachers while the first grade class has 1 teacher and 19 students. It should all even out in the wash.
I haven't even considered 'other' support teachers until I read this thread. Yikes!
My special need son has speech and OT teachers as well as my first graders co-cur teachers (music, art, pe, library). Good grief, you'd go broke hunting all these people down. I agree they all deserve a happy holiday, but I guess I have my limits.
I gave homebaked cookies and bon bons to the FIVE bus drivers my kids have (special needs bus has 2 people per route).
I'm already freaking about when they have subject teachers and what to do. Cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[dizneechic]

I did $10 Target gift cards for all of my kids teachers, assts, classroom aids, specials teachers (gym, art, music, etc) and my DS's G&T teacher. We're attaching them to bags of chocolate covered pretzel rods with a note from each child. We also added in a pad of post it notes for my 6 y/o's since she sends a note home with him every day (we're working on reinforcing positive/good behavior) so I'm going to replenish her supply, LOL!

 

[snowy76]

Glad to see I'm in the same ballpark as everyone else! I bought gifts for DS's two teachers last night - $15 GC's to Target and Lindor truffles, so about $20 per teacher. DH and I only buy gifts for the kids now (our whole family decided to stop exchanges among the adults to save money) so I was worried it might not be enough.

Odd thing is, I'm a teacher myself. But high school kids rarely give gifts, so I'm a complete novice at how much to spend on a teacher!

 

[Teacher03]

I am a teacher and I received gifts from $5 to $100. I appreciate it all. I would hate for a family to spend more than they could afford with the thought of what I would think.

I never open my gifts in front of the children, because some do not bring gifts and their faces show the disappointment. I tell them I will wait until Christmas and then send a nice thank you note.

 

[aprilgail2]

.

I never open my gifts in front of the children, because some do not bring gifts and their faces show the disappointment. I tell them I will wait until Christmas and then send a nice thank you note.

My daughter would be very disappointed if the teacher did not open the gift she gave her in front of her. The teachers always make a big deal out of each gift the kids give them.

 

[C.Ann]

I am a teacher and I received gifts from $5 to $100. I appreciate it all. I would hate for a family to spend more than they could afford with the thought of what I would think.

I never open my gifts in front of the children, because some do not bring gifts and their faces show the disappointment. I tell them I will wait until Christmas and then send a nice thank you note.

You sound like a very kind, caring, compassionate teacher.. Your students are lucky to have you!!