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.

Scratch cards are a waste of money. I would be a bit surprised if I received them and not pleasantly so. A box of chocolates would be better on a small budget or a candle.

Why would it be an unpleasant surprise though?

Depends on budget of course, but I have gone for Xmas tree decs in the past. Kind of spans all ages/gender

DS made origami bookmarks (the kind that slot on the corner of a page) last Christmas, out of festive paper. He wrote a nice message on the back and took them with a bar of nice chocolate.
TBH, I reckon I nailed it with that! Cheap, quick and easy to make, personal, useful but no great waste if it got lost or the teacher decided they didn't like it and binned it!

We are doing bookmarks, also ordered a lovely Personalised teachers card in shape of an apple and leaf cut out. You can change the name of the front along with nursery and add teachers name with ds name, from eBay bit unusual.

I make-up a festive treat box for Ds's teachers as he has quite a lot of them plus teaching assistants. In it I put in nice coffee, tea, hot choc and sweet treats for their staff room and they look forward to it every year. However, last year was the first year I didn't do it due to time constraints and illness and they actually asked where it had gone! The individual smellies didn't cut it then, I've made a rod for my own back!

All pizzas he taught 7 & 8 year-olds and it is seriously impressive, I thought it had been done by one of his expupils when they were older. Dad did say that the child who did it was exceptionally good at art

We are doing l'octaine bauble with a mini prosecco and a little festive chocolate. We also send some nice biscuits, hot chocolate and fancy teas on the 1st Dec for the staffroom. They are from about 5 of us so it's quite cheap.

In summer we usually do a notebook with a picture of DDs favourite memories from the year, some pens, Star stickers, highlighters and other little bits of stationary my teacher friends say they often buy themselves.

No home made food! Your child’s hygiene and mine will vary.

No teacher crap. You know they stuff I mean - that Clinton Cards and supermarkets cynically produce to profiteer from the end of term. I’m not ‘the best teacher in the world’ and I don’t want a fake certificate professing I am. It will only go in the classroom bin after the staff Xmas party.

Flowers/plants not great as odds are I’ll be busy/away over Xmas just like you.

Wine or shop bought food is great. Vouchers are lovely, but not for books - we don’t have time to read during term time and are too knackered in the holidays!

The problem with vouchers is £10 is really the minimum you can give and that seems like a lot, and is a lot for many people.

I would also add that teachers don’t expect anything. Why not ask the teacher if there’s anything they’d like? You could always give a budget (be mindful that most state schools have an ‘over £20 and it’s not allowed’ policy - but teachers don’t always declare it!

There you have it. Sorry if it seems blunt.

Flowers, wines and chocolates would be nice I guess. Anything that they can have as they celebrate Christmas eve would be perfect.

Teacher here too- I second the PPs who have said about the homemade stuff, or 'keepsakes' either homemade or commercial- I've been teaching for nearly 20 years and my classroom is bursting. My favourite things are cards with a lovely message in, and consumables.
My best present one year was a box of Mince Pies, some stollen and some gingerbread hearts. It was like a little 'Christmas Bundle'
Otherwise , stationery to use at school or hand lotion for my desk, or a nice Bubble Bath to take home. I don't mind wine even though I barely drink, as it's nice to have at home, or to take to dinners etc.

Ha I was planning on buying flowers for my son's teacher and mini bottles of wine with homemade cupcakes (made by a friend who sells them) for the nursery staff but after reading this thread I think I better ditch that idea .

I sent in a box of biscuits in the last week for the staff room, easy for me and even if dd's teacher didn't eat biscuits they would get eaten anyway. Nothing to store or take home which I imagine is a bonus as well.

My go to teachers presents are an Emma Bridgewater mug or a pretty Christmas tree decoration from Newbridge silverware or Belleek China .

Teacher here - seconding the "please no homemade or best teacher stuff" message. I don't mind mugs, but I don't keep them (they get donated to the staffroom, we never seem to have enough). I love cards. I have a box of them and I like to look through them now and again.

I've seen hampers come into the staff room but it's best to do that a week or two before school leaves. We had a woman one year send in beautiful cupcakes, but on the last day staff brought in their own treats (and on a Friday someone always bakes anyway), so they just went to waste. If you must do a hamper, things with a long shelf life are best.

Chocolates are ok, but I just end up giving a load of them away. I don't like the Christmas ornament/sketch by a child thing - lovely idea, but I've taught plenty of kids and I have my own decorations. I don't want a load more to clutter up the tree, I have too many decorations of my own as it is!

I do like art materials, quirky post it's or pens, books for the room and other bits that I can use. I got a butterfly kit one year which is probably still one of my favourite presents.

Stationery
Wine
Naice chocolates or biscuits

When I worked in a school before I realised I don't really like other people's children that much my best present was a decent size wash bag - big enough for everything you'd use overnight including shampoo, so perfect for travelling cheaply. I'm not sure that would suit your 30-something but could be nice for the one retiring, especially if you put a bath bomb or lotion in it. You can get them personalised nowadays: if child is artistically inclined you could arrange a drawn picture of retiree with "happy retirement Sue" on it.

For Xmas I normally do shower gels, decent brand but not over expensive and stuff that can be used or re-gifted, and a handmade card from DD.

They must get so much I think it's best to go for practical/usable.

The best one I ever had was child and Mum made bunting - very nicely done, with ‘Mr Doves’ on. Up it went at the start of the new year, pride of place above the board, kid’s younger sibling was in my new class. Next day Head does a ‘learning walk’ and I’m told to take it down as we’re now a first names school.

What a load of bollocks that was. The kids all still called me Mr Doves, not Flouncey. We were told to correct them if they did that. The Head was still Mrs X in assembly though. She was such a cow.

Flouncy I love this and could actually do that... But would the teacher like it... Hmm...

Oh I love that idea from flouncy . I would definitely like it, and keep it year on year! I imagine fabric bunting is the way to go?

I was honking of making tree decorations with DD this year for her teacher and TA’s. She goes to a special needs school so there’s a lot of staff in class. Wouldn’t it be well received?

Mamama- salt dough decorations are lovely . My son and daughter made ginger bread men and tied a ribbon around their necks for a scarf. I wrote their initials and the year on the back with sharpie. I did decorate the face etc so that it wasn’t too amateurish looking . They gave hem to the cleaners , caretakers and dinner ladies .

The emma bridgewater mugs I gift never get left in he staff room . I teach there too and the only EB mug in there is mine 😂. I buy them in he sale or when they are discontinued and hoard them in my hot press . Think I have about 10 at the last count 🙀

^^ I have been given an Emma Bridgewater mug before (or I think that's what it is anyway, your comment rang a bell) - it's sitting happily in a staffroom cupboard as we speak...The mug is probably safer there too, I'm terrible for dropping mugs!

Mind you, if I worked with a parent of a kid I was teaching, I reckon I couldn't leave it in work. I'd be afraid of being shanked with a shard of the mug

I'm doing a 'Night in in a Bag' for ds's teacher and classroom assistant. We were chatting about the nights drawing in and saying how we love cosy nights in. They've got a bag with bath bomb, smelly candle, miniature chocs, frozen cocktail and bag of crisps. I know the crisps sounds a bit random but one was saying how much they like
crisps. Each thing was £1 ish so not too expensive.