Teacher Gift Ideas????

[disykat]

I remember awhile back, there was a thread on here bashing teachers about the whole gift thing. It was pretty bad.
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Why would someone bash a teacher about gifts? Every teacher I know would say they don't expect gifts and prefer something made by the children or a gift for the classroom to something personal. It's the parents that choose to get the gifts, not the teachers.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Well I teach HS and gifts are very, very rare. I will occasionally get a plate of cookies and some kids give me candy canes or cards. We actually have a "no gift" policy listed in our school handbook, although I tell my students (with a wink) that food is not included in that policy.
DD#1 is in jr. high and has 6 teachers. I usually ask her to pick her favorite teacher to take in some fudge. Last year she didn't like any of them enough to give them anything, which is her choice--this year I expect her history and English teachers will get some.
I usually spend $10 each at Christmas for the teachers of DD#2 and DS in elementary (always a gift cert. for a teacher supply store) but I also give them $20 restaurant cards at the end of the year.
I can't believe the person who said when she gets edible gifts she is worrying about the kitchen cleanliness! Since the "specials" teachers also get fudge or cookies, that kind of ticks me off. I hope not all teachers are that OCD.
Robin M.

 

[disykat]

I can't believe the person who said when she gets edible gifts she is worrying about the kitchen cleanliness! Since the "specials" teachers also get fudge or cookies, that kind of ticks me off. I hope not all teachers are that OCD.
Robin M.

I think that's a bit unfair. Many people don't like to eat from unfamiliar kitchens, especially if they have some hygiene concerns about the child of the giver. It's pretty common for edible gifts to end up in the teacher's lounge - someone usually eats them and I'm sure the recipient enjoys the intention of the gift.

Around here, even in elementary only about 1/3 of the kids bring presents. I'm a teacher myself and my kids haven't really beyond about 4th grade.

 

[Blondy876]

A simple note from a student and parent is my favorite. It shows me that they thought about it and are sincere. I also enjoy getting gift cards to just about anywhere. That way whenever I need something for the room I have it there.

 

[summerrluvv]

Last year I found some nice fabric "teacher" bookmarks at the Hallmark store last year. I combined that with a GC to a bookstore (B&N I think). I know teachers don't like the "teacher" items, but I figured since it's just a bookmark, it's okay

I stocked up on the fleece blankets at Target's 90% off sale last year as well as some photo albums and picture frames and holiday pens, so I'm thinking of doing some sort of basket type thing this year. DS has a teacher, teacher's aide, OT, PT, and speech therapist that we buy for so unless I buy the stuff at a great discount, it gets too pricey.

Oh, and last year I bought photo gift tags on walmart's website. They turned out great and the teacher's really got a kick out of them.

 

[mickeysgal]

This thread has been interesting. I know that teachers are always short on classroom supplies, however I never considered sending in supplies (books, pencils, etc.) as a holiday gift. I always thought it should be more of a just-for-you personal kind of gift. Hmmmm....

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Look at it this way...if you send in supplies, or a gift certificate to a supply store (we have one called Holcomb's and it is a chain--very awesome elementary stuff) you are letting the teacher, in a way, spend YOUR money for things that normally she would spend her own money on--letting her spend her own money on personal stuff. I know elementary teachers who could spend hundreds of dollars at Holcomb's! Even if the teacher gets a $10-20 gift certificate, that's $10-20 she can spend on herself instead of buying teacher stuff.
Robin M.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I have sent:

**popcorn packet, cocoa with chocolate dipped spoon, and movie rental certificate

**flavored tea packets with a baked treat--and sometimes a mug when I have heard the teacher's is cracked or has broken

**cookies or brownies "in a jar" mixes--these go over great!

**candles

**homemade caramels, popcorn packet, cans of their favorite pop

**a special baked treat that we know they like

**a goodie bag of small supplies that we know they like to use in their room--special markers or pens, stickers, etc

** fabric covered photo album--this was for the teacher that keeps photos from each year in a book for the kids to look at

**altered journals with a nice pen

**a "collection" piece if the teacher has a special collection that he/she is really into

DS is in junior high this year, so am not sure about gifts--probably won't be any.

 

[daisyduck123]

Gift Certificates are absolutely the best. I am fortunate that at my school most room mothers take up a collection from the parents for a gift certificate. This usually comes out to about $200.00. This is much better than getting 2 dozen ornaments, candles, picture frames, or anything with apples.

BTW, I am one that will not eat most homemade goodies (except from moms who are personal friends of mine). They are always very much appreciated but you just never know the hygiene level of someone's kitchen. As someone else stated earlier, these goodies always end up in the teachers' lounge & the custodians eat them late at night.

 

[tiggerlover]

We always contribute to the classroom gift certificate and I normally buy a seperate gift certificate for the teacher. My son (9) goes to after school club at the school and this year I found these cute fudge kits that are in a decorated sack with measuring spoons tied to the outside, so this is what his after school aids (3) are getting (and I also got one for DS's bus driver). We also get a card to thank each of them for what they do during the year.

 

[aprilgail2]

I can't believe the person who said when she gets edible gifts she is worrying about the kitchen cleanliness! Since the "specials" teachers also get fudge or cookies, that kind of ticks me off. I hope not all teachers are that OCD.
Robin M.

My brother is a teacher, my neighbors on both sides are teachers and my cousin is a teacher...I had asked them about getting homemade food type gifts and every one of them said they would not eat something that they had been given that was made at someones home....its not that odd that teacehrs won't eat homemade things!
My daughters class mom takes up a collection of 5.00 per student and buys her a gift cert...but I also give a 25.00 Macys gift cert. to her for Christmas just from my daughter. I won't get books or somehting for the classroom since that really isnt' a gift for the teacher, its a gift for the class. I do donate books to the class when they have the book fair at school though but I won't give the teacher a classroom gift for a holiday since I feel that it should be something for the teacher to use for herself. I also won't give any "special teacher" or #1 teacher things, I just threw out about 15 teacher mugs that my brother had that kids gave him the past few years...how many mugs can you possibly use??

 

[MinnieM3]

While my kids were in school, up to 8th grade, I sent in gifts for the classroom teacher. They just had one, so usually it was over $10 but under $20. When they hit middle school (it's the same school with us) they had 6 different teachers so I usually bought smaller things, probably about $5.00 or baked something.

We also are asked to give $20 at the beginning of the year for gifts from the class for Christmas/Bday/End of Year, etc. I've never NOT given an additional gift. Teachers work way too hard not to be appreciated!

As a teacher myself, I love getting gift certificates to anywhere, especially teacher stores. Have way too many ornaments, mugs, bath and body stuff, candles, picture frames and such.

My only advice to parents, try to get something that doesn't scream "cheap"... don't mean to sound nasty about it..... but I'd rather get nothing than something from the dollar store.

Forgot to say, I teach at a private school in a very affluent community. I've lived here my whole life, I know that of which I speak! I certainly would NOT care about something being from the dollar store or even being a construction paper card if my students/families were public school and/or from an area that was not very affluent.

Hope that came across right. Not trying to slam here.

 

[Stacey2grls]

I usually ask my girls to ask their teachers what they like, for example if they collect anything. They are my little spies! My DD7 has reported that her teacher loves Dolphins and that she collects them. So, I found a site that has the cutest dolphin christmas ornament! Needless to say I am thrilled, boy, I need to get out more often!

 

[disykat]

Teachers work way too hard not to be appreciated!

This really bugs me - because I'm in the "a gift really isn't necessary" camp. And yes, I'm a teacher. Teacher gifts are just not that big a deal here (I'm thinking it might be a geographical thing?). It's been a few years since I've taught, but I usually got gifts from 1/3 or less of the kids. Since I'm always in the room volunteering at Christmas parties for my kid's teachers, I've observed the same trend currently in our area.

I've never felt the slightest bit of correlation between whether I'm appreciated by and whether I get a gift from any certain family.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hope that came across right. Not trying to slam here.

Yes, you said everything very well.

 

[MariettaC]

I'm a teacher in a poor, rural school and the best gifts I have ever gotten are the "Thank You" notes from parents.

 

[CheshireVal]

My brother is a teacher, my neighbors on both sides are teachers and my cousin is a teacher...I had asked them about getting homemade food type gifts and every one of them said they would not eat something that they had been given that was made at someones home....its not that odd that teacehrs won't eat homemade things!

I don't really like homemade gifts, either. I *appreciate* them, but I usually won't eat them. The main reason is that I always leave for WDW the day after school lets out, and I don't want to risk getting sick by eating something that I'm not really sure about.

Usually I put it in the faculty lounge and a few hours later it's been eaten by someone!

 

[MinnieM3]

I forgot to mention the BEST gift I got! One year my room mom set up a schedule and two or three parents would fix dinner for my family and bring it to school or to our house! Boy was that fabulous! Every Monday for about 3 months I knew I never had to cook dinner! We often had enough for leftovers, too. That was a great, great idea!

 

[justhat]

I too have been thinking about what to get my daughter's preschool teachers. She's got 1 teacher and 2 aides so we have to get 3 gifts but I don't even know where to begin. I got a lot of giftcards to Borders when I taught preschool, and I know her teacher likes to read so I might get her one but I really don't know. Does the age of your kid's teacher affect what you buy? I think that's my big problem because my daughter's teachers are all around my age (I'm 25) so I look at them more like my friends than just 'teachers'. Problem is that things that I'd buy for my own friends I wouldn't necessarily think would be appropriate for teachers who I don't know as well.

Oh, and add me to the list of the non-food eaters. I never ate anything homemade that my kids brought in when I taught preschool. Well, there were exceptions to that as some of the families I was very close with and I'd eat one of their birthday cupcakes or something (those families never gave me a homemade Christmas gift). But overall, no thanks! I have no idea what condition their kitchen is in (for example my aunt and uncle have a ton of cats, and if you eat brownies from their house there's a good chance there will be cat hair on them) nor how/when they were prepared (have a friend who buys cake mix in bulk at Costco, then it all expires but she still uses it anyway).

 

[aprild]

Rhonda -

I love your basket idea! i worked in a daycare for 8 years and i would have thought that was too cute!! My DS3 is now in a different daycare without me and his teachers are excellent! I think i will have to use your idea!! Thanks!!