What to get a teacher for Christmas

[Mumblingmum]

Just that really, there's 3 of them at my daughter's preschool and they really are a life saver and I don't know how they do it! Would you get them something at Christmas and last term in summer or just one? I was wondering about making them a cake. Any teachers out there that can tell me what's the best gift theyve received? thanks😁

I’ve made a big hamper full of festive M&S treats, mince pies, shortbread, nice biscuits, chocolates, sweets, crisp, nuts and DD has made them all homemade cards.

Massive pay rise, 3 TAs

Seeing my DS teachers in the pub getting drunk confirmed for me they were drinkers 😂

Definitely see if you can find out something about them. One of my DDs support teachers once told me she looks forward to her one G&T on a Friday night, that’s all she ever drinks, so getting her a nice candle and mini bottle of Gin and bottle of tonic was the perfect gift.

I also managed to get some traditional Hungarian sweets for my youngest DDs key worker once, she was upset she couldn’t go home for Christmas due to covid so I wanted to get her something from home.

A chocolate orange and a lucky dip lottery ticket for the Christmas draw!

A card with your child’s handwriting if they can write yet. They get enough best teacher mugs, key rings and trinkets. Many don’t drink. Chocolate and biscuits are everywhere at Christmas and personally I think most would be a bit wary of eating anything homemade. Plus you don’t know if they have allergies or are vegan.

I am shot down for this but it really is buying for buying’s sake. Yes it’s the thought that counts so say thank you and give them a card and a smile. But if you absolutely can’t help it then get a bunch of flowers. It’s a very safe bet.

Absolutely this, teachers and schools need to take ownership of this and stop this practice. Just how many parents on NMW are forking out to buy gifts for people on double their salary?

Bottle of gin

My DD is a TA and would never expect a gift.
She would be happy with a home-made cake but it would have to be vegan…
No chocs, unless vegan.
No alcohol/wine.
If given any of the above, she would accept gratefully, but would pass all the gifts on to someone else.
But really, she would rather they didn’t, especially bearing in mind all of her pupils live in difficult circumstances.

The school I work in has now asked parent not to give gifts "for environmental reasons" and parents can now give money to the school which is shared equally with all staff in the form of a £10 voucher each. I use mine to buy things for the classroom. Last year parents clubbed together and at the end of the year gave me a large Amazon voucher, which was touching (and used for things for the classroom).

The nicest thing though is a heartfelt card. I do love chocolates and wine and flowers, but I've kept all of the cards with nice messages I've received over the years.

I'd suggest for Christmas a tin of nice biscuits to share and a card with lovely words for each member of staff.

I'm a lazy parent who just got each member of staff a bottle of Prosecco each at Christmas and the end of the year, apart from the year DD was cared for by about 10 different staff and then I gave one card and a charity donation to help equip a school in Africa, it somewhere. All the staff genuinely thanked me for that, saying they really appreciated it. They had "a shelf of crap" (my phrase, not theirs) full of "thank you teacher ornaments" so I'm guessing they were relived they wouldn't need another shelf.

I'm a lazy parent who just got each member of staff a bottle of Prosecco each at Christmas and the end of the year,

What? You call that lazy? And you got not just one member of staff, but each member of staff, a gift? And that gift was Prosecco, and you refer to it as “just got”. And you did it twice in the year. That is conspicuous and show-offy with your wealth. And a way to shame and humiliate other parents. Shame.

I don't drink, but a bottle of wine is still happily received, as I can take it to friends next time I am invited out, and I normally say quite openly, I was given this, but I don't drink, so I brought it for you.

This works well for me, because it saves me the difficulty of trying to choose wine to take to friends houses, when I know nothing about it, and worry that I've got it wrong.

Dd is a teacher and her tutor group get her a JL voucher for about £250.
She also gets individual gifts from certain students....usually Diptique candles. She's very very grateful!

having said that, the best possible gift for me is a personalised home made card, something clearly made and written with me in mind, just a picture drawn by the child, of something meaningful. For example, I wear a hedgehog broach regularly, and recently received a card with hedgehogs drawn on it. The message should be personal, not generic, ie, not just "thank you" but "thank you for your patience and cheerfulness with so many toilet accidents, and for being so encouraging, and never making a big deal of it - we got there in the end, didn't we"

I'm a secondary teacher so gifts aren't as much as thing as primary.

Students only tend to give if there is a reason, the reason means more than the gift so a thoughtful note/card is always appreciated.

Saying that box of biscuits for sharing is a good one, I won't say no to homemade cakes.

one of my favourite gifts was a lemon drizzle cake from a departing 6th former who regularly baked for revision sessions. She didn't like lemon so didn't bake them for sharing but brought one in for me on the last exam. Now that meant a lot.

Another student gave a card and a solo hotel chocolate stuck on to teachers who had helped her.

It really doesn't have to be a big thing. And should be because you mean it not because it is expected.

Email/letter to head teacher or head of dept describing how amazing your child's teacher is and cc to teacher.
Box of biscuits/chocolates + copy of letter/email to head teacher.

Can I ask how much this costs you

I’ve asked a parallel teacher if they know if the teacher drinks in the past, last year we got Prosecco for a teacher who was pregnant but not announced 🤷🏼‍♂️. Still when I taught I got insane amounts of chocolate my belly didn’t need. Anyway my wife’s been drinking with this year’s teacher since before my son started at the school so definitely know her poison.

Another teetotal teacher here. Alcohol is so disappointing. Just shows people don't know me at all.

I like a card 🙂

Something to help them in the classroom, pens, pencils, coloured pencils, paper, post it notes, anything stationery.
I bought for teachers when my kids were in primary and the only time they said thanks is when I got them the above.
A lot of teachers but out of their own pocket for these items, so it really helps them out.

I really love a card with a note inside. Don't get me wrong, a box of chocs or a bottle of wine is lovely too, but the notes from students and families are the best.

My son makes a gift and draws a picture for his teacher in the summer and a box of biscuits at Christmas for the staff room.

The nicest things I got as a secondary teacher was homemade cards from the students. But I also liked flowers and champagne. I’m still using a teapot given to me by a sixth form class 10 years ago and use it every day.

I used to make biscuits for some of DC teachers when they were young and once DD made chocolate truffles for her teacher. I didn't realise how many people were squeamish about home made food til I joined MN so I hope they weren't binned (although obvs nothing I could do about it anyway)

Cake/nice biscuits/chocolate are always nice and well received BUT my favourite gift ever was a little bottle of mini shells/pretty stones that one of my students had filled and put a label on with a thank you. The notes/drawings/cards are always the best. 😊

Probably about £25 in total, I’ve been picking bits up over the last few weeks.