Teacher gift ideas

[drspouse]

Any thoughts or good ideas welcome!
Previously I've got 30/40 something female nursery carers Lush stuff, homemade baking and jam. 20 something female Reception teacher got a nice Benefit set.

This year DS teacher is a 30 something man, bit sporty (but not a runner or anything serious, suspect armchair fan which given how time consuming being a Y1 teacher is, isn't that surprising), musical, plays the guitar.
DD's nursery keyworker is retiring at Christmas, I think she has DGCs but I don't know what age.
She has other carers but I usually do some baking for the room as well.

I do very generic things.

A tin of biscuits
Flowers
Wine
Chocolates

My dad was a teacher and at Christmas he had so many chocolates and bottles of wine it was ridiculous. One present he really appreciated was a painting by one of his pupils he still has it on display years later and long after retirement

I'm a teacher, my favourite gifts that I've received are a really nice Christmas decoration for my tree. Every year, when I open my tree decoration box I think of the child that bought me it!
I don't like wine and chocolate as I'm overwhelmed by them at Christmas

Agree with something hand made by the child.

We've done a picture which showed things like the funniest thing that happened in class, or what they like most about the teacher and so on. May have ended up in the bin but more thoughtful than a box of roses.

We've made a pen holder in the shape of the teacher's favourite animal. I see that still being used two years later.

I'm a bit surprised at bow much you know about the teachers! My daughter's reception class teacher is a friend of a friend so I see her about a bit but even years later we don't evdn use each other's first names. I've told her mine but she doesn't use it.

My DDs teachers usually get given Costa or Starbucks vouchers

I've given a notebook (pic of guitar on front for guitar teacher, bikes for cycling mad teacher etc...) cinema voucher for recently qualified teacher, a gadget pen for ict and science teacher (I searched Amazon for gadget gift ideas and this pen came up, there's a spirit level, tiny screwdriver and four other things on it, bit James Bond ish ).

This year I've got two calendars off world wild life fund website, one about endangered animals, the other about the fragile earth. They're both lovely to look at, support s good cause and I figured the teachers can put them up in the classroom for the children to enjoy / learn from if they don't want to take them home.

Well the Y1 teacher wears sports gear but doesn't teach sports and is, er, not that skinny. But I've seen him play the guitar!
The nursery told us the keyworker is retiring and about the grandchildren.

(And the Reception teacher is a friend of a friend on FB).

Calendar for the Y1 teacher is a great idea. And DD could help me make one for the keyworker, too.

Sorry, I’m going to sound awful here but the lovely wee things young children make for teachers often do end up in the bin. It’s not that we don’t care it’s just that you really do get swamped with them and most people don’t really don’t want to display pupils art work at home for various reasons! I struggled with displaying the amount of stuff my own dc produced for example! Although it is lovely to get, and most teachers do appreciate the thought and sentiment.I’ve also had expensive arty gifts made up (pictures etc) from parents with their child’s name plastered all over it. Lovely but I probably don’t want it as my home decor (personal tastes vary so much) and my classroom is crammed!
A personal home made card is different and I personally do keep those! And as a po said I do love the Christmas tree decorations!
As a teacher I do not expect gifts and really do appreciate anything at all but if I’m honest the ones I love are wine, chocs, voucher, nice bubble bath, moisturiser and stationery. Things you can consume/use. After 15 years teaching I do now tend to give the ‘best teacher’ teddies, mugs, key rings etc to the charity shop as there are only so many you can actually use. Feel bad about it but my house and garage are already taken over with work related stuff and this just adds to the ‘stuff’.
Sorry if I sound awful but am just trying to be honest and give my honest and anonymous opinion!

Don't do homemade food stuff - teachers don't generally trust it.
You are obviously a very thoughtful person and have some good ideas.
Vouchers are best tbh.

I always like Costa/Starbucks vouchers. They can be small and yet you can still buy a drink and a piece of cake with it. Or sometimes people give bigger ones from other shops, and that is lovely too - you can put them together or use it as part payment for something, especially if it's a shop that isn't too specialised. Consumable things are good as others have said, as there's often not room to display things for long, and even if it's not something I eat/drink, I can always share it with others. Fancy pens/pencils, etc can be fun to use for teaching. I have had some lovely things like books, jewellery, music, gadgets etc from parents who have known me for several years or who have got to know me slightly more personally than others, and those are always very appreciated, but not at all usual. Nothing is ever expected, and it makes no difference to how I would ever treat a child. But gifts are always appreciated, for the thought, as are cards - just knowing that I've been remembered and that they wanted to give something/write a card/say thank you means a lot.

My dad was a teacher and at Christmas he had so many chocolates and bottles of wine it was ridiculous. One present he really appreciated was a painting by one of his pupils he still has it on display years later and long after retirement

Surely nobody wants a painting by a five-year old on their wall except possibly parents and grand-parents.

Is getting teachers a present a common thing nowadays? I've no intention of ever doing this and now I'm wondering if I'm committing some big social blunder.

Nice stationery- I love a nice notebook and some colourful pens!

One parent I had made lovely home made mini hampers with mini bottles of prosecco or cocktails, fancy biscuits, chocolates, a few nice Christmas decorations, christmas socks etc.

When my DDs were in primary school, us mums who wanted to, used to get together and buy vouchers for the class teacher and TA. Even with a contribution of a few £ each the staff would get a decent sized voucher (usually Debenhams) to treat themselves with.

I don't think our school does voucher collections and don't worry ladybirds when I've done home made things to share I have reassured the nursery workers that it was me that made it (except that DS helped stir the jam for his much-loved keyworker).

I think it is a bit different to give something personalised to a keyworker at nursery who has 8-10 children rather than a classroom teacher who has 30. Also bearing in mind that the first keyworker is retiring so isn't going to be using things in the classroom (but equally isn't going to be getting any more of them in the future!)

This year we're doing a hamper of nice teas coffees biscuits etc this will be given a week before the end of term with the idea it goes into the staff room to be used by all the staff. My dds nursery is quite small so it's not too difficult to do.

We've also done a book drive where everyone took a copy of a favourite book to refresh the story corner.

In my school the parents all club together. I get a nice voucher which I can save up or spend. A colleague saved his for a few years and put it towards a new cooker, I bought a silver bangle I wear every day. I prefer it this way but do not expect anything.

My favourites are Christmas tree decorations. I have a lovely one that has 2006 on it with lots children holding hands around the middle which I love!

We do a collection and they end up with vouchers between them. But I have previous bought costa gift cards as everyone like a hot drink of some kind. The Christmas decorations is a great idea for the teacher Christmas gift

I always buy a very pretty tree decoration.... last years were glass angels.... two different sizes, class teacher got the bigger one, ta’s slightly smaller x

I'm like just5morepeas - have 3 kids , eldest now at 6th form , youngest age 6. I have never got any present for any teachers. I never thought about it so didn't consciously make a decision not to as such.

The mini hamper thing is such a great idea. I’ve now got a daughter so am banking ideas for upcoming years to make her teachers like me.

I’ve only ever taught at the kind of school where I’d spend my lunch making food for the 3-year-old who has brought in 2 custard creams and a packet of Haribo for their lunch, so I’m overwhelmed by any present really and anything thoughtful is amazing. I’ve had some wonderful homemade stuff from a parent I really liked who had a real talent for craft, including a canvas bag that two of her children (both had been in my classes at some point) had decorated. In my first year, when I taught Year 3, we used to talk about football a lot as my class were Arsenal mad but I support a little team. One girl went on the internet and found different images of my team and made her own wrapping paper with it to wrap a chocolate bar, and they got me a book token too. I love getting chocolate and don’t believe in too much!

Scratch cards are good.

I have a small budget, so that is why they seem like a good idea to me.

I'm not a teacher but do get a lot os gifts as part of my work is with children. The gifst i enjoy the most are either practical or consumable such as stationary, dish cloths (nice ones), nice pens, potted flowers, nice spices, nice soap, etc.