MaryAnnDVC
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From the Providence Journal:
http://www.projo.com/education/content/projo_20030601_tgifts.7ce01.html
Presents with presence
Teachers weigh in on end-of-year gifts they'll remember
06/01/2003
BY LAURA MEADE KIRK
Journal Staff Writer
Jan Ciampanelli has received hundreds of gifts from students during her 33 years as an elementary school teacher -- from hastily picked bunches of flowers and weeds to scrapbooks filled with photos and notes compiled throughout the school year.
"But the best appreciated gift of all is a handwritten note that a parent takes the time to sit down and write," said Ciampanelli, a first-grade teacher at the Anna McCabe School in Smithfield. "And if you take that a step further, a note sent to the principal and to the superintendent saying this teacher has made this year successful."
Most teachers agree that a thank-you note or drawing is the best possible gift to receive at the end of the school year, said Marcia Reback, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals. And parents shouldn't feel obligated to do any more than that.
"But if people really want to express their feelings toward a teacher, I would expect that teachers would not want to receive expensive gifts," she said. Instead, she said, consider a token gift such as a small piece of jewelry or a box of candy.
There are no rules or guidelines when it comes to how much to spend on teacher gifts -- nor any limits on what a teacher can receive, Reback said. "But I don't think teachers, really, have an expectation of receiving anything. A thank-you would go a long way."
However, the fact remains: Many grateful parents want to do more than just say thanks. So LIFEStyles queried teachers and parents for ideas for unique and meaningful gifts -- as well as those to skip.
NO MUGS,
says Kathie Giorgi of Oaklawn School in Cranston, who's been teaching for 29 years. "I have enough mugs to last me a thousand years."
Ditto anything with apples or labelled "World's Best Teacher."
On the flip side, you can't go wrong with books.
Mary Ann Casavant, owner of Animal Crackers Nursery School in North Attleboro, said some parents bring in books signed and dated by their children. Others buy children's classics and have them signed by the entire class. Some parents have even given teachers books signed by the authors. "That's a real treat," she said.
Consider having a group of parents contribute to a gift basket filled with classroom supplies, or gift certificates to a book or teaching supply store, Giorgi said. Or give gift certificates the teachers can use to splurge on themselves -- whether to the movies, a restaurant or the mall. "[Gift certificates] are just wonderful," she said. "Whatever you purchase with it, you remember the class."
Susan Alario, a teacher at the East Side Nursery School in Providence, said she was stunned when a group of parents pooled their money to present her with a $75 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret to celebrate her 10th anniversary of teaching a few years ago. "As a nearly 50-year-old, I was thrilled that these parents of three- and four-year-olds saw me as the Victoria's Secret type."
But she was equally thrilled to receive an annual membership to the Audubon Wildlife Society, which she and her family enjoyed, as an extension to the annual class field trip to the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk.
Betty Goyette, a fifth grade teacher at the Saylesville Elementary School in Lincoln, said one of her favorite gifts is a donation made to a charitable organization in her name, especially when the organization helps children. She also loves when students donate books to the school library in her name.
Many teachers also appreciate parents who take the time to find out about the teacher's interests or personal collections.
Ciampanelli's students, for example, know that she loves cats. So they'll often give her something with a cat-related theme.
"I love Snoopy, so I tend to get Snoopy things all the time," said Giorgi. She also loves anything having to do with Christmas.
Her favorite gift ever, she said, was a table-top boxwood tree decorated like a Christmas tree. It made a wonderful holiday centerpiece. Another parent gave her a small pin in the shape of a Christmas tree, topped with a tiny rhinestone. "I got it close to 20 years ago and I wear it every Christmas and I remember the child who gave it to me," she said.
Personalized gifts are also treasured, many teachers said. Ciampanelli loves stationary with her name on it. Or, consider personalized totes, clipboards, pen sets and frames -- preferably with your child's photo or the class photo inside. Many local jewelry stores and speciality shops, as well as online services, can personalize just about anything.
Some parents prefer to create their own personalized gift from their child, or from the entire class.
Casavant, of Animal Crackers, said a favorite gift given to staff members there is a giant ceramic planter painted white and covered with the handprints and names of each child in the teacher's class.
Handprints also can be used to decorate aprons, tote bags and even captain's chairs.
Or, get every child to draw a picture and/or write what they like best about their teacher and compile them into a book. Scrapbooks with photos and field-trip stubs and the like also make great gifts.
CHRISTINE MEYER
of Keller, Texas, who created a Web site dedicated to room parents, said her favorite gift is a flower pot covered with the thumbprints of every child in the class.
She then made the thumbprints into bugs by adorning them with spots and body parts. Each child signed next his or her name next to the thumbprint and she hot-glued a pair of garden gloves stuffed with paper onto the side of the pot, making it look as though someone were holding the pot. (Check her site, www.geocities.com/ideas4roommoms/index.html , for other ideas for gifts, crafts, projects and parties.)
Teachers also like to get personal mementos from children, Casavant said, such as a hand-drawn "portrait" of the teacher in a frame decorated by the child. One parent planted sunflower seeds and took a photo of the child standing next to the flowers in full bloom to show how much the child had blossomed over the year, she said.
Ciampanelli said she loves handmade bookmarks that children make especially for her. She's also received painted rocks, including one she still uses as a doorstop in her classroom.
And she loves notes and drawings from the kids -- the ones covered with stickers and glitter and fingerprints and "a little bit of jelly" from sticky hands. "They've got lots of love and kisses in them."
But she still loves her thank-you notes best, Ciampanelli said. "I treasure handwritten notes. I just keep them in a bag and when I retire, they're going to be my treasures, my collectibles."
http://www.projo.com/education/content/projo_20030601_tgifts.7ce01.html
Presents with presence
Teachers weigh in on end-of-year gifts they'll remember
06/01/2003
BY LAURA MEADE KIRK
Journal Staff Writer
Jan Ciampanelli has received hundreds of gifts from students during her 33 years as an elementary school teacher -- from hastily picked bunches of flowers and weeds to scrapbooks filled with photos and notes compiled throughout the school year.
"But the best appreciated gift of all is a handwritten note that a parent takes the time to sit down and write," said Ciampanelli, a first-grade teacher at the Anna McCabe School in Smithfield. "And if you take that a step further, a note sent to the principal and to the superintendent saying this teacher has made this year successful."
Most teachers agree that a thank-you note or drawing is the best possible gift to receive at the end of the school year, said Marcia Reback, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals. And parents shouldn't feel obligated to do any more than that.
"But if people really want to express their feelings toward a teacher, I would expect that teachers would not want to receive expensive gifts," she said. Instead, she said, consider a token gift such as a small piece of jewelry or a box of candy.
There are no rules or guidelines when it comes to how much to spend on teacher gifts -- nor any limits on what a teacher can receive, Reback said. "But I don't think teachers, really, have an expectation of receiving anything. A thank-you would go a long way."
However, the fact remains: Many grateful parents want to do more than just say thanks. So LIFEStyles queried teachers and parents for ideas for unique and meaningful gifts -- as well as those to skip.
NO MUGS,
says Kathie Giorgi of Oaklawn School in Cranston, who's been teaching for 29 years. "I have enough mugs to last me a thousand years."
Ditto anything with apples or labelled "World's Best Teacher."
On the flip side, you can't go wrong with books.
Mary Ann Casavant, owner of Animal Crackers Nursery School in North Attleboro, said some parents bring in books signed and dated by their children. Others buy children's classics and have them signed by the entire class. Some parents have even given teachers books signed by the authors. "That's a real treat," she said.
Consider having a group of parents contribute to a gift basket filled with classroom supplies, or gift certificates to a book or teaching supply store, Giorgi said. Or give gift certificates the teachers can use to splurge on themselves -- whether to the movies, a restaurant or the mall. "[Gift certificates] are just wonderful," she said. "Whatever you purchase with it, you remember the class."
Susan Alario, a teacher at the East Side Nursery School in Providence, said she was stunned when a group of parents pooled their money to present her with a $75 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret to celebrate her 10th anniversary of teaching a few years ago. "As a nearly 50-year-old, I was thrilled that these parents of three- and four-year-olds saw me as the Victoria's Secret type."
But she was equally thrilled to receive an annual membership to the Audubon Wildlife Society, which she and her family enjoyed, as an extension to the annual class field trip to the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk.
Betty Goyette, a fifth grade teacher at the Saylesville Elementary School in Lincoln, said one of her favorite gifts is a donation made to a charitable organization in her name, especially when the organization helps children. She also loves when students donate books to the school library in her name.
Many teachers also appreciate parents who take the time to find out about the teacher's interests or personal collections.
Ciampanelli's students, for example, know that she loves cats. So they'll often give her something with a cat-related theme.
"I love Snoopy, so I tend to get Snoopy things all the time," said Giorgi. She also loves anything having to do with Christmas.
Her favorite gift ever, she said, was a table-top boxwood tree decorated like a Christmas tree. It made a wonderful holiday centerpiece. Another parent gave her a small pin in the shape of a Christmas tree, topped with a tiny rhinestone. "I got it close to 20 years ago and I wear it every Christmas and I remember the child who gave it to me," she said.
Personalized gifts are also treasured, many teachers said. Ciampanelli loves stationary with her name on it. Or, consider personalized totes, clipboards, pen sets and frames -- preferably with your child's photo or the class photo inside. Many local jewelry stores and speciality shops, as well as online services, can personalize just about anything.
Some parents prefer to create their own personalized gift from their child, or from the entire class.
Casavant, of Animal Crackers, said a favorite gift given to staff members there is a giant ceramic planter painted white and covered with the handprints and names of each child in the teacher's class.
Handprints also can be used to decorate aprons, tote bags and even captain's chairs.
Or, get every child to draw a picture and/or write what they like best about their teacher and compile them into a book. Scrapbooks with photos and field-trip stubs and the like also make great gifts.
CHRISTINE MEYER
of Keller, Texas, who created a Web site dedicated to room parents, said her favorite gift is a flower pot covered with the thumbprints of every child in the class.
She then made the thumbprints into bugs by adorning them with spots and body parts. Each child signed next his or her name next to the thumbprint and she hot-glued a pair of garden gloves stuffed with paper onto the side of the pot, making it look as though someone were holding the pot. (Check her site, www.geocities.com/ideas4roommoms/index.html , for other ideas for gifts, crafts, projects and parties.)
Teachers also like to get personal mementos from children, Casavant said, such as a hand-drawn "portrait" of the teacher in a frame decorated by the child. One parent planted sunflower seeds and took a photo of the child standing next to the flowers in full bloom to show how much the child had blossomed over the year, she said.
Ciampanelli said she loves handmade bookmarks that children make especially for her. She's also received painted rocks, including one she still uses as a doorstop in her classroom.
And she loves notes and drawings from the kids -- the ones covered with stickers and glitter and fingerprints and "a little bit of jelly" from sticky hands. "They've got lots of love and kisses in them."
But she still loves her thank-you notes best, Ciampanelli said. "I treasure handwritten notes. I just keep them in a bag and when I retire, they're going to be my treasures, my collectibles."
. There was also a great picture of me with wheels instead of legs
