Great Teacher Gifts: Part 1

Now that 2010-2011 school year is almost over, parents are wondering what they should get their child's teacher to show apprecition.  An article from greatschools.com gives some tips, that show your appreciation with gifts that will make teachers smile not sigh. Gifting the inspired, exhausted, and poor

By: Great Schools Staff

Teachers are "inspired, exhausted, and poor," quipped a keynote speaker at a recent education conference. Now's the time of year when many parents and students will be wandering the halls of department stores wondering, What gift will help these heroes keep their faith alive? How do we show them we care? Will a giant ceramic apple send the right message? A "world's best teacher" coffee mug? Meditation tapes to reduce stress? A bottle of gin?

After exhaustive research, we've cracked the code on teacher gifts. Here's our primer on which to avoid (all of the above) and which will give them the goods (or goodies) to keep teaching another year.

A break from baked goods

Tempted to brush the flour off the family holiday cookie recipe? Think again, say veteran teachers, who get more than their gut-busting fill of gingerbread men and Swedish dreams every year. If you really want to go homemade and edible, consider making a sauce or jam that can keep for a while. Otherwise, all the work you put into baking may go to waste.

"I'm usually going out of town the next day for two weeks of vacation, so I could never eat it all even if I was tempted," says Leila Sinclaire, on leave from teaching in El Cerrito, Calif., about the pile of perishable sweets she typically received. Likewise, a plant may be a better bet than flowers.

Green light on gift cards

If you're at a loss for what your teacher might really like, consider a gift card from a bookstore. "I bought books for my classroom or myself and thought of the child who gave it to me when I made the purchase," says Carol Gordon Ekster, who taught fourth grade for 35 years in Derry, N.H.

Gift certificates good for a local movie theater or restaurant are also popular. Even a coffee card from a café near school is another way to give your teacher a much-needed break. "Teachers spend so much of their personal money on school supplies that it's wonderful to get treated to food and coffee through gift cards by generous parents," says Ekster.