Teachers and gifts

The Nap Taker

What are you getting your LO's teacher for Christmas? I totally forgot about them....

seahorse102410

A nice bottle of wine and a gift card to a specialty food store that is near us. 

JET29

We gave his teachers Target gift cards and a holiday scented candle (the ones that come in a glass jar).

For the director of his daycare, we got Godiva hot chocolate mix and a mug.

This is the first year my son has been in day care, so I didn't really know what to get.

aforst

DS1 is in Pre-K and has 3 teachers.  So, we'll probably bake cookies and maybe do a $10 Target gc for each. 

DS2 goes to daycare and has 5 teachers.  They will probably get the same.  When DS1 and DS2 went to the same place, we did more.  I just can't swing anymore than that this year.

hmp1

Visa gift cards. His head teacher got the most, his part-time teacher got half that amount and I also gave one to the cook at the school because we eat breakfast there every morning (me too). I also made a basket for all the staff with candy on the bottom and a bottle of nail polish (red, green, and silver bottles) with a tag that says "For your Mistle toes".

ridesbuttons

The daycare teachers get $50 each.  The kindergarten teacher gets a card.

AundreaAgain

From a teacher's perspective: don't worry about it. I do appreciate the gifts students give me, but I don't feel forgotten or offended if a student doesn't give me a gift.

ginamcp

I got them bulb kits at Target.  I was going to make candy pretzels for all of the aides but since the semester is over they are all gone already.  Whoops.

Jen&Len

Our class usually has all the parents chip in for one large sum gift certificate and a bouquet of flowers/potted plant.

ppants

I got the teachers and paras gift cards.  I emailed the other teacher to ask what/where they like to shop.  I asked the teachers about the paras so hopefully everyone ends up with a gc that they will enjoy using.  I'm lame. 

ETA:  I did have the kids make cards for the teacher and para

Tigger & pooh

An ornament for a couple and a game for for the classroom for his 1st grade teacher.

bumpuser260585

I brought in a couple dozen Krispy Kremes for all of the daycare staff. DS is in the middle of transitioning rooms, so I didn't want to leave anyone out.

Lilywildcat

HilarityEnsued:

I made 3 different kinds of cookies and chocolate covered peanut butter balls last night.  I'm going to put those in a little box with a thank you note and give it to each of them (5 teachers total).  I'll probably have to leave the peanut butter stuff out since the daycare is nut free. 

The parent volunteer organization at his daycare also collects a check from each parent for $50/child.  They pool all the money in each classroom and distribute it to the teachers.  I was fine with this because it was less money than I would have spent on them individually.

I also made cookies and got a Starbuck's gift card ($5) for our garbage men.  Not that they are teachers or anything... DH thinks I'm totally weird for doing this.

 It's not weird, I think it's sweet! My hubby was a garbage man for about 3.5 yrs. Most people take the garbage men for granted, there are people who appreciate them and their hard work. It's a physically demanding job! The residents have given him gift cards, beer, food and cash! One family gave him and his partner $50 one year! 

rlyttle

I had an apron embroidered with "Miss E's Kitchen" & gave her a $25 JCPenny gift card. 

Hesterlicious

We only have DCP this year. She is getting red and white striped socks because I know she will like them, a festive tin of Kitkats to share with her hubby and a Muppets Christmas Carol DVD to distract the kids while she does lunch dishes. Her older boys got wall decals and the baby gets a wooden Elmo puzzle.

hmp1

Lilywildcat:

HilarityEnsued:

I made 3 different kinds of cookies and chocolate covered peanut butter balls last night.  I'm going to put those in a little box with a thank you note and give it to each of them (5 teachers total).  I'll probably have to leave the peanut butter stuff out since the daycare is nut free. 

The parent volunteer organization at his daycare also collects a check from each parent for $50/child.  They pool all the money in each classroom and distribute it to the teachers.  I was fine with this because it was less money than I would have spent on them individually.

I also made cookies and got a Starbuck's gift card ($5) for our garbage men.  Not that they are teachers or anything... DH thinks I'm totally weird for doing this.

 It's not weird, I think it's sweet! My hubby was a garbage man for about 3.5 yrs. Most people take the garbage men for granted, there are people who appreciate them and their hard work. It's a physically demanding job! The residents have given him gift cards, beer, food and cash! One family gave him and his partner $50 one year! 

I am going to give our garbage man a gift this year. I noticed since working from home that after the big claw dumps the trashcan of the eldery woman next door he brings her can up to her house for her, every week. I find it such a nice gesture.

The Nap Taker

We give our garbage men homemade treats and booze. We live in a small town and until recently the garbage truck and no arm on it. They guys have to lift every can by hand.

Art Teacher

My dd is in preschool two days a week.  The program director acted as her teacher for the first 2 months because the teacher they had hired got a new job.  So we bought for the director, the assistant, and the new teacher.  I got them each a travel mug and a Starbucks GC for $10.  If I was buying for only one of them (or 2) I would have spent a bit more.  I also wrote a really nice note to each one of them about how much we appreciate them and what they do.

I'm a SAHM at the moment, but I'm also a teacher.  I always appreciated when the students brought things in.  I really liked getting cards from them and their parents - it was nice to hear that they appreciated how hard I worked and what their kids were learning in class.  Gift cards were certainly appreciated (the bookstore, Target, etc.) because I easily spent up to $1000 a year out of my own pocket on classroom supplies.

Most of the teachers I know (including me) are leery of eating cookies or food that's homemade.  Sometimes I'll have families where I know the food would be fine, but sometimes you just don't know...

ougrad1

The room mothers took up a collection from the class and are giving them cash.  My daughter's teacher is getting 180 bucks, I think and the babies have co-teachers and they are getting 80 bucks each.

If I were buying I would do a Target GC or something like that.  Even something like cookies and a sweet note is nice. 

sunandsand

3 teachers at preschool...basket with pampered chef choc sauce and bbw pump soap, plus card.
Daycare.25 gc to crate and barrel, 1 toy for each of her 2 kids, under 10.

penguingrrl

I'm making mini loaves of cranberry walnut bread for each (1 K teacher, 1 preschool teacher and 1 preschool aide). I can't afford to do more (even $5 gift cards for each is just too much this year) but don't feel right not doing something.

notkateanymore

@ 

Our school system voted though and we can give something with a $25 or under value, so one of the room moms collected cash and we gave a gift card. 

notkateanymore

I Heart The 80s:

Gift cards, probably something universal like Amex.

Overachiever.

klondikebar

I do a gift card in a cellophane bag with some wrapped chocolates. The kids write on the tag and put ribbons on it. I usually do a generic gift card or to a local lunch deli.

J&A2008

Preschool teachers (3 of them): a Yankee Candle and large poinsettia plant from a flower shop owned by one of their coworker's husbands.

Elementary teachers: gift card to local store

jlw2505

Ours teachers do wish lists for classroom items rather than for things for themselves.  For the before care program, we got a board game, for the PreK class we did a Target gift card and for the kindy class we did a Barnes and Noble gift card.  We also contributed to the school wide lunch that was pot luck from the parents to all staff/teachers at school today.  The lunch was an idea of one mom and she posted on our school's Mom FB page and whoever wanted to take part, just sent in a comment on what they would bring.  It was a great turnout.  I do a gift for each teacher at the end of the school and love that the teachers ask for items for the class rather than for themselves.  I do a lot of people do both but I just can't afford to do both so I spread it out between now and June.