What present to get a really lovely teacher?

[Disenchanted3]

DSs teacher is the sweetest woman ever and I want to get her something really nice!

Only have £10-£15.

[FingonTheValiant]

Disenchanted, I tried to CAT you about your MB bumper bar, but it said you can't receive them. Any chance it's still available please?

Very sorry for the hijack

[Disenchanted3]

Hi,

Yes it is, do you wnat to email me?

pug_d athotmail.com

[FingonTheValiant]

Thanks very much, have just sent a quick email

[Adair]

For me, a small present would be lovely but a card explaining why you/child thought I was lovely would make me beam.

(am in secondary so we tend to get very occasional presents bought by the kids from the pound shop, with a card. I love them all dearly.)

[Disenchanted3]

Aww Adair! Yes will definatly do lovely card!

[SE13Mummy]

I would buy her a picture book or two, perhaps your DS' favourites or else ones in which a main character shares his name (the Amazon advanced search lets you do this). No teacher can have too many books and, a book especially chosen by a pupil with a personalised 'book plate' (photo/printed label with lovely message), will be a brilliant and useful reminder of the child it came from.

As a teacher myself I'd be delighted if someone gave me a well-chosen picture book and as a parent this is exactly what I've done myself for DD1's teachers and it's always gone down well.

[Disenchanted3]

Thats a really nice idea!

W ould she not like something for herself though rather than the classroom?

[Adair]

I have an idea! What about a really nice notebook? You know, the kind you never buy yourself cos it seems silly to spend £4 on it?
(All teachers have a love of stationery, right?)

[Disenchanted3]

Oh I love that idea!

will get searching!

maybe a nice pen too?

[SE13Mummy]

Personally I'd prefer a book over a notebook precisely because it's something I could share with future classes. Then again, I am slightly strange; I ask family to give me dictionaries for Christmas so my classroom is stocked with some that are half-decent instead of the rubbishy, falling apart ones that no-one wants to use!

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

Have you had a look on Etsy? Most of the sellers are in the US though, so you need to consider whether they'll be able to deliver before the end of term. I've bought a v.pretty bookmark for DS's teacher, which will hopefully arrive in the next few days.

[Adair]

am a drama teacher, so I collect unusual props - sunglasses from magazines, odd keys, unwanted gifts etc all get thrown into the props bag!

That's terrible about your dictionaries, SE13Mummy. They cost nothing from the bargain bookshop (prob a lot more from GLS, mind ).

[SE13Mummy]

It probably doesn't help that I am fussy about dictionaries.... apart from wanting them to be in one piece I also like them to contain words beyond those which the children already use so like the ones recommended for middle schools rather than primary schools.

I've just spent the last hour searching the BookPeople website for bargain picture books - the Y4 classroom I'm moving into next year contains nothing more up-to-date than the Shirley Hughes books which, lovely though they are, don't appeal to urban, dyslexic 8-year-old boys!

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

Good grief! I can't see Shirley Hughes appealing to my rural, non-dyslexic Y4 son either

Feel like I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here, seeing as you're a teacher SE13, but the only books DS pays any attention to are car-related. Although I'm not sure that "Lotus", "Bugatti" or "BHP" are NC keywords

[jeee]

Somebody I knew got her DC to do a drawing and got a frame - in that case from Poundland. You could do the same but get a decent frame - the teacher can always remove the picture and use the frame if she wishes.

[Galena]

I agree - you can never have enough books, and a lovely book to share with future classes is nice. I never really know what to do with notebooks, so would prefer a book.

A couple of books I have with stunning illustrations are:
Whale's Song
and
Pi-Shu the Little Panda

[Adair]

Actually, I think the picture book idea is good. And the drawing + frame. (Am clearly, out of touch with primary teachers - can't believe you wouldn't covet beautiful notebooks..?!)

Agree with decent books being important. I lost ALL my decent children's books when I leant them out to my Year 7 class - don't really mind of course if it got them reading but need to replace eventually. I love Philip Ridley, but is never in libraries!

[Elibean]

Too late for this term, and not for everyone, but in case its helpful for the future: dd1 (who's favourite thing is telling/writing/drawing stories) has 'made' a book for her teacher. We did it online, it cost about £7 iirc, and basically she talked and I typed! We uploaded a few photos (school events, gardening club, etc) and left a page blank for a drawing. She did the same last year, and the teacher loved it (and I craftily got extra copy to keep for dd, for her memory box!).

And I totally second the lovely card suggestion, I think thats the most important part

[DeFluffy]

ermm maybe one of my cute brooches? They are very popular

[LynetteScavo]

Oh, what a brilliant idea to give some books!

The ones in the reception class are a little bit tired as we go in every morning and read with the DC.

Any more suggestions of books for reception class much appreciated.

The teacher who has gone "above and beyond" with DS1 (so she keeps telling me, but at least she didn't murder him )will be getting a White Company candle. I'm not usually so generous, but I have 2 more DC going through the school and I'm a bit scared of her!

[DeFluffy]

is it normal to give the teacher a little something at the emd of the year? dd is about to finish reception and i hadnt really thought about it...

[SE13Mummy]

The Emily Brown books by Cressida Cowell are my latest favourites. DD1 has taken all three into school and they've been so commented upon by her teacher that I gave her a duplicate copy of the second one. I've also read them to enthralled Y3 and Y4 classes.

[LynetteScavo]

Oh yes, DeFluffy, the teacher will be laden down with gifts, unable to move because she is surrounded by boxes of quality street on the last day of term.

[DeFluffy]

oh god, im not great friends with my dd's teacher either will have a thik on what to get her...

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

Do teachers compare gifts in the staffroom? If someone gets loads of crap presents and someone else gets loads of great ones, is there an atmosphere?