paigepea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Dec 13, 2016 5:07:41 GMT
This year older dd has 11 teachers and younger dd has 3 teachers, and of course I've left this to the last minute. Dh thinks we should give $5/teacher to the food bank and have the girls write holiday cards to each teacher that can state this. Is that ok? Any other ideas?
P.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Dec 13, 2016 5:22:02 GMT
My daughter picked the few teachers who she feels like she has a close relationship with and we are giving them gifts.
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Post by freecharlie on Dec 13, 2016 5:23:42 GMT
I ask my boys what they want to do. A gift card to barnes and noble is our go to. I do mandate that if they give to over half the teachers, they give to all.
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Post by ntsf on Dec 13, 2016 5:26:13 GMT
a letter to the principal from you or kid about that particular teacher.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Dec 13, 2016 5:28:36 GMT
We're in a fairly well off district and our school has a great PTA that funds a lot of things, but even with all that the teachers still end up spending a good amount of their own money for books or basic classroom supplies like crayons, glue sticks, boxes of Kleenex or Chlorox wipes, dry erase markers or other things that need to be replenished halfway through the school year. I would bet the teachers would really appreciate just getting the cash. Most of them will end up spending it on their classroom anyway which will directly benefit the kids in that class.
We usually find a creative way to wrap up Amazon or Target gift cards in an amount we can afford, and those are always very much appreciated.
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Post by runner5 on Dec 13, 2016 8:00:47 GMT
What ntsf said.
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katie10
Junior Member
Posts: 73
Jun 26, 2014 10:20:04 GMT
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Post by katie10 on Dec 13, 2016 8:23:25 GMT
I was a teacher for many years. I really appreciated a card with a personal message, or a letter to my principal. Can't go wrong with chocolate, either  |
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Post by monklady123 on Dec 13, 2016 11:01:55 GMT
A little something -- chocolate, hard candy, tea bags or k-cups (if you know they drink tea or have a keurig), etc. -- along with a letter with specifics about what you've appreciated from that teacher this year. I used to find cute little containers of some sort in the dollar section of Target -- little cans, or felt bags, things like that. I would buy a couple of bags of individually wrapped chocolate, like Dove dark and regular, and maybe something else. Then I'd split those up among the little containers of whatever I'd found. The letter was always the hardest part because the perfectionist in me didn't want to repeat things exactly from one letter to the next. In elementary I always tried to include the specials teachers because sometimes they get forgotten. Especially the poor PE teachers. I always felt guilty about them because personally I hated PE every single year that I had to take it in school.  eta: And for those teachers who were really outstanding I'd write to the principal at the end of the year (not mid-year at Christmas). |
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Post by darkangel090260 on Dec 13, 2016 11:18:11 GMT
I think it's time to stop for the oldest. 11 teacher is a little out of control
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Post by mama2three on Dec 13, 2016 11:54:15 GMT
In our elementary school the PTO decided to have a catered luncheon for the staff one day during December and requested donations toward ordering the food instead of other gifts for teachers. It was made known that this was the community's gift to the teachers. The school staff love it and it makes it so easy. When I had 3 in that school at once and more than 12 teachers my kids wanted to remember (and a very limited budget), the luncheon made it so much easier and affordable. My mom was a teacher and got so much stuff that wasn't needed each year (smelly lotions, teacher mugs, teacher ornaments). She wrote lovely thank you notes, but after 30+ years and hundreds of students, those teacher mugs and ornaments build up! And as others have said, a nice note from your child would be treasured
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Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
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Location: Kentucky
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Post by Kerri W on Dec 13, 2016 12:01:22 GMT
I think that's a great idea. If your DDs want something tangible to give, add a little chocolate.
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Post by Linda on Dec 13, 2016 12:56:12 GMT
I bake mini-loaves of either cranberry bread or pumpkin gingerbread each year for the teachers. I know - peas don't like getting homemade food gifts but my kids have reported back that their teachers love them - a few have opened and eaten at school over the years and I've gotten recipe requests. At this point my middle child has some teachers her older brother had and when she handed out the bread last year, those teachers remembered it (there are 8 school years between my oldest and middle - he graduated in 2010, she will in 2018...and the little one in 2025)
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Dec 13, 2016 13:29:17 GMT
I am hesitant to spend time and money on teacher gifts after all of the threads here over the years. I usually encourage the child to write something nice in a card and sometimes add a gift, other times not.
I'm not a fan of donating in someone else's name because I don't feel that is actually a gift to them. Unless they suggested that, of course.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:19:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 13:30:30 GMT
As a teacher, I'm trying to work out how an elementary kid has 11 teachers. My 5th grader has 7 and I think that's a lot. I bought fancy holiday themed cookies from
Costco.
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Post by just PEAchy on Dec 13, 2016 13:38:20 GMT
In our elementary school the PTO decided to have a catered luncheon for the staff one day during December and requested donations toward ordering the food instead of other gifts for teachers. It was made known that this was the community's gift to the teachers. The school staff love it and it makes it so easy. When I had 3 in that school at once and more than 12 teachers my kids wanted to remember (and a very limited budget), the luncheon made it so much easier and affordable. This is what our district does as well, but for middle & high school staff. The teachers & staff love and appreciate it. We also have a cookie exchange, parents supply all the cookies and each staff member gets 2 dozen to take home. At the end of the year, in addition to another luncheon, the teachers are given gift cards and classroom supplies (all teachers submit a wish list). I think your (OP) idea sounds good, too and would be appreciated by the teachers. |
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Dec 13, 2016 13:43:05 GMT
Last year we bought Chocolates from Trader Joe's for all my daughters teachers. You can get some cute things for around $5.
She had 9 teachers last year and has 10 this year. So 11 isn't surprising.
In the first year of my daughter's charter school, the teachers had worked all summer to get the school ready with no pay, so I organized a fund, we asked each family to contribute $15. We raised enough money for every single person in the school to get $270 cash. I heard through the grapevine that they were thrilled, but only two teachers took the time to thank me, or the school community. (I didn't expect a Thank you but I did expect some sort of public thank you to the school community. ) It was a lot of work, but I was not inclined to do it again.
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Post by Fidget on Dec 13, 2016 13:54:15 GMT
I didn't read all of the posts, but 14 teachers to give gifts to?? When does the madness stop? I wouldn't be giving any teacher gifts if I were you. I would have to sacrifice too much of my Christmas budget.
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Post by ferblover on Dec 13, 2016 14:05:48 GMT
A little something -- chocolate, hard candy, tea bags or k-cups (if you know they drink tea or have a keurig), etc. -- along with a letter with specifics about what you've appreciated from that teacher this year. I used to find cute little containers of some sort in the dollar section of Target -- little cans, or felt bags, things like that. I would buy a couple of bags of individually wrapped chocolate, like Dove dark and regular, and maybe something else. Then I'd split those up among the little containers of whatever I'd found. The letter was always the hardest part because the perfectionist in me didn't want to repeat things exactly from one letter to the next. In elementary I always tried to include the specials teachers because sometimes they get forgotten. Especially the poor PE teachers. I always felt guilty about them because personally I hated PE every single year that I had to take it in school. eta: And for those teachers who were really outstanding I'd write to the principal at the end of the year (not mid-year at Christmas). In our district, reviews are done in January so a note to the principal now would be more beneficial than at the end of the year when staffing is a done deal and reviews were processed months before. Don't get me wrong, I would write a note at the end of the year too! |
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Post by littlemama on Dec 13, 2016 14:11:39 GMT
No one really does teacher gifts in Middle school here. For elementary, I did a gift for the main teacher, and then for latchkey (or if there was a student teacher), I did something smaller.
I don't like donations as "gifts" unless the recipient has specifically requested that.
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Post by monklady123 on Dec 13, 2016 14:17:50 GMT
As a teacher, I'm trying to work out how an elementary kid has 11 teachers. My 5th grader has 7 and I think that's a lot. I bought fancy holiday themed cookies from Costco. Maybe it's not elementary school? I sort of assumed it was middle or high school where a kid would probably have a different teacher for each subject. Although...just out of curiosity, at the elementary school where I sub you could give gifts to: -- classroom teacher -- math teacher if different from your regular teacher (they differentiate for math starting in 3rd grade) -- reading teacher who does push-in small groups -- special ed resource if your kid has that -- gifted and talented resource if your kid has that -- art teacher -- regular music teacher -- PE teacher (there are two who team-teach) -- instrumental music teacher -- librarian (there are two) -- office staff (there are three and I'd never give something to one and not to the others) -- principal and assistant principal -- counselor if your kid has needed her/his services wow! lol. I KNOW I never gave that many gifts when my kids were there. My kids never needed the special ed/gt/reading resource teachers, but I did give something to the specials teachers and the counselor who did a lot for us over the years (one of dd's friends died when he was 7, and ds was close friends with that kids' siblings). I know at Christmas I did the chocolate and note thing I mentioned above, and I kind of think at the end of the year I gave people a small African violet. I knew that our principal has a black thumb so one year I gave her a fake African violet as a joke. She loved it. lol |
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Dec 13, 2016 14:18:14 GMT
A little something -- chocolate, hard candy, tea bags or k-cups (if you know they drink tea or have a keurig), etc. -- along with a letter with specifics about what you've appreciated from that teacher this year. I used to find cute little containers of some sort in the dollar section of Target -- little cans, or felt bags, things like that. I would buy a couple of bags of individually wrapped chocolate, like Dove dark and regular, and maybe something else. Then I'd split those up among the little containers of whatever I'd found. The letter was always the hardest part because the perfectionist in me didn't want to repeat things exactly from one letter to the next. In elementary I always tried to include the specials teachers because sometimes they get forgotten. Especially the poor PE teachers. I always felt guilty about them because personally I hated PE every single year that I had to take it in school. eta: And for those teachers who were really outstanding I'd write to the principal at the end of the year (not mid-year at Christmas). I was going to say I don't feel ready to write to the principal about the teachers and the end of the year feels like a more appropriate time for that. |
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Post by jenjie on Dec 13, 2016 14:20:18 GMT
In our elementary school the PTO decided to have a catered luncheon for the staff one day during December and requested donations toward ordering the food instead of other gifts for teachers. It was made known that this was the community's gift to the teachers. The school staff love it and it makes it so easy. When I had 3 in that school at once and more than 12 teachers my kids wanted to remember (and a very limited budget), the luncheon made it so much easier and affordable. My mom was a teacher and got so much stuff that wasn't needed each year (smelly lotions, teacher mugs, teacher ornaments). She wrote lovely thank you notes, but after 30+ years and hundreds of students, those teacher mugs and ornaments build up! And as others have said, a nice note from your child would be treasured I did that last year at year end, I got sandwich trays and fixings for the faculty. My gf supplemented with baked goodies. I wrote a heartfelt thank you to the staff, they had a really rough year themselves and were very present for my family. I would like to do something similar this year for Christmas, but I'm thinking the first day back to school. Now that I have an IP I am imagining what I could bring that would be warm and yummy and not too expensive. |
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Dec 13, 2016 14:23:12 GMT
As a teacher, I'm trying to work out how an elementary kid has 11 teachers. My 5th grader has 7 and I think that's a lot. I bought fancy holiday themed cookies from Costco. My dd is in middle school. It adds up because they have different teachers for two different music classes (band and choir) and two different teachers for PE. Plus French and art and computers, plus core subjects and one teacher intern. This is her first year in middle school. Perhaps just core teachers are appropriate. |
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Post by Merge on Dec 13, 2016 14:26:01 GMT
A $5 Starbucks card for each one buys them a drink and doesn't leave anyone out. That's what we've done for middle/high school teachers - 18 between 2 kids this year!
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Post by beanbuddymom on Dec 13, 2016 14:39:24 GMT
We stopped the gifts at middle school, only did elementary school ones - I always felt bad about it but my kids felt funny about it since no one else did it, and wanted to follow the norm - middle school is such an odd time of fitting in. For them if you wanted to be discrete you could always send cards or a nice letter if you liked them and cc the principal about something they did for your child - bypassing your kids having to bring them in.
For elementary I did cute things - filled whisks with candy kisses and put in a cello bag, tied a tag saying, "Whisk you a Merry Christmas" - or filled cello bags with candy round cherry candies with a tag saying "Rudolph noses" or something like that when we had a lot of gifts to do, 10+ like you are talking. For the main teacher we always did Barnes and Noble gift card. That way they can buy something for the classroom or something personal, their choice.
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Post by myboysnme on Dec 13, 2016 14:46:19 GMT
My DH is a middle school teacher and he loves bringing home his little box of gifts. My favorite is homemade cookies that he shares and his favorite is any kind of gift card.
I know that during the week before school lets out every day they have cookies and treats in the teacher's lounge. Maybe drop something off to be put there and write in the card - please enjoy a treat in the teacher lounge on Wednesday or something like that.
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Post by grate on Dec 13, 2016 14:48:40 GMT
As a teacher I would say a note from a child.. one year I got a story written by a student who refused to write at the beginning of the year.. I teared up and another boy asked why, I then got some more stories from the other students At first I liked the idea of letters to the principal but then I thought, why should that be held as a gift if it is truly felt, why not just send it because they earned it? Principals sure if parents are not happy all times a year. |
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breetheflea
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Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Dec 13, 2016 14:52:33 GMT
I don't usually do a Christmas gifts, but do write end of the year notes with a gift card.
DD has one teacher
other DD has five (middle school her art teacher is also her PE teacher, otherwise she'd have 6)
DS has: his regular teacher, speech, OT, Special Ed teacher, (seems like there's one more I'm missing maybe a para) plus there is the PE, Art, Music, Creative Movement, the Librarian...
Can't leave out the school secretaries (who help me out with stuff sometimes)
That ends up being a lot of teachers!
For the middle schooler I will do something for dd's favorite teacher, DD's only teacher (who is awesome), and some of DS's teachers, and that's still 6-8 people...
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Post by crazy4scraps on Dec 13, 2016 14:55:38 GMT
As a teacher, I'm trying to work out how an elementary kid has 11 teachers. My 5th grader has 7 and I think that's a lot. I bought fancy holiday themed cookies from Costco. My first grade DD goes to public school and has two homeroom teachers due to job sharing, one works M-W and the other works Th-F. Then she has separate dedicated teachers for music, art, PE, and media. It definitely cuts down on what you can do when there are that many. |
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Post by Linda on Dec 13, 2016 14:59:29 GMT
we have quite a few teachers.
DD10 (4th) has her classroom teacher plus a para, the speech teacher, music, art, PE (two), tech, library (she's a frequent library visitor, lol) plus a bus driver so that's 10 there
DD16 (11th) has 7 subject area teachers plus a bus driver so 9 there. If her academic team coaches weren't her teachers this year, then that would be two more.
I can't afford to send even a $5 gift card to 19 teachers but I can afford to make 19 small loaves of seasonal bread and wrap in foil with a bow and a Christmas card.
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