The Truth about Teacher Gifts, Things NOT to Do

[CowboyCO]

I know that sometimes the truth is hard to hear, but with so many people talking about making food gifts as a way to save $ I think that the time has come to bring this up.
1. Don't make food gifts. Most teachers and schools have a rule that ALL homemade food gifts are/must be thrown away. Although your child's teacher will thank you, and tell you later how good it was, chances are it ended up in the trash. I know that this is a sensitive subject, but here goes. For those of you on foodstamps or other assistance that make cookies etc as gifts because you don't have to use your limited cash to buy a gift, please consider this alternative. You could donate a bag of canned food items to your local shelter or food bank in the names of all your kid's teachers. You can write them a note to go in the card your child made that says in appreciation for all the help they give, a donation has been given to ___ to extend that help to even more. I would suggest this to all of you that are on a tight budget. If you have 10 teachers to buy for and want to keep it at $2 each, a $20 donation of cash or food would go a long way. You do not have to mention the dollar amount on your note, just that a donation has been made in lieu of teacher gifts. Even if you are not on a budget this is a great idea.

2. No coffee mugs. Teachers end up with 100's of these things and pitch most of them, ESPECIALLY the ones with a teacher theme.

3. Don't BUY christmas tree ornaments, again especially the ones with a teacher theme. Ones made by your child will be appreciated, but not the "handmade" ones from the craft shows.

Don't think you HAVE to give a gift. Your child can make a card so they will have something to give along with the other children, along with a note of appreciation from you is much better than more junk to toss.

1. My DW has been a teacher (HS English, theater and French) for 16 years. I've never heard of any policy by the school on homemade goodies. My DW thinks it is really sweet that someone would make something for her.

2. My DW hasn't gotten more than 10 mugs in 16 years, but we have all of them and use them. Teacher themes make her feel good inside that they recognize her for what she does.

3. Christmas ornaments. My DW has received dozens of Christmas ornaments over the years, some with pictures in them, some with teacher themes, some homemade and some that reflect the sugject matter (English and Theater). We have a family tree downstairs that our kids ornaments and her students ornaments go on every year. She fondly remembers her former students (some are in their 30's now) as she takes each one out, just as she fondly remembers the history of each of our kid's ornaments.

My point is not to rebutt your "rules of teacher gift giving", but rather to say that not every teacher feels the way you do. My DW is the type that remembers EVERYTHING (That's not always great for me...). She knows what student gave her what and when, what they wrote about in class.

I would recommend that if you want to give your teacher a small gift, give from the heart. I would also only give something if you want to. DW only gets a gift from about 1 in 10 students. Cards are also nice and appreciated. She keeps a file full of cards too. I think the most common gift that she gets is Mountain Dew. Her kids know she loves her Dew, so she always gets some.

 

[crazed'boutmaryP]

Have also done homemade beaded bookmarks with bookstore GC as well as Land's End tote bags filled with school supplies and teacher's favorite store bought cookies-they all loved them and have seen them used. Other appreciated items:GC to local pizza place, tickets to local bordwalk where there are rides(teacher with young kids loved this and now gives this to her kids teachers),GC to restaurants and books for classroom.

I have the kids tell me what their teachers like-books, movies, restaurants, entertainment and go from there. I always give the art, music, gym teacher a 5.00 gift card and all get notes from my kids.

Love the idea of the poinsetta, may do that this year.

Great thread.

 

[nena]

I am a Kinder/First grade Teacher. Everyday we battle with our CD player. Three of the buttons are missing and it is always skipping. One of the parents said, maybe that is what we should get you for Christmas. This would be GREAT!!
The school, replaced the broken one, but the new one broke within a year. Good thing I saved the old one with the missing buttons (which is 10 years old). I ordered one with Bonus Points from the Scholastic order and that was so flimsy, the cd cover broke during shipping.
I could order one from the school catalog, but they want $99!! Once I mentioned that to the parents, they decided they were going to put their money together and get one for the class. One mom said she had just bought one for $35. This gift would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nena]

I did not think I would chime in on this thread..
but since Sept I have donated over 250 in arts and crafts supplies to my son's class...
For the holidays I plan to give home made book marks, and cards made by the children under my guidance (can you tell I am a crafter)... but I also will include a GC for Barnes and Noble or Borders... this gives the teacher the option of getting something for the class or herself... since both stores have books, CDs and movies as well as games and in our area coffee lounges in them...

In the past I have given tote bags (which I see all being used by the teachers they were given to), photo frames that reflect the teachers interest (my kids are in daycare and it is easy to learn the teachers interests) I am also just sent lunch for the entire daycare staff... instead of individual gifts - Done with the permission and selection by the owner of the school to avoid allergen issues in the building and dietary needs of the staff (sone Kosher staff and some Hallel staff... so I was careful what to order and where to order from so ALL could enjoy!)

Lots of options if you look for them!

You are very generous!! I am sure you children's teachers appreciate all you do for them. I know I appreciate any donation my parents send: stickers, lysol/clorox wipes, baby wipes, craft supplies and extra snacks!

 

[stitchlovestink]

Sadly, most schools no longer allow homemade treats for parties, they must be store bought. They are thrown away because there are too many issues with cleanliness, allergies and so on. Bakes sales are also no longer acceptable for fund raisers, just too much liability.

while I agree w/ the first bolded statement, we are talking about gifts for the teachers, not party treats. Locally, our schools only allow store bought treats for the STUDENTS and it isn't about liability, it's about food allergies. store bought products list ALL ingredients. Everyone's recipe isn't identical, so one person's choc chip cookies may have an ingredient that someone's else's doesn't have.
Homebaked goods may be given to staff. Now whether the staff member chooses to consume or toss it is completely up to them. So I don't think it is accurate to say not to give baked goods. Our local school staff literally gobbles up homebaked items. We've even had them tell us (the parents) food gifts are well received.
And regarding the second bolded statement, that's not accurate in all areas either. They are allowed here where we live.

 

[SereneOne]

I did NOT say that giving gift cards was lazy, I said my MOM felt that way. I LOVE gift cards myself, but my parents do not like to recieve them. They think it takes little thought.

I think anytime a person spends money and/or time to buy and/or make something for me is something to be appreciated. It means they are thinking of you and wanted to do something special for you.

 

[timzagain]

I've finally read through the entire thread - Wow!

I've tried not to do teacher themed gifts! Last year was an exception - DD asked me to make a teacher ornament for her teacher, which supplemented the "main" gift. I could not figure out what to buy a male teacher. In the end I bought a rotating wooden desk organizer to keep the pencils etc organized on his desk. His classroom was small with insufficient storage; to make matters worse, he was organizationally challenged. He used it for the whole school year - he's now gone back to school to further his studies, maybe he's using it at home now!

The 2 teacher gifts that got "rave reviews" were things that my kids made.

One year the DD's made wipe clean reminder boards; they designed the layout in Microsoft Publisher including a scan of the class photo and a personalized message, printed it on card stock which was then laminated. Strips of self-adhesive magnet were attached to the back, punched a hole for hanging a dry-erase marker. That was 6 or 7 years ago, and the teachers still use them!

Youngest DD is into jewelry making, and she's pretty good at it - she made a pendant of polymer clay, strung into on a length of suede cord. The teacher that received it loves it and actually wears it regularly!

A question for the teachers - would you appreciate a gift of a USB flash drive? DD's school is insisting on more and more computerization (record keeping as well as lesson & test preparation) - so I know they are useful. They are not as cheap here as they are in the US

 

[Cindy B]

I've finally read through the entire thread - Wow!

I've tried not to do teacher themed gifts! Last year was an exception - DD asked me to make a teacher ornament for her teacher, which supplemented the "main" gift. I could not figure out what to buy a male teacher. In the end I bought a rotating wooden desk organizer to keep the pencils etc organized on his desk. His classroom was small with insufficient storage; to make matters worse, he was organizationally challenged. He used it for the whole school year - he's now gone back to school to further his studies, maybe he's using it at home now!

The 2 teacher gifts that got "rave reviews" were things that my kids made.

One year the DD's made wipe clean reminder boards; they designed the layout in Microsoft Publisher including a scan of the class photo and a personalized message, printed it on card stock which was then laminated. Strips of self-adhesive magnet were attached to the back, punched a hole for hanging a dry-erase marker. That was 6 or 7 years ago, and the teachers still use them!

Youngest DD is into jewelry making, and she's pretty good at it - she made a pendant of polymer clay, strung into on a length of suede cord. The teacher that received it loves it and actually wears it regularly!

A question for the teachers - would you appreciate a gift of a USB flash drive? DD's school is insisting on more and more computerization (record keeping as well as lesson & test preparation) - so I know they are useful. They are not as cheap here as they are in the US

USB drives would be fine. That actually is a great idea. I use mine all the time. However, if I was in a safer neighborhood, I wouldn't use the USB and just bring my laptop in. My school is in a rough neighborhood so I don't want my personal laptop stolen or damaged on the few occasions where I leave the room.

Everything is computerized! The tests, gradebook, etc..

 

[Julia M]

I work in the public schools, as well as have three kids in school, myself!

For my 2 younger kids, we give a group gift (private school) Usually a GC to our scrip program (they can pick out whatever GC's they want) and a small gift-one year we did a teacher bag from Lillian Vernon, another year candy (we knew the teacher liked it). This year, since we do a group gift, I plan to write a letter myself to some of the teachers I think do such a great job for my kids.

I have gotten a variety of gifts. As I have been teaching 20 years, mugs especially, is not something I need, and I have 4 tubs of Xmas ornaments. I also have TONS of holiday platter, bowls, etc. I have candles in every room and some in cabinets, and lots of extra lotion. I mean more than I can possibly use.

It's not that I don't appreciate the thought of the gift, I do. I really do. It's just that a person only needs so many coffee cups, and anyway, I use the insulated kind with a lid, so if something did happen, it won't spill as much.

So, I end up giving away the mugs/platters/etc; I just don't have the storage space.

I think the antibacterial hand wash (the kind that doesn't need water and is in a cute container) would be great. In fact, a container of clorox wipes, baby wipes, etc would also be appreciated and used! A $5 gift card to Starbucks would be awesome too. Really, I'd appreciate a gift certifcate for a movie rental at Blockbuster, too, for a movie (about $3 around here). In fact, I'm thinking of making movie baskets for my high school students teachers, like someone said.....a movie card for a movie, some popcorn and a candy. DS has 6 teachers, 1 club moderator and 3 coaches. (Thanks for the idea)

I also think it would be awesome if I got a note from a parent who liked what I did for their child (I'm in special ed). Especially in special ed where I live, there can be parents who are really unhappy with special educators, and that can be VERY draining and difficult. To get a note expressing appreciation......I save those forever. Those mean the world to me.

Again, I'm not trying to dictate what a parent might give to me......I appreciate all the parents who remember me at the holidays. But, I'm only human, and while everything is appreciated, some gifts are things that just work for me better. Obviously, the hard part is knowing what works for each person. Like anything else, sometimes as a parent, we know a teacher better one yera, and not as well another year.

 

[klj27]

I always read these threads with interest. Last year (or maybe it was the year before) I was flamed BIG TIME for even mentioning that I was thinking of making a donation to a charity in my child's teacher's name. In fact, one DISer posted that she was a teacher and a gift like that would become the talk of the teacher's lounge -- and not in a good way. I wanted to donate to a charity that teaches children in third world countries to read, and teaching reading was this particular teachers passion. For my other daughter's teacher, I was going to donate money towards a goat for a community in a third world country. (Animals and young children were her passion.) In the end, I got them a gift card. I didn't want my dds' gifts to them to be the talk of the teacher's lounge.

I always thought this would be a good idea until somone did it to me recently. They donated money to a charity that was special to them but had absolutely no meaning to me. Even though they donated in my name, I felt like they were just giving money they would have given eventually anyway and sticking my name on it.

 

[Misty89]

well not a teacher in a school, i am a daycare teacher at a center that is attached to my DD school.
i agree with the food gifts, it is a little scary in this world today.
If you school participates in the fundrasier " Script" .......a nice idea is to give teachers the gift of Script. they can pick what GC they want, and a portion of what ever they spend it on goes back to the school! some teachers buy things for thier classrooms, some get personal gifts.

 

[An_Island_Girl]

Love the idea of the poinsetta, may do that this year.

Please be extremely careful with poinsetta plants! They are actually poisonous to animals and small children. If your teacher has cats, dogs or other household pets, please refrain from gifting poinsettas.

 

[Kate and Pete]

I am a single mom on a very tight budget. My little one gets special help from two different teachers and she has a student teacher. I don't know if its rude not to buy for all of them. I just simply can't buy for all of them so i am sticking to just their main teachers. I would like to acknowledge them in some way. I am sure that they understand people just can't afford to get too much. I know one is a Dunkin Donuts fanatic, but since we are on a budget do you think a $10.00 gift card is too cheap? I don't want my daughter's to be the only one in their class that doesn't give their teacher anything so we will give something, but it can't be much.

Honesty, I wouldn't buy anything! The absolute best gifts I've ever received are notes from parents/kids about the impact I've had. Have your kids hand make some cards, and you could write a personal note. One for each teacher. No cost, but it means sooooooooooo much to a teacher!

 

[kimsuenew]

1. My DW has been a teacher (HS English, theater and French) for 16 years. I've never heard of any policy by the school on homemade goodies. My DW thinks it is really sweet that someone would make something for her.

2. My DW hasn't gotten more than 10 mugs in 16 years, but we have all of them and use them. Teacher themes make her feel good inside that they recognize her for what she does.

3. Christmas ornaments. My DW has received dozens of Christmas ornaments over the years, some with pictures in them, some with teacher themes, some homemade and some that reflect the sugject matter (English and Theater). We have a family tree downstairs that our kids ornaments and her students ornaments go on every year. She fondly remembers her former students (some are in their 30's now) as she takes each one out, just as she fondly remembers the history of each of our kid's ornaments.

My point is not to rebutt your "rules of teacher gift giving", but rather to say that not every teacher feels the way you do. My DW is the type that remembers EVERYTHING (That's not always great for me...). She knows what student gave her what and when, what they wrote about in class.

I would recommend that if you want to give your teacher a small gift, give from the heart. I would also only give something if you want to. DW only gets a gift from about 1 in 10 students. Cards are also nice and appreciated. She keeps a file full of cards too. I think the most common gift that she gets is Mountain Dew. Her kids know she loves her Dew, so she always gets some.

Your letter was very refreshing and your wife sounds like a lovely person and wonderful (and sentimental) teacher!

 

[kimsuenew]

Also check your schools policy. As of this year, our teacher's gift can not be worth more than $5 IF it goes to the teacher. We can give a classroom gift or a school gift or a donation in the teacher's name of more.

That is a great reminder! The school I was an "Educational Aide" in for 12+ years (I left and am in college to be a teacher now... lifelong dream) has a (County-wide) policy that no staff member may accept a.) more than one gift per calendar year from the same individual and/or b.) andything with a value of more than $10.00. You may want to check policy at your child's school when considering what gift to purchase or what giftcard amount to spend!

 

[Sinderelli]

Phew- I just made it through the whole thread!

One thing our school (elementary, Catholic) has started doing is asking parents to make a donation to a Teachers' fund. All donations are then split evenly among all teachers and staff. This is supposed to be in lieu of giving gifts. This works out well, because the positions that are usuallu left out of the gift receiving- librarian, PE teacher, secretaries, etc.- all receive gifts. We usually receive about $50-$60. The gift is opened in front of the class. The teacher does not know what each child donated- $1, $20, nothing. Some people have a problem with this because they want their name specifically attached to the dollar amount they gave.

My two children also attend the school where I teach. I usually donate to the Teachers' fund and then give a gift to their tecahers (self contained classroom). Both teachers are Disney fanatics, so I will be picking up a Disney cruise line ornament on my cruise next week for them.

 

[Bopsmom]

1. My DW has been a teacher (HS English, theater and French) for 16 years. I've never heard of any policy by the school on homemade goodies. My DW thinks it is really sweet that someone would make something for her.

2. My DW hasn't gotten more than 10 mugs in 16 years, but we have all of them and use them. Teacher themes make her feel good inside that they recognize her for what she does.

3. Christmas ornaments. My DW has received dozens of Christmas ornaments over the years, some with pictures in them, some with teacher themes, some homemade and some that reflect the sugject matter (English and Theater). We have a family tree downstairs that our kids ornaments and her students ornaments go on every year. She fondly remembers her former students (some are in their 30's now) as she takes each one out, just as she fondly remembers the history of each of our kid's ornaments.

My point is not to rebutt your "rules of teacher gift giving", but rather to say that not every teacher feels the way you do. My DW is the type that remembers EVERYTHING (That's not always great for me...). She knows what student gave her what and when, what they wrote about in class.

I would recommend that if you want to give your teacher a small gift, give from the heart. I would also only give something if you want to. DW only gets a gift from about 1 in 10 students. Cards are also nice and appreciated. She keeps a file full of cards too. I think the most common gift that she gets is Mountain Dew. Her kids know she loves her Dew, so she always gets some.

I too have special ornaments from my students(7th grade TxHistory)-they knew I collected ornaments and was allergic to chocolate so I have enough to do a Teacher Tree now.
I love to take them out each year and even my daughter knows who gave me which. My favorite was from a little girl that I had to constantly tell to stop "popping and rolling her retainer". One day, over the Christmas holidays (11 years ago), there was a knock on my door. The little girl had her parents drive her 30 miles out to my house to bring me a gift. In a pretty blue box was her retainer with gold braid and a ornament hanger. They assured me is was sterilized first I hang that retainer on our tree each year and think of sweet little Megan.

 

[torinsmom]

while I agree w/ the first bolded statement, we are talking about gifts for the teachers, not party treats. Locally, our schools only allow store bought treats for the STUDENTS and it isn't about liability, it's about food allergies. store bought products list ALL ingredients. Everyone's recipe isn't identical, so one person's choc chip cookies may have an ingredient that someone's else's doesn't have.
Homebaked goods may be given to staff. Now whether the staff member chooses to consume or toss it is completely up to them. So I don't think it is accurate to say not to give baked goods. Our local school staff literally gobbles up homebaked items. We've even had them tell us (the parents) food gifts are well received.
And regarding the second bolded statement, that's not accurate in all areas either. They are allowed here where we live.

Actually, it IS also about sanitation as well. We had children and parents get food poisoning in a neighboring school system several years ago, and some sued the school system.

Robeson Schools E. coli Outbreak - North Carolina

Homemade, unpasteurized butter was the probable source of E. coli O157:H7 contamination that sickened at least 200 people at Prospect Elementary School in rural Robeson County, North Carolina, in the fall of 2001. State officials called it the largest such outbreak in state history.

Marler Clark represented 34 of the people most-effected by the outbreak, including the family of an 11-year-old sixth-grader who spent six days in the hospital with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which frequently leads to kidney failure.

An epidemiological report blamed the outbreak on homemade butter served to students as a classroom demonstration. The butter was not pasteurized.


We just got the memo reminding us to only have children bring in sealed items made commercially. Of course, this was not from teacher gifts, but it could have been. I have eaten a few things made by parents, when I knew that parent personally, but most I leave in the teacher's lounge.

Please give SOMETHING to each teacher your child has. It doesn't have to cost much; a thank you card your child has made will mean tons! Teaching can sometimes feel like a thankless job, and it warms our hearts to see that what we do makes a difference.

My son is now in 9th grade and I need to decide what to give his 5 teachers(and need to ask if he has any student teachers) I think high school teachers often get left out, and they deserve some kudos for working with moody teenagers; I prefer young kids! I'll probably do a card for each with a $10 gc to Walmart, unless he tells me something different.

Marsha

 

[mjkacmom]

For people who are saying teachers don't appreciate gifts given to them if they don't use them, what about a gift you've received but don't like?

For example, what if your aunt or grandma gets you a sweater you think is ugly. You take it back to the store and exchange it for something you do like or it sits in your closet and you never wear it and it just collects dust until you either throw it away or give it to Goodwill. How is this any different than a teacher doing the same thing with a gift they can't use or don't like. You still appreciate the thought and are thankful your grandma thought of you and got you something, but does wanting to exchange it mean you're ungrateful? Or do you just keep something and wear it even though you think it's ugly/doesn't fit you right etc. or you already have one that is the exact same thing?

I'm not seeing how it's any different for teachers.

I think what most are saying is that teachers do appreciate all gifts that they are given, but can't use all of them. I have a dear gf who teaches 6th grade in a low income area. Although she really does appreciate every single thing her students give her, she feels so guilty about not using some of them.

I've learned so much from these threads - I used to spend hours making homemade peanut brittle at Christmas for teachers. Now that I know it might've been tossed, I don't feel sad, bitter, or angry, but will now give something different. Thanks to these threads, last year, when I wanted to give something special to ds's teacher, I wrote a letter, and cc'd the teacher, to the principal, telling her what a wonderful teacher she had on her staff. I never would've thought of this on my own.

 

[ncbyrne]

My DD has been teaching Kindergarten (1st grade just one year) for 20 years. She agrees that mugs are not her favorite gift, but she does use several of them. As for tree ornaments....she puts greenery garland around the doorways of her downstairs rooms and hangs all her teacher ornaments on them every year (the ones that SAY teacher on them, not just pretty ornaments).
The teachers at her school talk about this subject all the time. Each teacher prefers gift cards, but each has different hobbies, likes, etc. Some love the nail/skin/day spa salons, but my daughter doesn't. She prefers Barnes & Noble to any other card.
BUT...she really likes things the kids MAKE for her. Even if it's a paper craft, she keeps it on the shelves at school until the end of that year. She likes the handwritten notes and hand drawn cards over store bought.
Any long term educator has seen it all. Spending a lot of money is not necessary to please a teacher.