Present ideas for DS's teachers?

[countdowntoxmas]

My DS's (aged 6, with ASD) class teacher and SNA have done so much for him this year and I really would like to acknowledge their help with a special present at the end of term.
What do you tend to get your DC's SN staff?

I collect Sainsburys jewellery throughout the year when reduced for teachers' gifts.

Ours were crap - I should have gift wrapped a copy of the SEN CofP - they may have found that a good read over those long, long summer holidays............

I usually give a large box of biscuits to the staffroom at the beginning of the last week of term, to help them through the last few challenging days.

I have always done this for all the Dd's except the last couple of years at Dd3's old school when a gift wrapped SENCoP would have been more helpful.

This year I will be sending a box up to the Resource staff too as they are absolutely fab with Dd3 even though she is not one of their official children.

I tend to do a box of homemade cakes for the staffroom and then a card written by ds - which is really special as they all know how much he hates writing anything.

Ds has, in the past, made his favourite teachers and TAs hamma bead hearts, which we string for hanging and again, these were appreciated, because they know he has fine motor issues, so had worked really hard on them. One teacher in particular made a point of finding him to tell her how special it was to her and how she keeps it hanging on her dressing table mirror.

Prior to our SEN days, I used to buy Molten Brown stuff in the sales and give them that, as I figured even if they didn't like the scent at least it would be something nice for re-gifting!

Last year all the boys' teachers got hand decorated cupcakes dressed up in a nice box along with a card from him and a note from us.

This year I have bought ds1's teacher a piece of jewellery, as she has been fantastic with him from start to finish. Ds wanted to give her something relating to her hobby and I had noticed she wears this type of jewellery regularly, so we put our heads together and came up with something that encompassed both. (Ds's first idea would have cost a couple of hundred pounds! )

Need an idea for his lovely, lovely maths teacher now, as she has been instrumental in rebuilding his confidence from zero to happy and loving maths again. Bit stuck on that one at the moment.

lol at giftwrapped sencop
I was thinking of buying ds2's teacher 'dyspraxia for dummies' but they don't do it

Leonie!

At Christmas DS and I made each TA/teacher/senco/head/1:1 a bag filled with home made biscuits and peppermints, plus a card with thanks for all they had done. I also donated to oxfam to fund a teacher's training over there for them collectively. Got lots of comments and thanks, will do something similar for end of year, thinking shortbread and peppermints again, perhaps a cupcake each.

Oo Leonie, I'd love to make cookies, but despite generally being ok at baking I cannot seem to make them for the life of me. No matter what I try they just seem to spread and melt until they've filled the whole baking tray with a very thin layer of the mix.

I can do melting moments, viennese (sp?) whirls and shortbread, but proper american style cookies have foiled me at every attempt.

Any suggestions or recipes would be greatly appreciated.

I usually do a mug/plate/small dish at a pottery painting place - dd1 loves doing the painting (usually spots/splodges), and it is useful(ish), decorative (very ish ), and done by dd1. job done.

You know - I really struggle to get my head around this 'presents for the teacher' vogue. It didn't happen when my kids were at school.

Why on earth should they deserve any presents for doing their jobs?. They get a salary. They work for you - well that's the theory. Presents = forelock tugging in my eyes. I wouldn't do it.

But you know my views on teachers (FallenCarrot excluded)

on the whole, I agree with you Wet.

but sometimes, there have been teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. who have put in so many extra hours for dd1 that they deserve a thank you. it is by no means a blanket thing - not every teacher, every year. oh, and I usually do leaving presents as a thank you for helping out dd1 (again, by no means a blanket gesture - they have to earn it!). at dd1's current school, there are so many tutors it would be impossible to keep up. the parents tend to contribute to a meal out for staff at the end of the year (and at Christmas) - again, boy have they earned it!

dd2's class, otoh, (mainstream school) - we give in subs at the beginning of the year, and it is supposed to cover everything (coffee mornings, teacher's presents, gifts for new babies etc). I am a little more about it, as it is such a broad stroke, standard thing, but it's a present form the whole class (which usually means that half the class then also do individual presents ) - I have yet to succumb to an individual present - dd2 can do a drawing if she wants to give her teachers something (which she has done before as thank yous for Christmas and Easter presents from her teachers), or make something like a paper rose or similar (ie effort, but no expense!)

Oh well - I suppose I shouldn't complain. I get boxes of chocs and bottles of champagne from satisfied customers but always feel very uncomfortable when this happens.

............especially if they're the cheap and nasty one's, eh Wet? ........and you keep them in the cupboard for Christmas time to give to someone else...... or is that just me?!!!

You shouldn't be grateful - they are only doing their jobs. They haven't gone the extra mile - they should be doing this automatically.

I couldn't possibly comment . I'd get set upon by all the lurking teachers on here - again.

wet I won't set upon you I'm a teacher and want to send ds2's teacher a you're crapagram

LOL Corn That made me laugh. Could you buy her a bag of manure?

ooooh! corn where can I get one of those!

Fortunately DS is no longer at his crapogram school. But what I used to do for the nursery staff was take a photo of DS and let DS draw his favourite drawing at the time or we would collect leaves and print it onto card and laminate it into a bookmark. Then a big tin of choc biccies for their coffee time.

No crapograms but how about this e-card? Or perhaps this one?