Inside Motherhood

End-of-year teacher gifts

by Sherry on May 28th, 2008

I was shocked today when one of the older kids coming out of my daughter’s school mentioned that there are only 17 days left in this school year. I knew the end was coming soon but I guess I didn’t realize it was that small a number. I don’t mind. It will make working during the day tougher when I have two kids at home with me but I’m looking forward to not having to drag a surly five-year-old out of bed at 6:30 am for two whole months.

(How much would you like to bet that she ends up waking up at 6:30 the entire summer?)

It’s just about time to start thinking of a gift to give the teacher as a sign of appreciation. I asked around my circle of friends at Christmas time and got some great tips from people who either taught or had parents who did to get the real low-down.

Things they cautioned me about:

• While that coffee mug is really pretty or has a funny saying on it, if the teacher has been doing this for 20 years imagine how many mugs they’ve gotten over the years from other parents. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to keep it.
• The same can be said for knick-knacks. Apple-shaped glass paperweights are cute, but not when everyone else gets them a knick-knack too.
• Flowers are nice but don’t last long. Plants are longer lasting but if the teacher doesn’t have a green thumb, is allergic, or lives somewhere that isn’t beneficial for that particular plant, it may not be enjoyed.
• Food. If you know the teacher really well, you might be able to send in a box of homemade goodies or a nice box of chocolates, but if you don’t know them you have no way of knowing their food preferences, allergies, diet restrictions, etc. Homemade cookies are wonderful and thoughtful but could be sweet torture to a teacher who is allergic to wheat!

Things that they suggested:

• Gift card/certificate to the local coffee shop. Even if they don’t drink coffee, they might enjoy tea, iced beverages, or even just the muffins and donuts. This is what we got for Christmas for the teacher.
• Gift card/certificate to a stationary or office supply store. Teachers’ budgets are woefully underwhelming and many teachers appreciate being given the opportunity to plump up classroom supplies, especially since many will dip into their own pockets to provide for their class.
• Gift card/certificate to bookstores. Along the same lines, many teachers will pay out of pocket to supply their classroom with a decent in-class library, so a gift card to a bookstore would benefit them.

I think for our end of year gift we’re going to go ahead and get a bookstore gift card. I’m also going to include a note saying that she should feel free to spend it on any books that she wants but that I encourage her to at least buy herself something to read too after all the great work she’s done with the kids in school.

At the same time, don’t sweat it too much because unless a gift is really inappropriate, I think a lot of teachers would at least appreciate the thought and the recognition. They are seriously underpaid and yet they spend a great deal of time with our children. They certainly deserve a thank you.

What are you getting for your teachers this year?

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POSTED IN: Education