For those of us that are parents of school-aged children, the upcoming holidays can cause us to spend countless hours looking for just the right gift for our child’s teacher. Oftentimes, we have more than one teacher to buy gifts for and anxiety sets in as the last day before holiday break is upon us. So, we at Giggle Magazine asked a group of Alachua County teachers to make it easy on us and let us know what they would really like to receive from their parents if the parents want to buy them a gift.
The first thing every teacher we interviewed wanted us to know is that they appreciate anything that they receive. But, with the direct question of “what do you really want?” being asked of them, they let us know.
Gift Cards
Teachers all feel gift cards are easy. They also allow them to buy things that they really need or want. Many teachers shared that gift cards to office supply stores or craft stores allow them to buy things that they need for their classroom (as they spend a lot of their own money covering the costs of paper, ink and cardstock regularly). The amount of the gift card does not have to be large either. Anything is much appreciated and very helpful.
If you are in the market to try and purchase something more personal for your teacher, a gift card to a specialty store works well too. Often, class parents will pool their money together and can put their collection together and purchase one larger gift card. If this is done, an easy gift card to purchase is a VISA gift card as they can be used almost anywhere. Of course, gift cards to restaurants or entertainment venues are a special treat, too.
Homemade Gifts
Teachers do enjoy receiving handmade things as long as time and a lot of thought were put into making it. Of course, they treasure every drawing their students give them, but they really appreciate something that can be considered a real work of art and be hung on their classroom wall.
Personal Cards from Students and Their Families
A handwritten note that expresses how much you and your children are enjoying the year so far is worth more than anything money can buy. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season are always wonderful to receive from the kids they care so much about and knowing that your kid took the time to write a note to their teacher is priceless.
Teachers Pay Teachers Credit
Teachers love new ideas and Teacherspayteachers.com is a great resource for finding new ideas online. Having a credit to use on this website is a great resource for your teacher to use throughout the year for their class.
Things That Are Useful
Teachers do not need more coffee mugs, ornaments or candles (even though they appreciate receiving them). What they want is something they can really use in their classroom or personal life. Classroom books and office supplies are very much appreciated.