Any suggestions for presents for teachers/classroom assistants?

[Concepta]

Feel pressurised this year again to buy the teachers and classroom assistants presents - which usually end up at the school sale. What do you buy your childs teacher. I only want to spend a few pounds. Apart from box of sweets have any of you got any ideas?

Plant your own hyacinth bulbs in a pot decorated by the child. The teacher can then put the bulb in the garden once it has flowered & you don't need to worry it is something she doesn't like cluttering up his /her home

Oh Concepta, don't bow down to peer pressure. Christmas is about spirit not money. If you wouldn't buy perfume for yourself don't get it for the teacher! I bet your teacher doesn't care. Homemade is always best. Time is always worth more than money. Please spend a lovely half hour making a card/mince pie with your child and give that. Who is the present from? You or your child? Does your child get enough pocket money to spend £5? I hope not! I'd rather get a naff 50p ornament that a parent is embarrassed of but a child chose than a bottle of wine or flowers that an adult would choose.

i've got my dds 3 playschool teachers a bath bar with a gold star in the middle from lush i think they were £2.65 each.they smell gorgeous

The other thing I feel I should point out as my family is full of teachers, home made food goes straight in the bin because they don't know how hygenically it's been made.
Flowers would be much better than mince pies.

A glass/coffee mug with words such as Worlds best Teacher/ teaching assistant
photo frame
Anything homemade
hand cream
pen

I'm a bit about your hygenically made comment, KatieDD.

They had better not put my mince pies in the bin

We gave a pair of cinema ticket/vouchers for teacher and partner last year - a tip from mn. My brother is a primary teacher and gets 30 boxes of chocs...

I have to say that in the entire time my dd1 was at primary, I never once got her teacher a prezzie. Indeed, they were lucky if I remembered to get them a card from her... does this make me quite unusual?????

If teachers are going to be miffed if they get numerous boxes of chocs/smellies maybe they would like to send a note out saying no presents. Not everyone can afford expensive presents when several teachers to buy for.

I went to Laura Ashley today just to look round (I never buy anything in there - just like looking) and managed to get some lovely Pot Pourri. It is normally £5 per box. I got three for £5.00. It smells lovely. Good value I thought. .

Ooh don't know how I forgot. One year I was given some festively decorated gingerbread men. Thought that was lovely, little boy had obviously put time into them and tasted lovely. These would be inexpensive, semi-homemade (unless you make yourown) and can share with LSA

Any suggestions for a male teacher..... in a private school?

Something he can give to his wife?

CD voucher?

My mum is a TA and the kids are incredibly generous with presents - it wouldn't have even crossed my mind to buy a present for assistants when I was at school, I don't think I even knew most of their names!

Anyway, chocs and biscuits are always good, she doesn't even buy anything like that until term has ended because she usually gets more than enough for the whole family for the whole Christmas season! (Which is great!) One year she got about 5 poinsettias which were lovely but the house was a bit overrun with them.

The things she treasures most are things made by the kids, though. She has some lovely kid-made Christmas decorations, magnets, keyrings and bookmarks which she absolutely treasures.

I couldn't care less if a teacher actually ate a home made mince pie, if they didn't appreciate it they don't deserve anything.
Male teacher in a private school probably doesn't need anything. A card?

I can't imagine my MIL would have been anything but grateful towards the child/parent presenting the food, but it never got eaten by any of us, I'm just pointing this out because if things are tight it I would rather know the flowers or card or something was kept and used where as I know my MIL is not the only one who won't eat home made pupils food.
As for what a male teacher in a private school needs, that's rather beside the point isn't it ? A token offering for him would be nice.

Our class do a collection for the teachers/assistants. An envelope gets passed round and then someone gets vouchers for John Lewis. Teacher was very happy with that.

we got the kids to all sign one card too.

Look at www.chocolate-parties.com
I had a party last night & was really impressed with the range of little bits (that don't look cheap!) Small boxes of choccies start at a couple of quid, there's also some lovely candles in glasses for £1.50 (i think, definitely less than £2). My friend bought 20 of those for her staff - she's a manager of a day nursery.
Also very impressed because everything was much bigger/better quality than i expected from looking in the catalogue or online.

I'm not on commission - just raving cos I was so impressed by everything in the flesh!!

HTH