Christmas Presents for Teachers: Ideas?

[Crankin]

Well, I started teaching in 1976 and I got gifts; not so many in the beginning, but I had many years of receiving delicious homemade tamales from my students or lasagna.
I never gave gifts as a kid, back in the dark ages, in elementary school. But, since there were only like, 5 non-Jewish kids in my elementary school, X-Mas gifts were not on the radar. I remember in maybe 5th or 6th grade, the room mothers getting together and giving a class gift to the teacher.

[redrhodie]

How about a donation to a good cause? I'd probably want that if I were a teacher.


ETA: Oops, I missed this was already suggested.

[malkin]

We never gave holiday gifts to teachers when I was growing up (60s-70s), and I didn't do it as a parent (90s-00s, except for funny stuff or needed stuff which we brought in at any time of the year.

I noticed this year that some of the staff I work with really expect gifts and know which parents did and didn't gift.

We also have a ton of staff to staff gifting which I think is excessive, and we had a staff collection of cash for two of our families (who somehow missed the application for another charity) which I think is inappropriate as a 'dual relationship' which we as health care providers must avoid. (We're not a real school, we're a Mental Health Day Treatment Facility.)

[zoom-zoom]

I'd love to know how the teacher worded that suggestion. So I can copy him next year!

As a teacher of young, impressionable children (with parents who don't always read everything or sometimes even English) I've been reluctant to suggest that. You don't want it to sound like it's expected or that you're not grateful.

Veronica

He said "if your family is considering giving a gift to Crystal and I, we would like you to consider one of the following websites: worldvisiongifts.org or seva.org. There are a variety of gifts to choose from that change lives and demonstrate compassion. Thank you." (Crystal is the classroom assistant)

[Veronica]

Thanks! I copied and pasted it into my plan book. Presents are fun, but I really I don't need more stuff. Really, what I want is for parents to make sure the kid does the homework, reads for 20 minutes every day and knows all the basic facts.

Of course the kids who give presents are the ones who are on the ball. Do you suppose there's a correlation there?

Veronica

[tulip]

I think the best gift would be for the students to do their best work all year long, and be respectful and polite.

Veronica and other teachers--do you find that you or other teachers "keep score" on which students give presents (and what they give) and which do not? It seems like a really bad system to set up those kindof expectations from students, even if the expectations are perceived and not real from the teachers' points of view.

I just don't think it should be the norm to give teachers presents. Same for office gift-giving. It just doesn't seem right to me because it's like gift giving out of obligation or pressure, and that's pretty much contrary to the notion of giving gifts in the first place. That's not something that I would want to teach a kid.

But here we are stuck in the system, I suppose. I did not participate in gift giving activities like Secret Santa at my old job. Nor did I participate in giving to the family that the office "adopted." I participate in bettering the world in my own way. I got some dirty looks, since employees were "encouraged" to sign up, so everyone knew what everyone else was doing. My new job does not do gifts, thankfully.

[Veronica]

I don't "keep score." I do send thank you cards to the kids who gave me gifts. I do give my students a gift - something little since I need to get 30 or more, usually academic related.

I think part of it is showing appreciation and that they have a relationship with you. I don't think they feel obligated. The grins on their faces when they hand me the gift are priceless and they can't wait for me to open them. You gotta remember I spend 6 hours a day, 5 days a week with these guys. They get attached. And so do I.

Veronica

[tulip]

Thanks for explaining, Veronica. It's nice to get another perspective, and I'm glad it's positive for you and the kiddos.

[jdubble]

This year, my sons' teachers are getting apple pie filling that we canned this summer using apples from our backyard gravenstein tree, and a $10 gift card to Powells Books.

Last year, the boys and I made different chocolate barks with peppermint and toffee, and I bought little glass jars at Ikea to put it in for a couple bucks each, figuring the jars could be used for whatever after the candy was gone.

A friend and I made cute simple aprons for the preschool teachers a couple years ago. I made herbed vinegar another year - bought some nice bottles at the kitchen supply store around the corner, poured in some plain vinegar, my son stuck in rosemary, peppercorns, thyme, etc. Wrapped a ribbon around the bottle and let them sit for while to infuse the flavors. We also made "sand art brownie mix" (layered brownie ingredients in a mason jar) another time.

[Crankin]

Veronica explained it perfectly. The relationship between students and teachers is unique.
I *do* like that I am out of the atmosphere of staff to staff giving. At the end of my teaching career I gave small, personalized type gifts to my teammates (3-4 others), and to all of the assistants who co-taught with me, usually 1-2. But, at one point, I was giving to a lot of others in the school. There were just a lot of women who were so into the holidays, it was crazy. I've participated in Secret Santa some of the time. One of the funniest gifts I got was when my department did a Secret Santa. I got a box of "Condom-mints." It was from a very quiet, young male substitute teacher. I never quite got why he chose this for me, but it was a conversation piece.
Of course, therapists don't exchange gifts, but the administrative staff at my clinic are going nuts with the holiday stuff. There is hardly any work being done when I go in the chart room. Yesterday, when I left, three women were having a heated discussion about when they stopped believing in Santa and all of the holiday food they are making; I smiled, but it's hard to listen to this all of the time.

[channlluv]

I am an elementary school librarian, and I work with about 300 kids on a weekly basis. I have received several gifts this week, including chocolate (which I share), cookies (also shared, except for the ones made by my gourmet chef friend, which I savored), homemade granola, a handmade ceramic plate by a mom who volunteers in the library and is a good friend (I also bought a similar plate from her to give to my mother-in-law who collects Santas), a little bottle of bubble bath, a $10 Starbucks gift card and a $25 Amazon gift card, both of which came from a fundraiser our school ran about a month ago in advance of the holidays.

I love every bit of it, because every single one of them came with a hug and a "thank you for what you do for our kids" message.

My daughter's teachers' room parents sent out a message a week or so ago making it clear that the teachers and aides were not requesting gifts by any means, but that several other parents had asked what they might want or need, so the room parents sent this message with a list of places the teachers like to shop/eat so that those of us who wanted to could buy gift cards.

This year I bought each of them a $5 Starbucks card and my daughter wrote a personal note in the card thanking each of them for something specific to do with her schoolwork/activities.

In the past, she and I have made sugar scrub scented with white ginger and put it in glass Ball or Mason jars I buy at ACE Hardware (and her Kindergarten teacher still raves about it, eight years later and even asked me how to make it so she could do it for her friends and family), or we've made cookies together and given them plates of goodies. We've also made donations in teachers' names to Heiffer Intl. (which they loved)

I gave all of my library volunteer moms a pretty angel Christmas ornament (they all celebrate Christmas) from Crate and Barrel. ($2.95 each)

We do Secret Santa here, too, and, among the standard chocolate, tea, and flowers, I received the coolest gift ever this year: a bouquet of porcupine quills, with a note explaining that according to Native American legend, they represent innocence and playfulness and ward off negativity.

The very best part of my week is reading aloud to the kids -- I make it very playful and fun, so I figure she absolutely nailed me with that gift. Plus, my BA is in Anthropology and I spent my entire senior year leading a field team digging up Creek sites near Montgomery and counting trade beads in the state archives building. I love this gift. And they're beautiful. I can't wait to get them home to put on my desk.


It's really all about appreciation. When you notice and acknowledge someone's attention or contribution to your life (in this case, your children's lives), I think that kind of thing is really appreciated by the giftee. Or it should be, anyway, and it's good for the giver to acknowledge and express appreciation of others' work or effort on their behalf. It's all positive and foments more positive work/effort.

Roxy

P.S. One of the moms just came and gave me a big hug and thanked me for working with the kids so well, and handed me $75 in gift cards from the parent council. Yes, i'll admit it. Being appreciated feels good on multiple levels.

[jessmarimba]

Umm...can you share the sugar scrub recipe?

[channlluv]

You bet. It's the easiest thing in the world.

You'll need a big glass bowl and something to mix the sugar, baby oil, and scented essential oils with, plus a metal spoon or measuring cup to dip the sugar scrub into the jars. (A plastic mixing bowl will retain the oil and scent and ruin whatever you put in it next, but glass washes up nice. Metal would probably also work, but I ruined a plastic bowl the first time I made this.)

1 or 2 5lb bags of granulated sugar, depending on how much you want to make. Salt would also work.

1 or 2 bottles of unscented baby oil -- the regular size ones, not the little ones. I get the Johnson & Johnson brand that is enriched with vitamin E and jojoba oil.

Several vials of scented essential oils. You'll need two for each 1 bag of sugar/bottle of baby oil. I get white ginger from Henry's, but sandalwood is also nice, if a bit strong. This is the only expensive ingredient -- the ones I buy are around $6 a vial.

Several glass jars -- I use the pint-size jars for canning jellies and such, but I've also used larger glass containers that I found at Cost Plus International Market. The larger the container, though, the more sugar scrub you're going to need. One 5lb bag of sugar makes about six pint-size jars of scrub, if I remember right. (I might have that wrong, though. I make two batches and buy two flats of jars and I always have jars left over.)

Here's the fun part:

In the large glass bowl, mix one 5 lb. bag of sugar with one bottle of baby oil and fold in the two vials of essential oil using a wooden mixing spoon you don't mind tossing out after, or something that will wash up well. You could use your hands, but you'll exfoliate as you go, which isn't hygenic if you're gifting this to someone else.

It will be mushy and wet with oil. It takes several minutes of mixing to get the essential oils distributed throughout the sugar mixture. Meanwhile, your kitchen will smell scrumptious.

I have my daughter make labels using 2" x 4" mailing labels and we tie pretty ribbons around the lids and wrap them with pretty tissue paper and raffia.

WARNING:

The one warning I have with this is that if the giftee is going to use it in the bathroom, the glass jar could get slippery when wet. I think if we make it this year, I'll wrap the jars with hemp rope or some kind of pretty cloth ribbon to make it easier to grip. I might also try to find some wooden scoops to tie on as accessories.

Good luck!

Roxy

[limewave]

Great ideas everyone! Such great feedback.

We always gave presents to our teachers growing up. In reflection, it was probably b/c both of my parents were teachers As others have mentioned, my kids spend a lot of time with their teachers/daycare providers. And they are a big part of helping us raise and care for our children. It's great to let them know we appreciate them.

One year I did a big gift box with several $5 gc to starbucks, burt's bees products, and homemade goodies. This was for the daycare workers, there were 7-8 different employees.

Last year I asked the daycare what they'd like and they asked for a GC to a Hage's--which is a school supply/book store. I also wrote a personal note that they loved so much, they framed it and it hangs by the entryway

[kacie tri-ing]

I just got home from my last day teaching before the break and read this.

I always gave my teachers gifts (and my parents are also teachers). It is in NO way about what the gift actually is. The kids are SO thrilled to hand you something and tell you to enjoy the cookie-chocolate-gift-card-ornament. And to be perfectly honest, I do. I work really really hard, and it is awesome to be able to go have a latte as a treat with my husband and not spend a dime. Because a gift card to a coffee shop is like taking me out, but I get to choose when and where. I am really careful about my nutrition, but I can't WAIT to try the traditional recipies for cookies/candy/chocolates that my kids have made that I don't make. And you know what, it also lets me off the hook for holiday gatherings. I don't have the time to make things, but I can bring an assortment of treats to a party, and it is always a hit! I really do think about my kids when I am enjoying the gifts. They are special to me, just like they are special when they are given.

Of course, every teacher loves a card. That is a given. I love gift cards. Even $5 card to starbucks with a pack of biscotti is awesome. It says, "go read a book and relax during the bread. You earned it." To be perfectly honest, we do earn it

I love hearing that the kids made the goodies too. Makes it special. Also nice when they are from a rockin' local bakery that you KNOW is going to be good :-)

I also got some cool stainless steel water bottles (I do work at an environmentally focused school).

We don't keep score. We do like to be appreciated. If you don't give your teachers gifts, drop them an email and say thank you. I promise that the feeling of appreciation is SO important to us. It makes us get up in the morning and work harder to know that people understand that we ARE working hard!

And I TOTALLY agree with V. We do not have "office" relationships with children. If you are a teacher for the right reasons, you love the kids....I mean really love them. It is not the same at all as working with adults.