What is an appropriate gift for your child’s teacher at the end of the year? How much should you spend on a teacher? Here are six gift ideas and a poll.
1. Buy a group gift card with other parents to one store like Target, a department store, mall, or another multi-purpose retailer that gives the teacher options for how to spend it. Each parent can contribute as much as they like.
2. Buy them flowers that they can toss later. The teacher will enjoy them and not worry about accumulating more stuff.
3. Have parents email photos of each child and put them into a photo book (Snapfish and MyPublisher are two options and both often have coupon codes).
4. Give cash. Stuff the bills into a card, of course.
5. Have your child write a note about what they appreciate about the teacher. If other students can contribute, great!
6. Create a gift basket themed around the teacher’s hobby or upcoming event. If you know the teacher is moving into a new home, collect items s/he will find useful in the move. If the teacher loves to garden…you get the idea.
[poll id="25"]
Thanks, Kim and Karen!
June 1st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
LOVE the home page, still!
Also, want to comment about Teacher Gifts… we have an apple tree that is a prodigious producer in May/June, so every year I give a basket of apples with an apple crisp recipe to ea. child’s teachers (we have four children, plus one has special needs so he has an aide, plus classroom aides also is about 10 teachers altogether), and to the “main” teacher we also give a $5 g.c. to Starbucks or Coffee Bean.
Everyone is happy with that (unless they don’t like apples, but that would be rare, don’t you think?)…
June 1st, 2009 at 1:49 pm
The good ‘ol plate of cookies/snacks is always a welcome gift – even if it poses a danger to the hips! 2nd place goes to bottled water to go…
June 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I try to get gift cards to places I know the teacher likes or can use for the classroom. I also give thank you cards and blank cards. I try to stay away from thing that have to be stored or displayed even if I know the teacher collects (ie: lambs, tea pots).
June 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
As a teacher, I know that many prefer either a gift card to a bookstore or teacher store or a gift for the classroom.
Each of us have received countless thoughtful gifts of candles etc, but knowing that the parents support our teaching and will help stock our classroom (we pay hundreds out of pocket every year) is the best way to say “thank you.”
June 1st, 2009 at 5:46 pm
as an educator and parent the joint gift card to Target or other store you know is in your area is greatly appreciated. If you’re not comfortable with getting a class gift, a personal note with a small gift card to a local coffee shop,office supply store or bookstore is appropriate. At my son’s school we usually each chipped in 10-20 each so the teacher got a nice gift card at the end of the year as well as Christmas. I always figured that the teacher spent 30+ hours a week with my child and to chip in $20 twice a year was appropriate. Coffee mugs, candles, collectibles while the thought is appreciated, I think those gifts end up at a yard sale after a few years of teaching!