Ideas for Teacher gifts

[fansynancy]

I have done: Borders Gift Cards
Best Buy Gift Cards
Amazon Gift Cards
Philosophy Gift Sets
Target Gift Cards
Panera Bread Gift Cards

in the past. I am out of ideas. Please help! Also, nothing too large because I need to do ALOT of teachers and I don;t want too many trips.

Any advice dearly appreciated!

Nancy

 

[darling]

I just had a conversation about this with someone whose ideas I was really impressed with. She collects $$ from all parents interested in a group gift and buys a designer bag, gold bracelet, etc. All from local stores, so the gifts are exchangeable.

 

[curiopotter]

Don''t forget Starbucks gift cards.


I just went to Costco and they had some really nice Starbucks gift baskets. Comes with a coffee travel mug, Tazo tea, a biscotti, sugar stir stick, coffee and hot cocoa mix. It''s really cute and was about 20 bucks if I remember.

 

[VegasAngel]

I went through a teachers gift thread on another forum I visit & this is what I found:

What they DONT like:
Apple motif gifts, homemade food, body lotions perfumes

What they DO seem to like:
Gift cards for Staples, Michaels/Joannes, restaurants, manicures/pedicures, movie tickets. Other gift ideas listed that I liked: A nice big umbrella for when they walk the kids out on rainy days, a tote, scarf/gloves, Something for the classroom like a set of books, learning games etc.

Most said they would love to get a letter or note saying how you appreciate the work the teacher does.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yep, homemade foods aren''t a good idea. My son''s teacher last year had Celiac Disease and she wasn''t able to eat many of the foods that were offered at school events.

Movie tickets would be perfect as EVERYONE loves movies!

Out of curiosity, what denomination is acceptable for giving gifts to teachers? Last year, we gave a $25 one to my son''s teacher, but that was for teacher appreciation day. I hadn''t planned on giving a holiday gift card.

 

[AmberWaves]

My husband is a teacher, and he loves gift cards! Of course, he''ll never turn down food, though, which is odd that Vegas said the teachers hate that. Of course, he does dislike the apple motifs. The best gift last year was a trader joe''s truffle candy bar with the picture of the student on it and a thank you card. He gets a lot of knicknacks, and the only one he truly loved was a picture of him with some students.

One other gift he adored: a gift basket of dinner makin''s. There was a bag of dried pasta, a jar of sauce, canned roasted peppers, a jar of artichoke pesto, a bottle of wine, a soy candle, and some cookies. All homemade, minus the pasta and wine. It was really a very sweet gift.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 11/28/2007 2:44:02 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Of course, he''ll never turn down food, though, which is odd that Vegas said the teachers hate that. Of course, he does dislike the apple motifs.

One of the problems regarding food is food allergies. I''m allergic to nuts and unless the food product is store purchased with the ingredients listed, there is no way to know what''s in there and I can see how that would potentially be a problem for any teacher w/any similar sensitivity. At my son''s school, for birthday parties or for class treats, the students are ONLY allowed to bring in store-bought food listing ingredients.

 

[Haven]

I''m a teacher! Gift cards are wonderful, but the best gifts are handwritten notes from students and parents. I keep a little folder with all of the notes I''ve ever gotten and I pull it out when I''m feeling particularly down about my job.

Other than notes, the best gift I''ve ever gotten was a handmade blank book. The mother of a former student is an art teacher and the book is so beautiful, she made the cover out of strips of woven cloth. Her son knows that I collect quotes, and it was so touching that she made a gift that she knew I would really use.

 

[AmberWaves]

Ahh, MC, that makes sense. I should have thought of that, being a vegetarian who constantly has to ask, "Can I eat this?". I suppose the parents never thought of that with my husband because he''s taught their kids from kindergarten up to 8th grade in most cases, and know him pretty much like family.

I get it now.

 

[zoebartlett]

Another teacher here! Some gifts that I thought were the best were:

Barnes and Noble (or any other bookstore) gift cards

Restaurant gift cards (If you can find out what the teacher''s favorite restaurant is, that''s a great idea -- my aide found out and told my room mom. When I opened the card, I wondered how they knew what my favorite place was.)

Linens and Things (or BB&B or the like) gift cards -- my FI and I had bought our first condo together 2 years ago and my kids'' parents went in together and got us a very generous gift card. It was so nice and we used it to help furnish our house.

Movie gift cards (who doesn''t like to go to the movies?)

One of the most thoughtful gifts I got last year was a framed class picture and all the kids signed the mat around the photo. It was so cute and I had no idea when they did it.

Another one of the best things I got were handwritten notes from a few parents who told me that they appreciated what I did for their child. That meant a lot because it made me feel like they noticed everything that goes on behind the scenes to prepare and work hard to help their child.

While any gift is appreciated, I will say that lotions and soap-related things aren''t the greatest (am I awful for saying that?). It just seems a little TOO personal.

Food gifts, like chocolate, etc. is great but a little much -- there''s already so much food around the holidays anyway. My coworkers have decided to pool all of the homebaked goods they get and put them in the teachers'' room for others to enjoy.

 

[LittleRock]

I can''t tell you how glad I am that I read this post. I''m a parent wondering what to get for my kids'' teachers. Now I know what NOT to get! LOL! Michaels gift cards are a great idea......why didn''t I think of that!