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OK, your child has been at school for almost a month now. They come home every day with excited reports about the awesome project their teacher has them doing. They’re starting to think they might want to become a teacher because they’ve been so inspired by this amazing new adult in their life. You want to let that teacher know how much you appreciate them … but what kinds of gifts do teacher like? I reached out to some of the most amazing teachers I know to get their feedback, and here’s what they said:
Across the board, gift cards are a safe bet from places like Amazon or Michael’s – several of the teachers said they liked these because they could buy things to benefit their students or buy things for the classroom! If you want to pamper the teacher, you could make a special effort to find out their interests and hobbies and find a gift card they can use on themselves. One teacher noted – “Please remember that not everyone likes Starbucks” but perhaps there’s a local shop you could support by buying a gift card that would mean your teacher could treat his or herself and discover someplace new!
Another thing many of the teachers mentioned were notes and cards from the heart! One teacher said, “I keep all the personal notes/cards/emails I get from families and students in a ‘happy’ file, which I pull out during tough times to remind myself the impact educators have.” What a great gift to give an educator – some future encouragement!
But the #1 gift all the teachers agreed on? Something personal or thoughtful from your child! Here’s what they said:
“I treasure student-made paintings, thoughtful notes, bracelets/necklaces students made/picked for me, or a class collaborated gift, where the whole class contributes for one thing. I have potted plants with each student’s thumbprint on it and one where each student signed it.”
“I love receiving plants. They last way longer than flowers & I think of the student/families each time I look at the plant growing.”
“My favorite gifts are anything a student has made, I have lots of artwork from students in my room, or anything where a student sees something and it reminds them of me.”
What have been your favorite gifts to give to teachers in the past? If you are an educator, what would you add to the list? Share with us! Special thanks to the fantastic teachers I interviewed for helping me with my September Back-to-School series (don’t miss the next blog posts for more from these great teachers)!
Originally posted on kivity.com on September 12, 2022