Teachers Gifts: I Have a Few Ideas

Right around April of every year, fear strikes my heart, panic keeps me up at night, as I toss and turn contemplating my options.  OK, maybe that's a little dramatic.  But when it comes to teachers gifts, I just feel like the very special people who choose to wrangle and enrich my minions lives really deserve something special.  As my kids leave and move on to another step, they keep memories of these teachers and all the great times they had in their classroom and cherish them always.  Plus I'll always cherish the roughly 2.5hrs I had to myself a few times a week.  So when it comes to teacher gifting, I think I've gotten kinda good at it and I have some tips that will hopefully help you avoid some anxiety.



Pick one great gift and stick to it.
Last Christmas was a tricky one for me.  All counted, I had 13 teachers and aids to get gifts for.  Two teachers for each kid, plus the amazing therapists, and aids that help my son in his early childhood program.  I had zero time to make anything, I needed something cost effective and quick.  I scoured the internet and found a Groupon for The Body Shop.  It was $25 for $50 worth of products, so I bought 2, giving myself half off great quality gifts.  I found these cool ornaments that included a small body lotion, body wash and a small loofah.  Thirteen of them costed me only $67.  I figured that they were great for travel which so many of us end up doing over the holidays, or quite honestly not a bad choice to regift if need be.

Gift Cards
Seriously, you can't go wrong with a gift card.  I give Target and Starbucks gift cards like I own stock in the company.  I've heard a lot of stories about teachers ending the year with $300 in Starbucks gift cards(*see my gift binder idea), which sounds like my dream come true.  I have to admit that if I'm friends with any of the teachers on Facebook, I look at their likes.  If a teacher likes Walmart or Amazon, a certain restaurant or local salon, I will find out and I will be getting them gift cards for said establishments. I feel a little bit like a spy.  I also recommend a movie gift card.  Going to the movies are so expensive, but such a treat.  Another option would be a Red Box gift card in a popcorn bucket with popcorn and some treats for a cozy night in.

Gift Binder
I suggested this to the directer of my daughters preschool and she politely said absolutely not.  It's still a great idea, so maybe it'll catch on somewhere else.  The idea is that at the front desk of a preschool or at a school office there would be a binder with each teachers name, birthday, and a short list of things they like and dislike or allergies.  This would come so in handy for the teachers that hate Starbucks but love Dunkin or can't handle another scented candle.  The list goes on, but imagine handing your kids teacher some handmade cookies that end up uneaten because they are gluten sensitive.  Some people do come up with amazing homemade gifts, but for some of us(like me) I just want to get teachers something they'll love and use.

Group Gifting
My daughter finished preschool and is headed to kindergarten, and since this is an important step, I thought it called for a very special gift for her teachers.  I found a beautiful pair of sterling silver Tiffany earrings shaped like an apple.  The price was a bit steep, but I talked to a few of the parents in her class and we agreed to do a group gift.  This requires a lot of organization.  About a month ahead of time I spoke to the parents I knew and saw and emailed the other parents.  I introduced myself and briefly explained what I was trying to do. I also included a link to the page for the earrings in the email or in text, as well as how much they'd need to put in.  I divided the cost per kid to keep it easy.  Over 3/4 of the parents in the class participated.  There were of course a couple parents who didn't get back to me or who already had a teacher gift planned.  Thankfully some of the parents chipped in extra to cover the cost of tax, cards, ect.  All and all, I ended up paying about what I would pay for a regular teachers gift anyway.  And the teachers? The look on their faces when they saw those little blue bags was priceless.  They opened them in front of us and it was obvious how much they loved them.  I even spied them wearing them at the schools end of year picnic.

Mrs. Witt & Mrs. Cheryl

Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Apple Earrings

Thank You Cards
The most important part of any teacher gift, for me anyway, is writing a great thank you card to accompany it.  No matter what your budget, take the time to write a sincere thank you.  Include a memory that your kid has about the teacher.  Teachers need to know the impact they make on kids lives.  I'm not sure how they do what they do, but they are some of the most patient and dedicated people I know.  Matter of fact, go thank a teacher today, just because!