We give donations. They get a little card saying so, and it doesn’t mention the amount.
And gift cards are great, too. As mentioned, they add up! My teacher husband comes home at Christmas and at the end of June with stacks of them… Usually $5 or $10, and it ends up being a really good spree at the bookstore, or several months’ worth of coffee.
My husband is a teacher.
Bad:
Junk food of any kind. We literally get pounds and pounds of chocolate, cookies and candy. A good bit of it ends up in the trash because it goes bad before it can be eaten. And there’s already a ton of that stuff around anyway at the holidays. I don’t want to end up wearing it on my hips.
Good:
Gift cards that can be used for classroom supplies, or the supplies themselves (Kleenex, hand sanitizer, whiteboard markers, paper, etc.). In lots of schools the budget runs out for this stuff before the end of the year (if there even was one to begin with). We pay out of our own pocket for these things at times.
Best:
Handwritten note from the kid him/herself (or from the parent if the kid is too young) thanking the teacher for their time and effort. Teachers save these things and they mean a lot more than any material goods.
20+ year teacher: Please no ornaments or knick-knacks. Do you know how many of those things I’ve accumulated? Gift cards are always great, and I do take home snacky stuff to my every-hungry family, but a lot of it gets thrown out after the holidays. I did love the person who gave me a jar of hot cocoa mix and one of an instant potato soup mix, because if I get hungry at school I can whip up a cup of one or the other on my break.
My wife has gotten teachers this awesome stapler.
My mom says that her favorites (like many others in this thread) were notes from kids and parents. She still has notes from when she started teaching 40+ years ago. After handwritten notes of appreciation, her next favorite gift was gift cards. A lot of people think that $5 or $10 gift cards are not that much but elementary school (middle to a certain degree) teachers end up with a ton of these. My mom mainly used these to either upgrade supplies or keep the coffee flowing freely.
As far as sugary sweets went, these used to go directly to my dad and my siblings. My mom is not big on candy and sweets so she would just bring them home and let the vultures descend. I always appreciated the treats but if it were just her and my father, I could see that being a bit much and most of it would likely be given away or thrown out. My cousin is an elementary school teacher and she just invites the cousins and a bunch of friends over to indulge since she lives alone.
Random trinkets are the least favorable. For the most part, you are really guessing in the dark to find something that the teacher will like. Additionally, students and parents often assume that a teacher who has a little cat figurine on her desk loves cats. Imagine getting 35 cat themed trinkets. Trust me; some are going to be either hideous or downright creepy. The thought is appreciated but I know my cousin always feels badly when she ends up giving some of the gifts away. She loves the cards though, even if it’s a short note.
I would avoid anything having to do with apples.
One thing we’ve done for teachers (and for a LOT of other folks): jar mixes - as in, you take a quart-sized Mason jar, and layer it with the ingredients for a dish, and attach a label with how to make the dish. For a couple of years we did “Friendship Soup” (pasta, dried onions, beef bouillon granules etc.), then we switched to oatmeal cookie mix after trying a number of different cookie mixes.
This lets the teachers make the goodies on their own schedule, like in January when all the holiday goodies are gone and they get a craving for homemade cookies or soup.
That said, gift cards would surely always be welcome.
Okay - we’re doing the teacher gifts this weekend - we *were *doing homemade heart shaped shortbreads, about 1/2 dozen standard size cookies.
Kid is almost 13 & understands food hygiene.
The cookies keep for 2 weeks to a month in the containers we use.
Is this really such an awful gift??
Need answer fast!
Even if the teacher is a little leery about homemade treats, the thought is always appreciated. No matter the gift, when I get a note I keep it forever, with warm memories.
If you want to do homemade, cinnamon ornament ‘cookies’ are a safe bet. They don’t take up room, smell wonderful, and show the student cared enough to make something by hand. They’re easy and fun, to boot. Costco sells cinnamon in bulk, so you get a lot and stay on budget.
The teachers I know appreciate all of their gifts. From the awesome and delicious to the just plain strange. If you know the teacher lives alone however, try not to go overboard with the quantity. Your portions seem dead on though. Remember, it really is the thought that counts for them.
Half a dozen cookies are just fine, especially if you can toss 'em in the freezer for chomping on later in the year.
As a teacher, I never minded getting treats. There was always a day when I forgot to pack a lunch, ran out of snacks in my desk drawer, or just had a sudden pang of hunger. That’s not mentioning the occasional emotional eating after a rough day. However, that’s me, and I love food. A teacher who is focused on eating healthy may not appreciate treats.
Absolute best gifts? A student written note of appreciation. Next best, gift cards and supplies. Even if it’s to some place I don’t go (like WalMart), I can regift it to someone who does. Other ideas? Magazine subscriptions to topics you know the teacher likes (Nat’l Geographic, Discover, Smithsonian, and other brainy magazines are almost always a winner), a calendar based on the teacher’s interest (tell your kid to take a look around the classroom - there’ll be some sort of indication), or maybe a subject related action figure like Jane Austen or Albert Einstein. Think Geek, American Science and Surplus, and a bunch of other fun sites out there have stuff teachers would go nuts for.
Things to avoid? I will never need another coffee cup for the rest of my life. Also, I really don’t need anything emblazoned with “Teacher”, or any item telling me how awesome teachers are.
In the past I’ve done 2 passes to the local big movie theater. Is this ok?
I think the movie passes would be fabulous. I would have loved those. I will be honest about the treats - with some kids I would eat them and with some I would toss them. I always accepted them warmly, however, and thanked the student both verbally and in writing. The kid who has gone home with lice? The kid who always seems to come to school coughing and sneezing? The kid who doesn’t do his work and whose parents think you’re against him? Toss, toss, toss. My first week teaching seventh-grade I was warned by a veteran teacher that the boys that age liked to unwrap candy, put it down their pants, walk around, then rewrap it and offer it to people including teachers (her husband taught high school and heard the scoop from the kids). She said it didn’t matter who the kid was, don’t take the candy.
Sometimes kids do the goofiest things when they’re in groups, no matter what they’re like at home.
That’s what our Festivus cards said one year.
One of my friend’s moms was like, “Oh! How sweet! A charity!” and the girl was like, “No, ma, from Seinfeld.”
“Huh?”
“Nevermind.”
and so she thought we actually made a donation to ‘The Human Fund’.
The back had a Festivus pole on it and it said, “No tinsel? No problem.”
I designed them myself…I should find a pic.
Thanks for all the awesome ideas, guys…esp the cigarettes, dime bag and Human Fund donation :D! Fyi-this is a public school and given how overworked and underpaid our teachers here are, I just want to show them a small token of appreciation for what they do.
As far as the heartfelt personalized notes…I get that those mean the most to the teachers and wish my kid would get behind that–but unfortunately it’s not gonna happen. He is entering that surly ‘whatever’ teen phase (at least I hope it’s a phase).
I think I’m going to go with Target gift cards (no Wallmart around–huge Target right by school), plus some supplies of some sort. I think I’m gonna have to up my budget to $15 per teacher so it doesn’t seem too lame. Loved hearing feedback from the teachers out there-thanks!!
Another home-made gift possibility, especially if you’re getting gifts for multiple teachers. Get a mug for each one (you can actually get some pretty nice mugs at the Dollar store). Then make up a batch of this hot chocolate mix. Divide the mix up into plastic bags and put one in each mug, along with directions (“Add 4 heaping (or 8 level) tablespoons of mix into a mug of very hot water (2 minutes in the microwave works for me). Add a little milk, cream, or half-and-half to make it creamier.”) and maybe a metal Tablespoon that can be dedicated for the purpose.
The mix makes really, really good hot chocolate–far better than store bought. It’s a personal gift, it’s something your kid can easily help make or (depending on age) make themselves, and you can include a hand-made card from the child. I’ve given this gift before and had success (not to a teacher, but teachers are people so I’d assume similar results).
You could also include a printout of the recipe in case they want to make more. The recipe makes a really large batch, fwiw. We usually only have to make it once per season for a 3 person house. So one batch should divide up between many teachers without having to double the recipe or anything.
I was a teacher who got a starbucks gift card for like 15 bucks I think, and I hate coffee. Still meant a lot to me. And I did use it, and got something pretty delicious 2 different times! A starbucks card is a good idea.
I also once got a little music box that said “number one teacher”, and it probably couldn’t have cost more than 5 or 10 dollars. See if you can find anything online like that. I’m not a teacher anymore but I still have that music box and like to play it.
How about condoms?
No, that’s not ok.
It’s awesome!!!
$10 to Target would be fine. It’s a good gift.