Gifts for Teachers
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
School & Preschool >
Gifts for Teachers
Feb 2006
A cousin of mine has changed careers and just started teaching
high school biology in a public school in New Jersey. She has
purchased many items for her classroom herself, and I would love
to help her out. Does anyone know where teachers go to buy
classroom supplies for this type of class and grade level? I'm
thinking of a gift certificate where she could purchase what she
wants/needs.
Thanks!
Valerie
For a gift certificate, I would recommned Edmund's Scientific:
http://www.scientificsonline.com/default.asp
I would also like to suggest a film that was just released:
http://bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/iwild.html
''In the Company of Wild Butterflies'' is a nature film with a
conservation theme and includes the lifecycle in exquisite
closeup detail. Full disclosure: I was consulting entomologist
for this project.
Although the website lists the price as $225, that is only for
public showings. For activists and garden clubs, the price is
$60. For family viewing, it is $30. So don't let the price put
you off.
Sally
Hello,
You might want to gift your friend an american express or visa
gift card. That way, she can choose where to spend the $$$$ --
anywhere! She may even opt to splurge on herself... My son's
class gifted his teachers american express gift certificates
for $200 each for the holidays, and they were so very pleased!
Anon
June 2005
Would either a Costco, Target, or massage gift certificate be a
good gift for an elementary teacher? Can't decide which one to
give. Please advise.
Thanks!
Undecided
My son's school recently resolved this one by offering an
Amazon.com certificate to the teachers because it seemed to be
the least restricting. I also know people who cannot stand the
thought of a massage, who really don't like to be touched that
way. Hard to believe but those people exist.
I got a Cody's certificate once, that was great! Less expensive,
and very nice was a certificate for a pound of See's!
Bookworm teacher
I've bought and appreciated gift certificates from Black Oak
Books, Cody's, Amsterdam Art, REI and Macy's.
I'd avoid Costco because it is a miserable experience to shop
there -- also I think you want a gift certificate to be from a
place that would be from a place where someone would feel like it
is an indulgence to buy something, rather than an acknowlegement
of the other person not having enough money.
If you know what the teacher likes it is easier -- i.e. if she
does art in the summer: Amsterdam Art; if she likes hiking, or
travels: REI; if she wants to sit in a cafe and read: Black Oak
Books.
Also, take the time to write a card that gives specifics about
how you appreciate her -- I save those cards and they help me
remember the children and their familes.
a high school teacher
I am a teacher that recently received a massage from some
parents, and it was the best gift I could have asked for. Why?
Because it wasn't something I can't normally afford to get for
myself, plus it is a perfect end-of-the-school-year, come down
and relax kind of thing. It was special and extravagant (for me,
anyway) whereas a gift certificate for Target or Costco would
just pay for extra toilet paper or something. Go with the
massage or another special service.
happy teacher
I'd say Target over the other choices. You can't be sure the
teacher has a Costco membership, and a massage is too specific.
So, I'd say Target or a general spa gift certificate would be
the best choices. Also, book store gift certificates--
especially to bigger stores that also carry CDs and DVDs are
excellent.
A teacher!
Dec 2006
I'm assuming cash gifts are most appreciated by preschool teachers,
but I'm unsure of
a reasonable/fair amount for each teacher. There are four in my
child's school,
including the two directors (who are active teachers in the
classroom). What do other
people do/give? We are your typical house-poor bay area family, so
we can't be lavish,
but we also deeply appreciate the care these teachers provide and
would like to be
generous. What is a reasonable amount?
Thanks!
I gave each teacher a $20 target gift card. anon
Dec 2005
What's the protocol for holiday gifts for preschool teachers and
assistants? We'd like to give gifts to our daughter's teachers,
but we're not sure how much to spend. Should the head teacher
get more than the assistants? How much do parents typically
spend? Also, my daughter is in extended care, so she is
supervised by a few teachers from another classroom as well. It
seems a lot to give gifts to all seven teachers in the school.
Where do we draw the line?
berkeley mom
I was wondering if anyone had a fabulous idea for a gift for pre-school teachers. I
checked the archive and there is a lot of advice about what not to give. We've given
gift certificates to bookstores in the past but I don't know if I want to repeat myself.
Any ideas?
gift giving challenged
Just wanted to put in my $0.02 from the parent-who-is-also-a teacher's
perspective. When my kids were in preschool, we always took up a collection for
monetary gifts for the teachers during the holidays. Preschool teachers make so
much less than they deserve that I got over my initial etiquette concerns and pitched
in.
I have been giving Trader Joe's gift cards the past few years to
teachers and have received a VERY appreciative response. You can
buy them for any value you wish to place on them.
Jeanne
Having been a preschool teacher / head teacher for 20+ years, I
can say that the best gifts I recieved were ones made by the
child (at home, not with my help!) with a little something from
the parents as a thank you / gift of appreciation or what have
you. Consider gift certificates for some personal pampering.
If you can ask teachers about their colleagues likes and
dislikes you can be right on the money and give something that
will really be wanted. Manicures, pedicures, restaurant
certificates, movie vouchers, book certificates and so on are
great for most everyone. Avoid candy, clothes, perfumes as
these are such personal choices best left to the individual.
Whatever you choose, if given with love it will be treasured!
(And a current photo of your child is never a bad idea!)
Teacher with priceless holiday memories
I'm a preschool teacher and I can tell you what some of my
most appreciated gifts have been. First of all, there are
never too many gift certificates to book stores, which I often
(but not always) use to buy books for the classroom.
Carefully selected books are themselves lovely presents.
Gift certificates to stores like Lakeshore or other high quality
toy stores, where I get items for the classroom, are also
much appreciated. If you really want the gift to be for the
teacher and not for the classroom, then gift certificates to
fancy restaurants are always lovely. One parent gave me a
generous gift certificate to Whole Foods - I loved it. I
purposefully went to the deli and bought all kinds of fancy
foods I would never buy on my own. Another parent gave
me a gift certificate for a box of organic produce. I also loved
that, because it was a way to try out one of those
companies. I have also liked hand-made cards and gifts
(sometimes by the children, sometimes by the parents). It's
kind of you all to get anything. I'm sure whatever you decide
will be appreciated.
Anonymous
CASH ! (and a nice card thanking them and encouraging them to
spend the money on themselves - after all that great work they do
for others.) Alternatively you could repeat yourself and give
book store gift certificates again. They probably wouldn't buy
the same book.
Thankful Mom
When my kids were in preschool, the teachers LOVED gift cards to
Target, Blockbuster and other fun places. In elementary school
the teachers also liked gift certificates to book stores or
Peets or Starbucks. I am a teacher myself and have always
enjoyed homemade things such as cards (letters of appreciation
go a long way) or cookies, as well as plants, flowers, etc. and
of course, gift cards to book stores!
Anon
Dec 2003
I am curious to know what people give their preschool teachers
for holiday gifts. If you spend money, how much do you spend?
My child has 2 teachers and this will be our first holiday
season with them. Much thanks!
Nancy
Things I have done in the past:
holiday candies from See's
potted plants/flowers
holiday mugs filled with candy
gift cards to Target
gift cards to video stores
gift cards to book stores
homebaked goods (breads, cookies)
picture frames
other things that I can't remember, but always with a little
note thanking them for the TLC they gave my kids all day...
D. Moran
Our preschool teachers love families to donate books,games, toys
or outside items (eg. trikes,scooters,buckets,shovels)in lieu of
gifts directly for them. Our family often donates books to the
school and my children love to make something for their
teachers. We have painted wooden beads and strung them into
necklaces, made playdough models in the past. This year we are
making and decorating our own felt stockings. Our teachers have
often told us how much they treasure the homemade gifts.
Hope this helps
What we've done, and many schools do, is to invite parents who
are interested to pool their money (usually about $10-15 per
family) and then get the teacher/s a gift certificate that they
can spend as they desire. We live in Lafayette, so a popular
gift certificate is from Broadway Plaza, a shopping center in
Walnut Creek, where the gift certificate is good at any of the
stores therein.
Christina
I have organized class gifts for two years now at two different
preschools that my son attended. In one I gathered money as I
saw the parents - it was sort of like a co-op so this was
relatively east. At the other one, I wrote a letter and placed
it in each of the children's cubbies asking the parents for a
donation of $5 per teacher. (He has three.) ! I also provided an
addressed envelope and suggested that they mail a check to me or
place it back in my son's cubby. Last year I bought a spa gift
certificate for the teacher in the amount of $120 with all the
money I collected! This year I will do the same or get a book
store certificate - I've left that up for the parents to decide
too by placing a choice on a form at the bottom of the letter.
The teachers love these gifts and the parents are usually so
relieved to not have another person to shop for!
(If this seems too daunting, a gift certificate for a book store
is usually appreciated. I would get one for about $20.)
A gift organizing mama
When my boys were in pre-school I felt obliged each year to give
the 4 teachers gifts at holiday time. The director of the
school, and main teacher told me it wasn't necessary, that a
card with a thoughtful few words was much more appreciated. If
you think about it, if each parent gave each teacher a gift,
that's maybe 15-30 gifts, depending on the pre-school or day
care. So, that's a lot of cookies, mugs, tea, chachkis that they
don't need.
I did give gifts a few years....mugs with tea, refrigerator
magnets, a nice book for the pre-school etc.
Good luck
anon
Dec 2005
I'd be interested to know what other people do about gifts for teachers.
Some parents at my child's preschool have proposed to
take up
a monetary collection for the teachers and give them cash as a holiday
gift.
While the intentions are good and I'm sure this is a very practical approach, I
have to say I'm uncomfortable with it. I may just be old-fashioned, but it rubs
me the wrong way. I'd welcome input from others, including teachers!
Anonymous Please
I want to address the elementary school teacher gift. Please
hold off on the coffee mugs, stuffed animals and other chachkes. We get too much
of this. I SWEAR TO YOU, we would rather have a heartfelt thank you note written in
your or your child's own hand. These are the things I keep in a little folder at home
and treasure.
The exception to the rule though, is for new teachers. These young pups make crap
for money and the PTA (bless their hearts) can't possibly provide a big enough
classroom budget for them to buy all the supplies and ''extras'' (that's sarcasm) they
need. So if you want to give your teacher a valuable gift, ask her/him what s/he
really needs for the classroom and spring for it. I'm talking heavy duty pencil
sharpeners, gift certificate to STAR Teacher's supply on San Pablo Ave., art supplies
from East Bay Depot or gift card to an art store, a local book store (Pegasus and
Black Oak being my favorites). Things like this become theirs, not the school's, and
they can bring them from grade to grade, school to school, as they will have to do
until they have enough seniority to stay somewhere for a while.
So that's the upshot -- be as generous as you can to the new teachers!!!
An Old Teacher Who Once Was New
To the person who feels uncomfortable giving money as a gift, I
invite you to ask yourself this question:
Are you giving the gift to make yourSELF feel good, or are you
trying to enrich the life of another?
Please note that preschool teachers generally make very little
money. I have no idea how they support themselves on this. If
they're professionals, they would never tell you how they're
struggling. While whatever trinket you'd buy them might be nice
and appreciated, it's far more likely that they have real needs
that you can help out with by giving them the power to spend in
the way they see fit.
Yes, there will be less oohs and ahhs, but it will be more
helpful. I worked at a company that paid $50 each for stupid
keychains for Christmas presents (I saw the invoice). I was low
on food that year and really disaapointed by the gilted gift that
meant nothing to my stomach.
Ultimately, whatever you buy will be fine. This is just the perspective of someone on the other side of the tracks.
I'm a K teacher, and my advice for gifts is to give a
developmentally appropriate book that is not commercial (disney,
spounge bob, etc.) or gift certificates to walmart or an
educational/ teacher supply store like Lakeshore.
tara
At my son's school all of the parents chip in money and we buy a
gift certificate to the teacher's favorite store. This is
completely voluntary and there is no pressure put on parents who
do not wish to participate or have other gift giving plans. The
present will be presented as if it were from the entire class so
noone feels left out. I think this is the most practical way to
give a gift to teachers. The aids and sub-teachers also get gift
certificates but they are purchased by the parent board of the
school.
anon
We make home made English Toffee and make a donation to Save
the Children or the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Then we give a
small bag of the toffee and a card that we get from the
organization we donated to indicating that we've donated in the
teacher's name. However there is also usually a class gift of
money or gift certificates that everyone contributes to and we
also contribute to that.
I think I mentioned this before, but my mom, a retired elementary
school teacher, always said that the best gift was a thoughtfully
written note of appreciation. (This option happens to be the
least expensive alternative as well.)
David
I'm a teacher and have loved in recent years getting gift
certificates to Borders, Target, Hear Music. Other nice gifts:
scarves, mittens/gloves, candles. I have enjoyed as well when
parents have gotten together and bought one larger gift--
usually a gift certificate to Claremont Spa, Skates by the Bay,
or Lalime's.
Hope this helps!
a tacher
Nov 1999
I'd like to know what people do about holiday gifts for teachers. I
have 2 children who each have 2 regular teachers plus a number of specialty
teachers. Are there any teachers out there who will comment on what
you expect and what kinds of gifts you appreciate?
Thanks!
I'm a strong advocate of gift certificates--to a bookstore is always good!
Usually only a few children out of a class give gifts, so you certainly
don't have to feel obligated to give them, especially if your child has
more than one teacher.
Gift certificates, for example to a bookstore, are nice. I personnally
like edibles -- cookies, candy etc. -- or something useful for the classroom
over nicknack type things, as people's taste on that sort of thing
varies a lot.
-- a teacher
As a Teacher, I did not expect gifts. The gifts I did receive and
appreciate the most when I was a Teacher, and they are gifts that I
still have, are letters from families expressing their gratitude for and
positive observations of my work with their children. Those were truly
one-of-a-kind "gifts from the heart."
If you really want to give something else, the next best gifts, for me,
were gift certificates to bookstores.
How thoughtful of you to be looking into/thinking about gifts for your
children's's teachers!
It is very sweet and sensitive of you to put so much thought into the
gifts you are planning to give the teachers in your children's lives. As
a teacher on leave, I can tell you that most teachers don't enjoy the
"apple" or "favorite teacher" theme Hallmark and many other stores
promote. My favorite gifts have been gift certificates for: books,
records, and coffee/tea and homemade items such as: wreathes,
stationary, and desserts. My students have loved giving me things that
they themselves have picked out or made. If your child is old enough,
let him/her help select the item and wrap it. Teachers love tokens of
appreciation, regardless of how small, from their students. It is a big
and demanding job, but it's amazing how a flower picked from a garden
can renew a teacher's energy and enthusiasm.
I have a good friend who teaches first grade. I've asked her this
very questionin the past. She told me what she appreciated most was when
a parent asked her to put together a wish-list of books (or other supplies)
for the classroom and then distributed it to other parents. Most of that
stuff comes out of their own pocket so they really appreciate it when it
arrives as a gift.
Unless they're very new to teaching, most teachers don't have space to
keep all the little gifts their students bring them. They've already got 50
mugs and 20 ceramic apples.
Something that can be used up and be gone is a great gift- a gift
certificate for a movie rental or a pie or dinner or a car wash-
candy - cookies- popcorn (stuff they can share with the class if
there's too much- or if they can't eat it)- even a hand written
not from the student sharing genuine feelings would be appreciated.
Gifts for teachers: My sister, who is a teacher, says no potted plants! She
loves getting things the kids or the kids/parents made especially for her.
One mom I know always gives a package of thank-you notes to sent to the
kids for all the other gifts. But what my sister likes the most, esp. since
she works in publc schools and spends about $2000 of her own money each
year on supplies, are things she can use in the classroom: pencils,
markers, papers, books for the classroom library, push-pins, chalk, charts,
etc. Browse the store on Grand Ave. that sells learning materials
(Parent-Teacher Education store, or something like that). Computer
programs. Dictionaries. Mobiles. Funny clock. Posters. Rock collection.
Calendar for hte classroom. Science experiment kit for the kids (the
butterfly kit is wonderful). Browse the Nature Company. Art supplies of all
sorts. (Visit the Depot for Creative Reuse). Disposable camera and
certificate for developing the pics for a class collage of a field trip or
activity. Math manipulables.
I'm a teacher and the gifts I like to get are either handmade by the
children; a picture, a note of appreciation, even baked goods OR a gift
certificate to an appropriate store. Knick-knacks are my least
favorite - you hate to throw them away but usually are not to my taste...
stinky scented candles and soap...don't get me started. Really the things
the children make touch my heart the most. Also at our school the parents
sometimes pool their money and give a gift certificate together. It then
becomes quite a generous and much appreciated gift.
March 2003
My daughter's wonderful kindergaten teacher is getting married
this spring. Any recommendations of a creative keepsake gift
the kids could create for her would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Laura
One of the best gifts I've seen for teacher-brides is a book
assembled from children's drawings and writings on the topic of
love and marriage. Give all the kids in the class two pages -
one for drawing and one for writing. Have each child answer a
question such as ''what does getting married mean?'' or ''what is
love?'' or ''what does it mean to live happily ever after?'' Or
they can write a ''once upon a time'' story about the bride and
groom. The results are touching and quite funny. If you have an
artistically inclined parent in the classroom, have them bind
this into an attractive book, or put it together in a photo
album. Accompany this with a gift certificate to a favorite
local store, and you've made a teacher very happy1
Natasha
You could draw inspiration from a cute book called ''Advice for a
Happy Marriage'' and make a little book or journal in which the
children give their teacher some basic advice (''Hug each
other,'' ''Always give your husband coffee when he's grumpy,''
etc.), and draw pictures to accompany the advice.
- Stacy
As a teacher, I beg you to just get a gift that you would buy for
any other ''regular'' person. Although your idea is very
thoughtful, I can tell you that I have received so many kid
gifts that I don't know what to do with them. Teachers are
normal people who don't need homes filled with more
cutesy stuff. I have enough apples, bookworms, world's
best teacher picture frames, etc.
If you can't think of anything special, something from her
registry would be perfect.
anon
Please no ''teacher'' gifts. While we teachers do love your
kids, we are regular folks who, quite honestly, don't
surround ourselves, or decorate our homes with your
children's artwork, photos or writing. Something off the
registry would be perfect! No apples or school buses. Gift
certificates are always appreciated. Make sure to include a
card signed by all the kids!
A Teacher Who's Been There
Teachers and newlyweds both need money and your daughter's dear
teacher probably needs it doubly so. I recommend a smallish
card or paper booklet with a drawing by and/or photo of each
child....along with a check or gift certificate for where she is
registered. My kids teachers always really liked cash. and I
vividly remember a dialogue on this list serve a few years back
on gifts for teachers, and most all the teachers said they
didn't want more cute gifts, cuz they had no more room for
them. They wanted a gift certificate to a place they shopped or
cash for a treat of their own choosing.
practical parent
Home |
Reviews |
Advice |
Members |
Post a Message
Join BPN |
Help |
What's New |
Search |
Contact Us
Last updated: Aug 2, 2007
Copyright © 1996-2008 Berkeley Parents Network
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network. Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.