"Mrs. McGuire we have something for you." Two of my students walked in looking mischievous. When I opened the bag I was incredulous. I couldn't believe what these two teenagers had just done for me.
I had other students who knew how to give good teacher gifts too. I remember one who excitedly showed me the ornaments she had hand made for me.
Those ornaments don't go on my tree because I can't find anything else hand made. I put them on my tree because they make me smile. They bring back a happy memory and give me hope. Hope that in spite of my failures as a teacher, and there were plenty, maybe I did a few students some good.
Money isn't the secret to a great gift. Teachers aren't the highest paid individuals in society, but they knew that going into the gig. If they decide they want to, or need to, make a lot of money, they can always quit and go do something different.
You can use money to come up with a great gift, though. That's what those two young ladies had done. One of them, had quizzed me for all my "favorites." I can imagine her telling her friend, "I can get it out of her, and she won't suspect anything." I didn't. Then they went to the store and bought random supplies that related to those favorites. The one that sticks in my mind, is a stapler in my favorite color, because I was always having issues with my stapler.
Get your child to come up with a gift they find meaningful. Write a note about what that teacher has done for your child. Or, grab a gift card to a restaurant everybody likes. It really doesn't matter what your gift is, as long as it's given from the heart.
Check out these specific suggestions for teacher gifts from Three Dinosaurs.
Go to Share it! Science News for some helpful prompts for your young writer's thank you note.
I had other students who knew how to give good teacher gifts too. I remember one who excitedly showed me the ornaments she had hand made for me.
Those ornaments don't go on my tree because I can't find anything else hand made. I put them on my tree because they make me smile. They bring back a happy memory and give me hope. Hope that in spite of my failures as a teacher, and there were plenty, maybe I did a few students some good.
Money isn't the secret to a great gift. Teachers aren't the highest paid individuals in society, but they knew that going into the gig. If they decide they want to, or need to, make a lot of money, they can always quit and go do something different.
You can use money to come up with a great gift, though. That's what those two young ladies had done. One of them, had quizzed me for all my "favorites." I can imagine her telling her friend, "I can get it out of her, and she won't suspect anything." I didn't. Then they went to the store and bought random supplies that related to those favorites. The one that sticks in my mind, is a stapler in my favorite color, because I was always having issues with my stapler.
Get your child to come up with a gift they find meaningful. Write a note about what that teacher has done for your child. Or, grab a gift card to a restaurant everybody likes. It really doesn't matter what your gift is, as long as it's given from the heart.
Check out these specific suggestions for teacher gifts from Three Dinosaurs.
Go to Share it! Science News for some helpful prompts for your young writer's thank you note.
It's true, these little thoughtful gestures mean the most. It's always fun to learn a student has gone out of their way to do something special for you. They don't always understand how much you care about each of them!
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