Teacher Appreciation Week? What would teachers like to have--REALLY?

[Anonymous]

As a specials teacher I'm touched by whatever gifts a teacher or parent gives me.

I understand that there's a special bond between a child and their classroom teacher and that figuring out a gift for one teacher is a enough of a hassle. I wouldn't want parents to at all feel obligated to buy presents for half the staff or anything.

Still during valentine's day I had a preschool student give me a bag of candy. I thanked him and thanked his mother later. She mentioned that he specifically told her he wanted to give me and another teacher a present. I was so touched.

[Anonymous]

Wine or booze.

I remember when I was 8 or something, my mom sent a bottle of scotch or something like that with me to school for my teacher. I was so embarrassed. But, boy, did the teacher just love it.

Another thought is, find out which teachers your child's teacher is friendly with, and ask them. I presumed that my son's teacher this year is Muslim and therefore doesn't drink, so I asked one of his friends for confirmation b/c I didn't want to give him wine if that was the case. And it was. So, I got him movie tickets instead.

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite gifts was the gift of lunch. Each day for a week, a parent gave me a home cooked meal for lunch (including desert)- yum! And not having to pack a lunch on those days was super!

[Anonymous]

DC teacher here. I also love cards and notes from kids. It's even better if they have a photo of the kid attached, because many years later it can get difficult to attach a face to a name.

Gift cards are great too, particularly to places like Target and Amazon. Everyone--seriously, everyone--buys Starbucks gift cards as teacher gifts. That's great if you're a coffee drinker, but I am not, nor are several of my colleagues.

[Anonymous]

Former MS teacher here...wonderful that you are really committed to doing something really special for your child's teachers. Also taught ES, and definitely by the MS years, the expressions of appreciation are not as frequent. Best tangible gifts I received as a MS teacher: gift cards to Giant, basket with personalized stationery/sticky notes, a beautiful sangria pot/pitcher (I was a Spanish teacher, and served a NA version to my parents @ BTSNight every year). Best intangibles: a reggaeton-style song created by one of my 8th grade classes...expressing (with their Spanish II vocab) what a great teacher I was and how they loved la clase de espanol! All the best in whatever you decide to do...the teachers will be so grateful!

[Anonymous]

My children have teachers who have not been teaching for too long - but they are wonderful. I was thinking of a personalized stamp as a gift for the end of the year.

Including something they enjoyed learnign about into the stamp.

Teachers - any thoughts on this gift?

[Anonymous]

A gift card and a nice note. Though, that lunch for a week gift is amazing!!

[Anonymous]

Gift card to amazon or target
Homemade anything (including food)

[Anonymous]

My favorite Christmas gift this year was some homemade almond brittle in a little tin. That was the best darned stuff, but that wasn't the important part. It came from a very shy boy in class who was very proud to give it to me. When I told him the next day that it was the best I'd ever had (and it was). He lit up and started talking to me about it and how he and his mom made it every year.
I also got a variety of gift cards and other things, but this is what made the deepest impression of appreciation.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher and I have to say that we love hearing that you appreciate us and think we're great. Honestly, we almost never hear it, especially from people who are sincere.