Teacher gifts are a hot topic around mom’s night out tables and in carpool lines across the country. Moms everywhere are posting on Facebook: “What are you getting your children’s teachers for Christmas?” We are all at a loss.
This mom thinks she has her child’s teacher gift nailed, but is she right?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN5YlidjDAY/?tagged=teachergifts
As Pinterest continues to take over our rational minds, we feel the need to up the ante. We not only want to give teachers a gift, but that gift needs to have a clever saying attached. We don’t want to be the only one to just bring a plain gift card—or do we?
After talking with my teacher friends and reading up on posts from actual blogging teachers, it seems a gift card is one of the ONLY things you should consider buying for teachers.
So here you go, the definitive—and short— list of gifts you should get for your child’s teacher:
1. Handwritten Note
Rather than scouring Pinterest for the cutest printable, have your child sit down and write a good old-fashioned note. Parents can get in on this too by including a note of their own. Give your child’s teacher a reason to cry happy tears by making the messages heartfelt. Tell the teacher why they mean so much to you or how they have helped you or your child in some way.
Julianna from Rants from Mommyland agrees. She asked teachers to share their favorite gift ideas, and the number one answer was handwritten notes. “Nearly every teacher mentioned that these notes and letters were the thing that they kept, looked at again and again years later,” she says.
2. Gift Card
As we’ve established, gift cards are wonderful. And, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make them meaningful. You could give as little as $5 for a one-time use at their favorite coffee shop. But, if you’d like to spend more, opt for somewhere everyone loves to shop like Amazon or Target. The point is to make sure the money will be spent by making it convenient and practical.
So, now that we know what they do want, what should we avoid?
1. Mugs
You don’t want a mug that says, “World’s Best Sales Director,” so newsflash time: Your kid’s teacher does not want a mug either.
2. Knick-Knacks
The teachers have spoken: No more apple knick-knacks. Beth, a teacher and blogger from I Think We Could Be Friends confirms this. “We have plenty… and the longer we’ve been teaching… the more we have,” she says.
3. Ornaments
You know your own tree, and how many ornaments you acquire as a normal person. Now, imagine being a teacher and receiving ornaments from students every single year of your career. Much like the knick-knacks, it’s just too many ornaments, and far too many that probably aren’t the teacher’s taste.
So to recap, a handwritten note with a Starbuck’s gift card tucked inside is a perfect gift. A coffee mug with “#1 Teacher” printed on it is not. Keep it simple—coffee good, mug bad.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN9yjFyjMJx/?tagged=teachergifts
Teachers, is there anything we’ve missed? What would you add to these lists?