Teacher gift ideas

[Redberrypie]

Sorry if this is a duplicate thread, I couldn't find another one. First year of doing teacher gifts, please could you let me know your ideas, what is appropriate etc.

I was thinking a bottle of mulled wine for the teacher and teaching assistants (4 altogether).

Thanks

As a teacher I would say there is really no need. Get yourDC to make a card for each teacher and write something meaningful in it. That's the best present.

I say that as someone who has received some pretty special presents from kids and their parents in the past too.

last year I got some cute post it notes and highlighters with faces on so they were a nice but practical present and at the end of the year we did personalised wine labels and chocolates in the shape of apples. This year I have got a scarf (89p on amazon) a lovely felted bookmark and a note pad

A scented candle. DD's teacher said her classroom was filled with the smell of pomegranates last year, and she hadn't even lit it!

I'm doing mulled wine brownies from hotel chocolate. We seem to have loads of teachers to buy for so I need to make sure it's something pretty cheap! £3.15 each is manageable.

I only buy for dd's teacher and TA, I have bought the. A cath Kidston Christmas mug each ( cheap in TK max ) and will put a few chocolates in them.

There are masses of threads about this kind of thing.
Summary
Teachers like personal notes and thankyous.
They don't want mugs/candles/ornaments/smellies.
They mostly get too much chocolate/food.
Wine is great as long as you know they drink it.
Attitudes to homemade food varies.
Amazon vouchers can always get spent.
All teachers need stationery.
(However, if it's secondary you are talking about then pretty much anything is welcome as gifts tend to be few and far between).

I am considering a White Suff voucher for the teacher this year - because I see what she wears and I know that she will use it. But a card with thanks is the most important bit

Thanks for all of your ideas and great point about the card, I will make sure its personal.

Hi. Last year I had two sets of nursery teachers/assistants and a teacher and three teaching assistants to buy for. I couldn't afford to get them all a voucher or anything more than £5 per head. I ended up making cranberry and apple chutney and putting it in ikea clip top jars with a festive ribbon and a home made crocheted star tree decoration. We had quite a lot of older teachers so I knew they would like that. For the younger nursery assistants I made cola cube vodka and gave them a chocolate orange. All gifts were wrapped up in florists cellophane which made it look more impressive. I try to avoid chocolates and booze for the older staff members as they get so much and you sometimes just don't know if they drink. The younger nursery ones i'm friends on Facebook so knew for sure they like to party. Previous end of terms i've given books. 3 for 2 in amazon. Go for the ones that have 5 stars and the phrase "page turner" pop up in the reviews and published within the previous 6 months. I've also gifted Kew garden growing pocket things with a home made gift tag with "thank you for helping me grow" written on it.

This year I don't have time to make anything so plan to give Christmas fragrance candles 3 for 2 in boots. Can't go wrong with a Christmas fragrance candle and it can always be regifted. I consulted my teacher friends and that's what they said they would like.

I'm a teacher and I second everything ungulater said. I'd also add books for the class library - very much appreciated in my school. Stationery incredibly useful, would love that.

I have gotten candles, they usually get sent to charity shops/regifted though...scent is a very personal thing.

When they say stationary what does that actually mean? Notebooks and pens etc?

Glitter covered wine glasses

I suppose my concern is what the teachers 'really' think. DD has amazing teachers but there are 5 of them in her class (2 teachers who do 2.5 days each and 3 part time TAs) so it makes it very costly.

Last year as they were all women I did gift bags with a mini bottle of wine, smellies and chocolates and they all had their perfect excited faces on when we gave them, but if they don't really want them I don't really want to spend out. But then you hear/see all these other Mums bringing in beautiful presents and vouchers and I think, will they think me stingey if I don't...

I bought some paint your own baubles in Hobbycraft thinking DD could decorate one of those each for them but now I'm thinking they look crap... (DD hasn't decorated them yet by the way - not saying her decoration is crap...). I wonder whether glass baubles hand painted by DD would be nicer, at least she's done them herself then...

It's a tough one. Our school is small wih 150 pupils and I feel like I know most of the teachers and especially the nursery teachers as this is my forth year with a child there. My chutney seemed to go down well last year with a number of them askin for the recipe though I doubt a younger teacher would appreciate that. I know one doesn't drink and one is on a constant diet! I like the idea of a Christmas decoration but would you not save yourself the hassle and just mug a nice bauble from John lewis or something?

The pens and notepads are out of my price range. :-( for the number of people I have to buy for.

One year I filled a pencil case with 'A teacher's survival kit'. There was
Paracetamol - for one of those days
chocolate - see above
a plaster - for hurties
a pack of tissues - for when you get a bit proud of your class
a rubber - everyone makes mistakes
post its - for the 1000000000 things you need to remember
a small bottle of wine - see point 1
a tea bag/coffee sachet - for break time
A picture of a brick wall - apply head
and some sticky stars, pencils and highlighters. All the stationary I got in October when they were selling the student stuff off.
I wrote out a set of instructions of how to use each item to it's best. It sounds crap but everyone that got one came and said it was a great idea and made them laugh.
This year I have bought a box of Teachers whisky liqueurs and I am going to print a photo of the kids and attach it. Get them to write, Happy Christmas. This is why you need chocolate and alcohol( under their photo) , they're made especially for teachers..

Pens, highlighters, Sharpies, post its all v useful. Stampers with well done etc are good.
Art supplies tbh are also good - interesting paper for collage, big packs of feathers/beads etc. Teachers spend their own money on things so I'd rather have something useful for the room than another bottle of feckin wine.

As I said, books are great too - particularly childrens fact books, the kids love those and there tends to be lots of storybooks in school. But anything really.

To be very honest letustry, I wouldn't want a handpainted bauble - I'd love the sentiment of course but I teach 30, I am not going to put all those baubles up on my tree.

Love the kids I teach and all, but something like that is more a keepsake for grandparents who will use it every year....most teachers won't.

I'm a teacher. I buy for my son's teachers and TAs what I like to receive...wine, chocolate and other yummy treats that I make myself.

I do teach internationally though, so wine and chocolate is all imported so maybe a bit more special than in the uk. (Still like getting those things when I was in the UK though)

I love all the presents I'm given though. Homemade or shop bought, it's the thought that counts.

More great ideas thank you. Love the survival kit merly.

Ps I just smelled the candles in boots and they are disgusting. Back to the drawing board.

Oh crap IoraRua, I've just bought 12 of the plain glass baubles from Ebay!! . Ahhh well, we've got a big family and DD loves all her cousins so she can maybe decorate one for each of her cousins for their trees!! You can take the tops off and stuff them with things aswell (glitter/fake snow etc).

Bugger it, wine and a homemade card then for the teachers I think! And maybe so funky post-it notes...

Ahhh letus, don't stress about it
See, I would think it lovely and sweet of course but then when the kids go home, I'd be looking at it thinking 'and what do I do with this now'. I do love the kids I teach, but my homemade christmas tree decorations are family made, not by my class. And I wouldn't have room to keep all the little statues and trinkets the kids have given me. I just about manage cards :)

The baubles sound like they will be beautiful.

Homemade cards are fab, I have all of the ones made for me in a box at home. Particularly love the ones where a parent has also written saying how I've helped their child! Showing real appreciation would be the best thing.

Actually thinking about it, the best present I have ever gotten is the one where a parent has gone to other parents and asked them to write a few sentences about how their child developed in my class that year. They put it in a letter all together, I still well up a little every time I see it!

Well I guess the only bonus with the baubles is that DD is in a small class and all the other parents are very wealthy (very small village school in a wealthy village - we live in the notsowealthy village next door - LOL) so will be buying 'Joules' vouchers and presents from 'White Stuff' so our bauble (if we go down that route) will be the only one... .

I wrote long messages into the end of year cards for the teachers because they are simply the most amazing teachers EVER. I will likely do the same again in DD's homemade cards .

I volunteer at the school and at the end of term I got some flowers and a lovely card from the teacher but my most treasured gift was a little bookmark. One child had drawn pictures on it and they laminated it. I actually stopped using my Kindle and bought a collection of books so I could use it!! It makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Would you be able to club together with other mums? That's what I do. 14 mums chucking in a fiver each and we get a voucher for John Lewis.

I am a teacher and I think a fortnight in Barbados would not be too much to ask.