Moxie Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I make cookies for our friends and neighbors. I planned to make them for the kids teachers as well. My sister (a former teacher) told me she never ate the food people gave her (which I totally get--I loathe potlucks!!). She said a purchased bag of candy is a better gift. She's right, isn't she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 My kids teachers appreciated chocolate as gifts. One teacher likes TJ's chocolate truffles so that is what we get her. Ghirardelli, Lindt and the slightly pricier Godiva has been safe bets so far. Cookies are harder to match to tastebuds, like one kid likes strawberry filled cookies, another like chocolate chip cookies and I rather have Danish butter cookies. A teacher told us that candies are safe bets because her kids would definitely eat them if she didn't finish them on the way home. ETA: My kids asked their teachers what chocolate or candies they like to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We are planning Starbucks gift cards this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 When I worked in a ps the teachers loathed getting so many sweets. Homemade treats are a very nice thought, but everyone's trying to manage their waistlines in an already gluttonous time of year, you know? I'd vote for a Starbucks or bookstore card, something they can use at their own discretion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I am kind of dreading all the sweets I will get over the next few days (I teach several classes to homeschool kids); I can honestly say I would love a heartfelt letter from the student with a promise to turn thier work in on time with a name on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Most teachers I know don't want food gifts. I think the favorite is a gift card - Starbucks (or local coffee place), Barnes and Noble, Amazon, teacher store, are the things I've most often heard are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I do Starbucks cards. When the kids were young they might have made an ornament or card to go with it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 A gift card to Amazon or local bookstore slipped into a card with a meaningful note of appreciation is always great. I wonder - how many teachers use the gift cards to get stuff for their classrooms vs. for themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 A gift card to Amazon or local bookstore slipped into a card with a meaningful note of appreciation is always great. I wonder - how many teachers use the gift cards to get stuff for their classrooms vs. for themselves? It doesn't matter if they use it on their classroom versus themselves. Teachers spend their own money on their classroom, so if you give a gift card to a bookstore or target and they buy something for the class you are still benefitting the teacher because she is spending less of her own money on the classroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I used to teach paid classes locally, and I would get so many gifts this time of year that I would bring boxes and bags in the back of the van in order to carry everything out. Food gifts were not something I wanted at all, but of course I acknowledged them. I have been a pre-diabetic for over a decade, and struggle with my weight even though I am technically not overweight. DH has similar issues. So frankly I'd rather have a thoughtful note or a gift card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We've done food gifts, but also do Sephora, Amazon, or Starbucks/Dunkin' Donuts gift cards. The Sephora cards seemed especially appreciated. Sam's Club has a 5 pack of $15 Starbucks cards available. I think you save like $5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We always gave gift cards, sometimes with an ornament. Youngest dsis used to teach high school. Her kids would gift her 12packs of her one vice, diet coke :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Honestly, I loved/love gifts I can use in the classroom. Stickers, gift cards, school supplies, etc. It's amazing how much money I spend on teaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I'm trying to decide what to do. I feel like paid teachers should get different gifts than volunteers? So, the TKD instructor gets a bag of candy while the volunteer religion teacher gets an Amazon gc? Or is that dumb? Should I just get them all Amazon cards and call it done? I tend to overthink things. Can you tell?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I'm trying to decide what to do. I feel like paid teachers should get different gifts than volunteers? So, the TKD instructor gets a bag of candy while the volunteer religion teacher gets an Amazon gc? Or is that dumb? Should I just get them all Amazon cards and call it done? I tend to overthink things. Can you tell?? Do you think the paid teachers should get something more valuable than the volunteers? Or less? Or - maybe same value, but different things? I vote for overthinking. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I always overthink these things too...but I do know that when my daughter brought homemade sweets to her high school teachers, they were always gone by the end of the day. She didn't take a huge amount but they did seem appreciated. If I could afford it, I'd buy them all Starbucks cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 While gift cards are lovely, for us it's just too many people to do even $5 gift cards. My dd is in a life skills class with something like 10-12 aides who work with the kids. I like to do something for all of the aides who I kind of get to know from picking up dd. This was easier when class sizes were smaller and it was 3 or 4 aides and 1 teacher. It is now a giant class (28 high-needs kids) with 2 teachers and I'm not even sure exactly how many aides. So homemade cookies it is. Probably not everyone appreciates more sweets, but I have had many requests for the recipe (Andes mint cookies--originally found on WTM and I've posted it here recently) which I now include with the cookies. I know at least a few have really appreciated them! I just give a dozen--not an overwhelming amount, and I know many have children/families who enjoy them. When I was a teacher, I appreciated any gift. ETA: Dd's primary aide who does everything for her also gets an iTunes gift card. We both play music on our iPhones when dd gets fussy, so iTunes in particular felt right for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I've given cookies to teachers many times and they've always expressed great appreciation for them. Maybe they were just being nice, I don't know, but I don't think a small plateful of cookies is a horrible idea. The past couple years I just didn't want to make the time to make all of those cookies, so I've started packaging up just a few nice chocolates with a little ornament. I don't distinguish between types of teachers with my gifts. The kids and I packaged up the gifts for the 10 teachers they have between them this past weekend. I usually give gift cards as end of year gifts, and I only give end of year gifts to the classroom teachers (as opposed to dance teachers, speech therapists, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I had the same reaction to sweets when I was teaching and getting gifts. While I appreciated the thought behind the gift, unfortunately I am the kind of person who cannot have temptation in front of me as far as food, and I felt obligated to taste homemade stuff so that I could honestly say it was yummy.... but then I overate and regretted it. What I liked better than food: a note of appreciation was top on the list. I saved those and appreciated them more than any actual "thing." Handmade gifts (ornaments) or a small gift from someone's country if they were from outside the US were nice. People did give gift cards, which were wonderful but I felt like teaching didn't really warrant that level of gift. If you go the way of gift cards, I would avoid gift cards to a place like Starbucks where it's a limited selection of items (there are people who don't like coffee) and where most of the items are sweets. I would go with an Amazon gift card since there is a variety of things one can buy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Well, I can tell you that when I taught music in a Lutheran K-8 school and had 72 students in my 3rd and 4th grade choir, 36 in my 5th grade choir, 28 in my middle school general music class, and 41 in band, that the food gifts were overwhelming. Just unbelievably overwhelming. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any of it to the food pantry because they weren't allowed to take home cooked/baked items. I parted out what I could to neighbors, and pitched a lot of it when I didn't have anyone else to take items off my hands. In terms of food, fruit baskets are better because if the person can't use it, they can take that to a food pantry that has refrigeration or to a soup kitchen. I did used the fruit baskets because I had two events in which I was bringing large fruit bowl mixes so receiving the baskets was handy and saved me some money. Just remember, if the teacher has a lot of students, many, many, many parents will do the same thing because making cookies or brownies or whatever is cost effective but you have to consider just how many dozen of any type of food the teacher can use before it gets stale, old, moldy, etc. Now it would be a nightmare since I have developed a wheat allergy. A thank you note was most welcome, and a collection of blank cards was also nice because they take up little storage room and I had a lot of reasons to send notes throughout the year so blank, all occasion cards, were very practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 When I taught, I was always leery of homemade gifts, esp when the kids told me they "helped". We give storebought candy now--Aldi sells a nice box of "merci" chocolates (which of course, meaning "thank you", makes it extra special). We usually buy a few boxes at $5 each--and then break them up, put 3 candies or so in a bag and tie it with a pretty ribbon, put a card on it. Small gift for less than $1. You could do the same with Hershey Kisses or other wrapped candies. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Merci-Chocolate-European-8.8-oz/10448114 B-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Just remember, if the teacher has a lot of students, many, many, many parents will do the same thing because making cookies or brownies or whatever is cost effective but you have to consider just how many dozen of any type of food the teacher can use before it gets stale, old, moldy, etc. :iagree: When my kids were in PS, the room parents collected an optional $5 or more from each family to buy a $200 Target gift card for the homeroom teacher. Target was preferred over Amazon since Target stores are nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 ... We usually buy a few boxes at $5 each--and then break them up, put 3 candies or so in a bag and tie it with a pretty ribbon, put a card on it. Small gift for less than $1. You could do the same with Hershey Kisses or other wrapped candies.... They also sell Hugs so you could give "hugs and kisses"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I've made food for a couple teachers for Thanksgiving (pumpkin bread) bc it came up naturally once in conversation that these teachers loved pumpkin bread. I've done it for a few years now even though they aren't still teaching my kids. :lol: They keep telling me how much they love it and how it is their Thanksgiving breakfast. For Christmas, we give tim Horton's gift cards in a homemade card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Do teachers REALLY like classroom stuff?? It feels like giving a vacuum. My daughter is in preK. Every year they have a school birthday party and the kids take gifts for the classroom. I took a game that the kids play all the time. Her teacher made a comment to me about how much the kids like the game and that she saw that there was another version. Would it be weird for me to get the game?? Just as an FYI--gift giving is my love language so I enjoy trying to come up with great gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We've done Starbucks cards; a basket with pancake mix, instructions and bottle of maple syrup; a small box of chocolates chosen from the local chocolate shop; gift certificate for a pedicure; and flowering plants. Always with a note. I can't remember which were year-end and which were Christmas. My favorite was when a mom at my daughters' preschool got organized and took donations to buy every single teacher in the school a kindle. Wrapped and given to the teachers with stacks of personal notes from parents. She rocked. Some of the teachers cried! I also do small boxes of homemade treats for people who don't work with tons of people/kids. I figure they aren't as inundated with baked goods. I think the key is to keep it small and pretty with baked goods. Better three each of four different things in a beautiful package than a couple dozen of a batch of something piled on a plate or in a storage container. The packaging costs more than the baked goods, which seems ridiculous, but it also comes across more heartfelt, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 My daughter is in preK. Every year they have a school birthday party and the kids take gifts for the classroom. I took a game that the kids play all the time. Her teacher made a comment to me about how much the kids like the game and that she saw that there was another version. Would it be weird for me to get the game?? Do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 The Weight Watchers meeting I go to attracts a lot of teachers. Of course, this is going to be a biased sample given why they're there, but they would prefer not to have tons of cookies and candy given to them right before winter break, when they'll be home and out of their routines, just staring at all the treats! Some have discussed just passing the treats on to neighbors, or throwing them away so they're not tempted, but then they feel guilty for getting rid of them. I've generally gone to giving Amazon giftcards for these kinds of gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Do teachers REALLY like classroom stuff?? It feels like giving a vacuum. <snip> Well, I dunno - I've been told that since teachers often spend their own money on school stuff anyway, it is nice because it frees that money up for them to use as they wish. When I was a young adult, living on my own and broke, my sister gave me a huge box of the toiletries I used. To some people it seemed like a stupid gift, I'm sure, but I was ecstatic. I didn't have to buy deodorant, shampoo, or hand lotion for months! That meant the money I used to buy those things went to something fun. Or maybe groceries. But whatever. It freed up money I could spend elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 In this day in age of restricted diets (for health and philosophical reasons) I would avoid food gifts as much as possible whether they were homemade or purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I would do the gift cards, unless I knew for certain that a particular teacher would like a food gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I spend a boatload as a preschool teacher. But I hope I don't get stickers and such for my classroom as gifts, because I like to choose my own things. A gift cert to the Dollar Store would, believe it or not, be very welcome! But I'm down with cookies and such, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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