From your students, I mean. Are disposable treats like a plate of cookies acceptable? Or do you find that cheap? What about various knick-nacks, coffee mugs, etc.? Don’t they end up just cluttering your house? How about gift cards?
What’s the best present you’ve ever received from a student? Worst?
And yes, I am trolling for ideas!
IANATeacher but a I know a few. Offhand, I’d say gift cards - the more flexible the better - would be a top choice since teachers are underpaid for the most part and often wind up spending what little money they have on … their classroom.
Otherwise, it’s been said before and will be said again but … a handwritten note or card from the student saying how much the teacher means in their life or what they’ve learned is a better treasure than any coffee mug. This assumes, of course, that your kid actually likes the teacher and has learned something!
Something that shows the child has noticed the teacher as a person. I love it when kids give me tea, even though it’s almost always terrible, because it means they noticed I drink tea all day.
Notes and pictures are nice. A framed picture of your kid is NOT good. I mean, I like them fine but a framed picture seems over the top.
I’m a 7th Grade Teacher.
Get me a small gift card to somewhere, even $5 is just fine.
Panera Bread, for example. Anything, really. A book store or anything.
Gift card to a bookstore, office supply, or teacher supply store, or chocolate, or caffeine. In that order.
I’m a 7th grade teacher and a card is fine, or a note. Even just saying “Merry Christmas” with a genuine smile on his/her face on the last day would be nice. If the student truly wants to get me something, a plate of cookies would be great. By 7th grade a student has so many teachers that buying something for every one of then could get expensive.
Gift cards would be great. My students always saddle me with hand cream, for some reason.
I don’t care for any home made treats. Especially if I know the kid either made them or helped make them. I know how often your kid washes his hands!
I actually would prefer no food at all, even store-bought.
Amazon gift cards are the best.
Now, having said all that, a gift is never necessary. A heartfelt letter to me expressing how awesome I am is just as good 
Nothing - gifts can create an ethical problem, or at least the appearance of one.
I always get expensive boxes of cookies, beautifully wrapped. BUT they all taste the same (Japanese cookies aren’t that great) and 90% of them have nuts in. We are a nut-allergic family which is written on EVERY SINGLE event sheet the kids get - please don’t contribute nutty stuff as our family plus several students have allergies. So I wonder how much the parents read the newsletters I struggle to write and produce each month… My office lady is always happy to get the gifts passed on to her though!
I LOVE handwritten cards from the kids. So cute! And they made an effort!
I’d second the gift card to office supply stores, bookshops or as widely-useable-as-possible ones.
I forgot to mention - there have been times I accepted food with a smile and thank you, and just thrown it away at the end of the day. It depends on the kid and the family.
What about a fresh fruit basket? That’s always been my go-to for teachers. Something yummy and healthy and washable.
Have I been doing good or no?
I’m a high school teacher, so I rarely get gifts (except one year when I taught in a private school, and boy did I haul in the loot that year!!). I love the notes/cards. I like to get the cookies and fudge and stuff, but so far it’s almost always been given to me by kids I would trust (I only remember ever throwing stuff out twice). Gift cards are my favorite thing, whether it’s a restaurant, or Borders, or even a generic one to the mall (although our mall charges for gift cards, so I actually hate getting those).
What I hate are mugs or little inspirational books. For some reason, I seem to always get one every year, whether it’s an uplifting saying on every page, or a small devotion on every page, or whatever. To me they are such a waste of money. I’m not going to sit and read something like that. Even Chicken Soup, which I know a lot of people like, just seems like a waste to me.
I actually would like getting the lotions or Bath & Body type things, except inevitably I always get scents that I hate. This time of year, I actually like when the kids get me Christmas ornaments, especially if it’s based off something I like. I collect ornaments, and have kept a list of all the ornaments I have ever gotten, with a note on who gave them to me. My mom started that when I was born and got the baby’s first ornament from my aunt.
I jokingly tell the kids every year before my birthday that I do have an Amazon wish list. So far none have taken me up on it, though I usually get a few cards. One year the class went in together and bought me the largest cookie cake they had, and had them write math equations all over it. That was fun.
As someone said above (which is easier with high school kids, as elementary probably don’t notice much), if it pertains to me personally, it’s really cool. I had a kid bring me a box of Cheerios one year, because he remembered that I said I always ate them for breakfast and they were my favorite food! It was a cute, quirky kind of idea, and very funny to see an 11th grade boy being all smooth about giving me cereal.
Thanks for the responses so far! My daughter is only three so the idea of her writing a note of thanks is a little out of the question for this year. But I think I will have her scribble a little drawing for her two teachers, and I’ll write a nice little appreciative message. And then I’m thinking of a tin of this Christmas treat I make (basically Chex Mix covered in white chocolate), plus a $10 gift card to Target.
Approval? Yes? No?
Gift cards are always welcome. I may just be speaking for myself, but all food gifts get praised, then tossed in the trash. My team knows this, which is why I get gift cards to Famous Dave’s every year instead of Christmas cookies!
At one of the local elementary schools here the teachers each have a wish list taped outside the door of their classroom. Ugh, so tacky.
My kids always got me gift cards for restaurants, sitting in little bags of candy and stuff. I worked at a private school, so Christmas was awesome. Last year, I don’t think I paid when I went out with my friends for months.
I should say: I never expected anything and the first time I got presents, I was truly surprised. I wrote thank you notes to everybody, because really, just wishing me “Merry Christmas” would have been more than enough.
My wife was a teacher for 30+ years. Her absolute favorite gift of all time was when one of her students drew a picture of her (a little kid, very crude) and the parent had a plate made with the picture on it. She still has it. Cards and notes (especially handmade) were also favorites.
Her least favorite gifts were soaps, shampoos, candles and other gifty things, particularly scents she didn’t like, soaps that made her break out, etc.
Gift cards and calendars were always appreciated. Once or twice the parents got together and bought something for the classroom, and that would bring tears to her eyes.
Forgot to add, the problem with cookies, fruit baskets, etc. was that the first one was great, but when you get three or four of them in a couple of days, you end up with a house full of stale cookies and rotting fruit.
My wife and sister in law always appreciated if a family bought something for the classroom like books or something.
My daughter teaches 5th grade - she absolutely loves gift cards, especially when she can use them for classroom supplies. But she doesn’t expect anything from anyone. However, she does write individual thank-you notes to those who give her something.