Teachers! What is the nicest/best gift you've received?

[user50316]

Looking at getting an end of year gift for my child's teacher and wondered what is appreciated.
She's been an enormous help and a big part of my DC's life for the past year, so want something a bit better than the usual "tin of biscuits" which I give 😂
I asked my friend who's a teacher, but she gets gifted designer bags and purses from her parents and so that was a non-starter 🤣
Maybe something around the £20 mark?
Would a groupon for a day out over the summer be a good thing?

I absolutely love a thoughtful card, I treasure them all and read them when feeling like I want to give up teaching. It's a reminder that we are actually valued even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes.

I was once gifted a jewellery bag crammed full of the child's DGM's very expensive jewellery. Had to thank lovely child for thought, requested drawing & fessed up, unfortunately.

I've been a teacher for decades and have been the recipient of many end of term gifts. My most memorable have been things that a child has told their parents about me as their teacher; my likes and hobbies. For example, one child knew I loved porridge and blueberries for breakfast so their gift at the end of the year was a packet of oats and blueberries. Another knew I liked sunflowers so their gift was a sunflower plant. Memories like this I will cherish forever. Also, my end of term gifts to the children I taught related to their interests so, a child who enjoyed dinosaurs was a model or book about dinosaurs. It's not about the value of the gift but the impact you had on that child. Priceless!

I just prefer a word of appreciation from the parent. I don't really like getting gifts, I just feel embarrassed.

Back in 1996 my first class clubbed together and got me a backpack and a framed picture of the village where the school was. I still have them now!

Box of maltesers bought by a child with their spending money in an impoverished area.

Mug with a drawing on by a year 7 pupil with some teaspoons (always running out of spoons at work).

The most beautiful fine chain with three small rings on (rose gold, copper, silver) from two girls I taught - the three rings were meant to represent the three of us.
I was gutted when I lost it, have never seen one like it before or since as the rings were so small and intricate.

But to be honest, the cards with all the personal messages on, were what kept me going.

I've had very grateful feedback after giving a Costa gift card (there is a Costa in the same village as school) so they can get a drink/cake/sandwich/whatever.
One year I bought a teacher a self inking stamp in the class theme that said Miss Smith loves this/great work' or similar and she really loved that.

The most appreciated thing though was a long winded but very heart felt email to the headteacher and CEO of the school trust to explain how wonderful and valued both the teacher and TA and school in general had been throughout the school year, but mostly through covid/lockdown/remote learning etc etc. The teacher came to thank me personally for sending in the lovely feedback and she cried (in a good way )

The best for me is to get genuine thanks and appreciation for the effort I put in. A well-worded card makes it all worthwhile, especially from the students who had to be won over in some way at the beginning.

I've forgotten most gifts I've received over the years but I've kept every card. A card with a personalised message means more than any present imo.

My own experience is a card with a heartfelt message thanking the teacher and showing how they made a huge difference is the best.
And so is a card from your child writing why they really enjoyed the year and how that teacher made a difference to them.

Xpost with the lasts posts lol.

At keast, my experience as a parent matches teacher’s experience too!

A card, especially drawn by the child, is my most favourite thing to receive. Other than that a plant or flower for the garden goes down well. I have plants in my garden that I can name the child who gave it to me and it makes me smile.

Wine is a no go for me as I don't drink but a nice mug for a cuppa or a packet of nice leaf tea goes down very well.

Honestly, money.

A genuine thank you card

I always gave school/education related Oxfam things. On the principle that they had probably got more stuff than they knew what to do with.

A tealight holder that one of my more " active" children made for me. If you are stuck for an idea or don't want to buy candles, biscuits etc Mary's meals , a charity that help school children sell vouchers for you to donate a meal on behalf of the person you name on the card. The vouchers start at £3 and go up to £19.05 which is how much it costs to feed a child a school dinner for a year. I am sure most teachers would rather have this gift .

A voucher; a cinema voucher is nice as you can use it for a 'treat'. Amazon is also good as there's lots of stuff on there that teachers may need for the classroom.

Mainly though, avoid getting tat. Imagine even 5 lots of acrylic bookcases (just one gift I've seen advertised on FB) saying 'thank you for being the best teacher ever'. Then multiply by however many years they might've been teaching. Would you keep all these in your house? Lovely as the thought is, you're potentially just contributing to landfill, which will undo whatever favour the teacher has done your child!

How about a kestrel...?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/2971029-To-have-bought-dss-teacher-a-giant-kestrel

M&S or JL voucher.. choosing your own things is nice!

I'm pre school and today I got 2 bouquets of flowers and 2 boxes of chocs. I'm not a flower fan but am so touched. Sometimes we get generous vouchers but I genuinely get uncomfortable when they are too much. A Costa voucher is great, bottle of wine, candle mug etc all lovely. The personalised cards are the best though! And I'd love a home baked item that the child helped make that would be both yummy and a lovely experience for the child.

As a TA I’ve valued every gift I have been given. Even if it isn’t quite to my taste, I have always managed to make use of the gift.

Plants are a lovely gift though.

Oh I remember the Kestrel of Doom! I'm a teacher. It was fab and I was envious of the lucky teacher who was presented with it.

But seriously, a card is great and much appreciated. And as a PP said, if you know I like coffee/porridge/gardening, then something like that.

But not wine, please. I don't like it and it will just get donated as a raffle prize. I'm baffled by the assumption that all women like wine. Also, although I know little about it I'm assuming people like specific wines? Like Merlot. Or Pinot Grigio. (Have just exhausted the names of all wines I know. But presume they taste different). Unless you know what someone drinks, don't buy it.

Book voucher, nice cup, posh diary. These were very much appreciated.

A cocktail in a can and a bubble bath with a trashy magazine wrapped around it. Literally the perfect way to spend a Friday night at the end of a long term! Definitely the most thoughtful end of term present I've ever received.

When DD left Y5 she wrote an acrostic poem for her teacher based on her (the teachers) name.
At an event a couple of years later after DD had left (DS still there) the teacher came up to me and said it was the best gift she had ever had from a pupil.