I know I've mentioned this before, but I always struggle with finding perfect gifts for our beloved teachers at the end of the year. I seem to come back to flowers or gift cards to the bookstore, along with a sincere letter of appreciation. Nice but not fabulously wonderful.
What do you do? Any brilliant ideas I can file away for next year?
22 comments:
I'm a teacher, and I would really appreciate the gifts you are giving. Already fabulous!
Aw you kidding, this is a perfect idea!
What gorgeous photos. I think any teacher would be happy with such beautiful flowers. I think money or gift cards are always nice too.
At the beginning of the year I always give my teachers a little "survey" where they tell me what kind of books they like to read, what is their favorite indulgence, their hobbies, etc. Then I keep it all year and when it is their birthday, teacher appreciation week or the end of the year I use their answers to inspire me. This year I picked up toppings and an ice cream scoop from Fenton's in Oak. because they said they loved ice cream.
Jen, that is so thoughtful. What a great idea to ask that in the beginning of the year. I always forget about teacher appreciation week and feel horrible!
Our school year finishes in December, so I usually give the teachers a Christmas decoration to hang on the tree.
Sometimes a group of mothers get together and put in for a restaurant voucher.
Lip balms in pretty tins are also some of my regular gifts. Recently I have started giving boxed card sets as presents...it does feel a bit weird to give cards as presents, but they do seem well appreciated.
what nice ideas! i especially love the idea for a restaurant voucher... how perfect would that be? (plus a pretty tin lip gloss...?)
This year I bought the teachers some really nice chocolate and put a note on it that said, "Thank you for a fun year. Have a "sweet" summer!" I do a Christmas gift, but I don't know when teacher appreciation is. They should hang a banner in front of the school reminding the parents...even just to say thank you!
I know!! That banner idea is a really good one...I'm sure many people miss that!
...and chocolate, you are right, you can never, never go wrong with nice chocolate.
One year I made monogrammed note cards for Em's teachers, this year I gave vintage pins I'd found at flea markets. Next year I think I'll make a little brag book photo album of all the class presentations/plays for that year.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepaperdoll/3597651703/in/set-72157607443747043
I know that my daughter's teacher is very much into home-made, natural goodness, so we're making her a pot of Quit Bugging Me balm, a jar of my strawberry jam and, if my roses open up in time, a bottle of home-made rosewater. My daughter makes a card and we all sign it -having a great teacher can have such a great effect on the whole family.
This might be the first time in a long time that I have commented here, but you are well read in my bloglines list!
This year I gave plants to the preschool teachers and pottery magnets to the elementary teachers. I am a ceramic artist, so I stamped starfish into clay and fired it up into a little magnet, and printed out the starfish poem. Packaged it up nice and pretty.
I've had people order custom magnets for their teachers as well. I do a little tire swing tree stamp for that one.
what darling ideas!! i am going to go look at your custom ceramics - how sweet to do a tire swing for a teacher! i love it!
i also love the idea of rose-water and other sweet goodies. how does one make rose-water? and i am ashamed to say that i don't know what you use rose-water for. can anyone enlighten me? it sounds so lady-like and refined.
i also love the idea of customized note-cards. that is so thoughtful and teachers are always writing notes. how much more fun to write notes on pretty cards, right? love it.
It'll be my first time making rosewater, thanks to this:
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/newsletter/09/july/floralwaters.php
(scroll down a wee bit)
Rosewater is great in home-made cosmetics (super good for skin) and as a simple perfume, the link gives some ideas, too.
oh, thank you! I am totally going to try that. what a sweet present to give. i can imagine a beautiful label... i smell a project!
Those flowers are beautiful. You are so considerate Lynne:)
xo
Those flowers are beautiful. You are so considerate Lynne:)
xo
The best gift a parent can give is children who are full of love and curiosity about the world.
I'm a teacher - and the very best things to get are letters from the parents or the kids. I have one that I keep on my fridge. No gift can match hearing that people notice and appreciate your love and hard work.
The first thing that I try to do. it is to find something that she might like or she needs the most to get it for her.
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