Gift for Teacher.... Christmas

As a teacher, I get gifts from kids for Christmas. I appreciate them all, but my favorites are always Christmas tree ornaments (can't ever have too many!) Yummy treats whether store-bought or homemade, and small gift cards to places like Duncan Donuts or Starbucks.

A homemade card from your child, along with a gift card to a neutral place, like the movies, a Visa gift card, Target, a book or educational store, etc. or a useful gift. I wouldn't do bath & body items unless you know what they like.

A gift card to Target or Starbucks, or a container of baked goodies. I've worked at three different schools, and the last thing any teacher needs or wants is more "stuff" like mugs, picture frames, paperweights, etc.

Gift certificate to a teacher supply store. Or a gift certificate to some place like Target, or your local mall. Also have your daughter make a cute card to go with the gift.

I like to give them home made candy or cookies along with a gift card. and I don't make it for their classroom I make it something they can use to pamper or treat themselves. so a salon, or restaurant type things. good idea to get started early.

I bake shortbread for the teachers.

Purchase a class set of Schoolastics books that they don't already have. Teacher's spend so much of their own money on class supplies that a class gift would be just as nice as something for herself. But, a gift card for massage would be nice!

Gift card to Target, or a local coffee place, if you know they drink coffee.

I like to get Barnes and Noble gift cards. (Books and/or coffee always seemed like a teacher's best friend.) During a certain time in November, if you buy $100 worth of gift cards you get a free $10 gift card to use after the holidays. My kids go to school, daycare, Sunday school, so between all the different teachers, it really makes sense. (I keep the bonus card for myself :-)

In May I gave gift cards to Cold Stone Creamery.

I really want to give them a treat. I know they will appreciate whatever you get them, and I know they will appreciate gifts for the classroom. I really do enjoy giving them something that will be a treat that they might not get themselves.

A gift card to a local food place is always a good option. I have also given the small LED flashlights. They seem a "weird" gift but how many really get them and they are always used. Or if you know a store the teacher loves for a hobby (if teacher scrapbooks= michaels, hobby lobby, ac moore) go with a gift card for that.

Check on your school district's gift policy first. Our state put a law into place a few years ago that screwed up gift giving. Group gifts from the class, and individual gifts over a certain amount of $ have to be reported to some state agency. The exception is if the gift is for the classroom, so some of the group gifts are now to places like Staples or AC Moore so that in theory, the teacher can put it towards supplies for the classroom (and reduce his or her out of pocket expenses).

So with that in mind, if I do gift cards I usually do a gift card to Amazon or one of the local restaurants that I know the schools sometimes order lunch in from, or Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.

I also sometimes do a small gift box of gourmet homemade treats (chocolate dipped oreos and pretzel sticks, peppermint bark, shortbread, cocoa cones, tea, personalized iced sugar cookies and other goodies) along with something like a bottle of good nail polish (OPI) along with a note to take a break for some pampering during the holidays. If I do treats, I usually do them right at the beginning of December so they're not bogged down with baked goods already. These are kind of tricky though - I usually only do them for teachers who I know like sweets, have no food allergies, aren't dieting, or who I know have kids who will eat the goodies if they don't want them all. Those who I give them too rave about them so I know that they're appreciated but it's not the right gift for everyone.

This year for the teachers I know fairly well who I know are busy (those who are parents of young kids) I'm considering giving a "dinner short cuts" basket of my corn bread, rice pilaf, beer bread and biscuit mixes (packaged in decorative bags with pretty labels that have instructions) along with some kitchen gear like wooden spoons or dish towels because who can't use more of those?

A card made by your child.
A note of appreciation from you.
Homemade baked goods. She may have dietary restrictions, but she can always serve them to guests or leave them in the lunchroom for other teachers.
An ornament
Overall I'm not a big fan of gift cards, but for teachers they are appropriate.
Some books for the classroom.

I like to give teachers gift cards too. That way they can get something for their classroom. I usually do a book store. I usually add a little something else too like a lotion from Bath & Body or something.

What a great question! I blogged on this back in 2010...
http://heyyougetreal.com/momblog/teacher-gifts/

Remember, there are 30 of "them" and only 1 of "her".

B.
AskBarbilee.com

If you want to be the favorite parent at your school (yes, start now, this way you'll get good teachers all the way through ;), organize a group gift card. If you have a really great mall near you, get all the parents to give what they can (generally $10-20+ per family), and put that cash together and buy a mall gift card. Then the teacher can go anywhere from Nordstrom to Abercrombie to Gymboree to Tiffany, and she has several hundred dollars to spend. Way better than a "World's Best Teacher" mug! Then, get the kids to sign a card, put the gift card in, and call it a day. The teacher will love it. Last year, in both of my daughters' classrooms, we gave gift cards in excess of $500 per teacher.

Side note: if you don't have a really great mall near you - give a Visa or AmEx gift card. Then they can spend it anywhere. Also, if you have any parents in your classroom who have something they'd like to donate (2 years ago, one family donated a week at their house in Tahoe - wow!), that's another really great route to go. Maybe someone owns a restaurant or other business where they could donate something toward the class gift. Just a thought!