Teacher Gifts

I just read an awesome article titled:  Parent Voice:  The Gifts that Teachers Appreciate by Joyce Slaton.  This article hit the nail on the head for me.  As a teacher I truly appreciate gifts that are given to me by students.  But as the years have gone by, I have accumulated quite an amount of trinkets, clothing and jewelry items.  While gifts are great and appreciated, personal items are difficult to by for anyone let alone a teacher that you don't know outside of the classroom.  This article really gives great ideas for parents to give teachers with out being too personal.  Here are some of her suggestions.  Some of them are even free and still meaningful.  Some are things that teachers can't afford to do for themselves. 

Gift cards, said a few of them -- Target, Michael's, Amazon, or cool local stores that sell groovy wares at prices that may be out of reach for a teacher. The teachers said even if they didn't want to use their cards for their own kicks, they could get something fun for the class and have a little treat.

Food or drinks, said other teachers. One said she loved getting gift certificates at the Chinese restaurant right near the school; she would use it for take-out and the occasional lunch out. A couple of others appreciated Starbucks gift cards, credit at the local anti-Starbucks coffee shop nearest the school, or just a nice hot cup bought for them in the morning and handed out at drop-off.

Parents often bring in home-made baked goods for Teacher Appreciation Day. Some teachers appreciate this more than others, but at least they can always be left in the staff room or passed out to the class.

Flowers, like baked goods, can also easily be passed on, or sit inoffensively on a desk for a couple of days before being discarded. They don't hang around and don't need to get dusted.

And finally, every single teacher mentioned one thing I hadn't expected -- what they liked best of all was a heartfelt, handwritten letter, card or note from students and/or their parents, a personal expression of thanks. Compliments! Nice words! I didn't know that teachers crave them more than pencil holders and potted plants. Now I can use my sweet, loving words to spoil my daughter's teacher, and give her something she can carry with her that doesn't need to sit precariously on her desk.

Something for parents to think about when shopping for their favorite teacher.