Score top marks with your teacher
The end of the school year is fast approaching and that means we need to get the teachers some year-end gifts. While the local strike action is making for a complicated and far from ideal school year end for some, I still think that we can all appreciate that our teachers spend a whole lot of time with our kids and a little encouragement can make a big difference.
Before I became a Mom I was a teacher, so as a teacher and knowing a few teachers myself I know a thing or two about teacher gifts. Here are some helpful tips regarding the Do’s and Don’ts of teacher gift giving.
The better you know your child’s teacher the better your ability to select a gift and it’s never a bad idea to pool money together from all the students and purchase a gift with a higher monetary value.
GIVE THIS…
-Gift cards (dinner, coffee, books, movies, craft store)
-Classroom supplies (post it notes, stickers etc.)
-Quality Consumables (I stress GOOD QUALITY; chocolates, candies, soaps, candles, wine)
-have your child make a card and mention what they (and you) appreciate about the teacher
NOT THIS…
-tacky ‘I (heart) my teacher’ or ‘ A+ teacher’ mugs, figurines etc….that is unless you shove a gift card in it
-stuffed animals or ceramic figurines
-apples (real, fake or decorative)
-perfume (phhheeeeewwww)
-Dollar Store deals (NOOOOO)
I’m all about the packaging and love to make the gift look presentable and have a personal touch so I encourage my kids to get creative, get involved and make a card. Here are some of the gifts my kids made for their teachers.
Having just completed a unit on Rocks and Minerals we found some chocolate rocks for Mr.T…accompanied by a gift card of course.
My daughter knows her teacher LOVES coffee so we put this together.
Why not a candy filled light bulb (at Michaels) for the teacher with all the ‘bright ideas’. The librarian might get the gift card to a book store and the music teacher an I-tunes gift card.
You get the idea…and you’ll also get top marks from the teacher!