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Strollerderby
Stumped Over the End-of-School Teacher Gift?
I had a big uh oh moment this morning around 8:30. My daughter was chattering away about the last day of school when it hit me: it’s the last day of school! And I didn’t buy her teacher a thing!
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. And I LIKE this teacher. So I called a woman who’s always got my back. She was maid of honor at my wedding. Oh, yeah, and she’s a third grade teacher.
And here, Babble readers, is the word on what to buy, straight from the teacher’s mouth:
- “No candles! Not even if they smell “nice.” I have a shelf full of candles . . . I just got two more.”
- “No ‘I Heart Teaching’ stuff” (the one pictured being one of the best examples of uh uh, no way, no how we could find). We thought this went without saying, but she said, “I have enough!” Hmm, maybe she has a teacher friend should could give them too?
- Nothing majorly expensive.
So what does she suggest? Go simple – her favorite gift, possibly ever, from a student was a beach bag tote with her initials on it. Even a tote without her initials would have been nice. Ditto the insulated lunch bag – a way to green up her brown bagging.
She also OK’d my food suggestion – especially when I started talking gourmet chocolate (really, ANY chocolate will do with her). And boxed gift sets like that can be re-gifted without anyone being the wiser, rather than languishing on shelves beside Number One Teacher wooden apples. She’s also got her share of kid-made goodies – which mean a lot more coming from kids she’s taught for ten months.
When in doubt, go without. My friend only got three gifts at the end of the year, and she’s OK with that. She didn’t get into it for the gifts.
Now that I’ve got my marching orders, it’s off to the store. What about are you doing for the end-of-year gift?
Image: MagicMud
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11 Comments
Lisa commented on Jun 24 09 at 6:33 pmBest teacher gift: gift card for a bookstore!
Susan commented on Jun 24 09 at 7:22 pmI’ll second the gift card. My sister is a high school Sp. Ed teacher and happily treats herself to Starbucks and sometimes Nordstrom (she teaches in a wealthy town) with the gift cards she receives. I envy her those gift cards.
My teacher husband generally receives books which collect dust or live in his classroom and the occasional bottle of wine (which strikes me as odd when a 17 or 18 year old delivers it to him at school). I wish they gave him Starbucks cards so I could use them. :)
jan commented on Jun 24 09 at 7:41 pmA gift card for a massage or spa is nice for a female teacher, too. Ask your child what the teacher’s interests are (teachers inevitably talk about their hobbies in class!) and see if you can find something related.
karmamama commented on Jun 24 09 at 9:11 pmGifts strike me as weird, honestly. I’m a professor and rarely receive gifts, but I’m always touched when I get a nice note or card from a student.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jun 24 09 at 9:56 pmThe gift of massage is a great one for male or female teachers. Teachers are my favorite clients because they really give so much of themselves and it’s nice to give back.
I must admit that I’m not up on the etiquette of the end-of-year gift. I assume it starts with preschool, but it goes until when?
jeannesager commented on Jun 25 09 at 2:08 pmMistress – I do the massage gift certificate for my daycare provider every year. I think it’s well deserved after putting up with my kid all the time!
Emily Geizer commented on Jun 25 09 at 2:18 pmI’m a preschool teacher and have received a wide range of gifts . . . most of which gets carted off to the thrift store. If a gift needs to happen, gift cards are the way to go. But, my personal favorites that I always keep are the sweet cards kids write recounting their favorite memories of me or what they like best about school. Pricelss!
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jun 25 09 at 3:08 pmThanks for mentioning that Jeanne, I will make a note to get my daycare provider something as well!
Sharo commented on Jun 25 09 at 3:58 pmAs a teacher and parent who wants to sow appreciation to my preschool son’s teachers, I agree that a card expressing heartfelt thanks and a gift card are a nice idea if you feel compelled to give. The best gifts I ever received were pics of students where they wrote their own note of thanks on the back–I’ve saved every one in a album.
Shannon commented on Jun 26 09 at 9:55 amAs a teacher, I can tell you that the gifts that are best received are ones that make you feel special, things that you normally wouldn’t buy for yourself (or at least not very frequently), like:
- A Starbucks card (a $40,000 salary doesn’t leave much room for venti lattes)
- A gift certificate to just about any restaurant. Even if it’s a $10 gift card to Chick-Fil-A, that’s $10 your child’s teacher can use to treat themselves.
- A Target gift card. I have yet to meet a teacher who does not love Target.
- If you have a hobby or craft that you’re really good at, handmade gifts are always appreciated. I received a bracelet with a puzzle piece charm one year (I teach children with autism) and I wear it all the time. My mother is an excellent baker, and the cookies and bread she baked at Christmas always went over well with our teachers.
- If your child has something he/she wants to give to the teacher, go with that. My heart melts when one of my kids brings me a gift that they picked out just for me, even if it’s as simple as a picture they drew or something from the dollar store.
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