Teachers Tell Us What They Want
Mary Beltran, a second-grade teacher in Pacifica, California, says,"I always

"I always enjoy getting flowers or a gift card," adds Dr. Ruth Jacoby, an educational consultant in Florida and co-author of the School Talk! Success Series. "Many of my parents usually ask other staff what my likes are. One school at the beginning of the year sent a survey to all staff members on likes and favorites, so many times I get gift baskets with my favorite coffee, snacks and books."

Pool Your Resources with Other Parents
"As parents we want to give our children's teachers something to show our appreciation," writes a GreatSchools.net user in California, "but one person cannot afford too much. I try to organize the parents of the students and pool our money to give the teacher a gift certificate to a bookstore or for a dinner, something to make her feel special. Pooling the money allows each family to spend whatever they feel comfortable spending yet allows you to get a gift one person could not afford by themselves." Another California parent suggests, "A great idea would be for all the parents in a classroom to chip in for a spa gift certificate. As wonderful as our children absolutely are, teachers do have stressful moments on a daily basis!"

Scrip Gifts
Marcie Wollesen, a third-grade teacher in San Francisco, suggests that parents consider purchasing their gifts through scrip organizations. Scrip brokerages, such as Escrip, are groups that coordinate merchants and schools for mutual benefit, with a percentage of the profits going to the school of your choice. "Scrip gives money back on purchases, so that makes so much sense to me," Wollesen notes. "People should register all their credit cards so everything they do comes back to the school somehow." Wollesen, who likes to cook at home and does cooking projects with her students in the classroom, adds that for her a gift certificate to a cookware store would make an ideal gift.

If your school isn't already raising money with scrip, consider starting a scrip program so that parents can buy from participating retailers and see a portion of their money go back to the school. Parent groups can work with merchants directly or through a scrip broker who does the coordinating in return for a portion of the profits.

Be sure to choose your scrip broker carefully by checking credit references and contacting other parent groups. In California, the Central California Better Business Bureau has suspended the Fresno-based Scrip Advantage after getting complaints that scrip orders weren't being delivered and sales reps were unreachable.

Donations in the Teacher's Name
Peggy Mannion, an eighth-grade social studies teacher in San Francisco, remembers one especially meaningful gift. "A student made a donation to the American Cancer Society in my name. I liked that, because, you know, I don't need anything! I mean if somebody said 'I gave ten dollars to a homeless person instead of buying you a gift' I'd be thrilled!"

Margaret Wallace, a special education teacher in Queensbury, New York, agrees, "The only gift giving these days which I support is donations to causes which one cares about."

You may be lucky enough to be counting your blessings about your child's school, but there are many others that need your help. DonorsChoose is a nonprofit that allows teachers to post specific requests for their classrooms and donors to directly fund them. You can fund a project in the name of your child's teacher or give the teacher a gift certificate to use on the project of her choice.

If you browse the requests from teachers, you'll see a wide range of needs and the donations needed to fill them, from a New York first-grade teacher whose classroom rug is so old that her students with asthma can't sit on it to a middle school teacher who wants graphing calculators for his class in the North Carolina foothills.

For Middle School and High School Teachers
When your child reaches the higher grades, where they can have up to seven teachers, gift giving becomes a little bit trickier. Mannion notices that while "some middle school students give presents to their teachers, the sixth-grade students tend to be more into it. I get about 20 gifts at Christmas time. I get a lot of candy. I love chocolate. But it can be too much, so I give it to the homeless."

Still, your child can show her upper-grade teachers her appreciation. A California parent writes: "While buying a gift for all seven of your children's teachers is not practical, a simple thank you card or email means a lot. Or consider getting together with other parents and doing something for the staff, a tray of homemade cookies or a new microwave for the staff lounge. Be creative. Any kind of recognition will shock, amaze and delight teachers at the middle and high school level."

Homemade Gifts and Cards
A GreatSchools.net user, who is also a teacher in Washington, writes: "My students always ask me what I want for Christmas. My answer is the same every year. I ask for a homemade Christmas ornament with the child's name and year on it. Each Christmas, as I hang these ornaments made by precious hands, I remember those students. I reflect on the difference that I made in those lives and my new year's resolution is already made, to continue to make a positive difference in the lives of my students! I have over 25 years of ornaments that I now display. Each one is filled with memories."

Here are some suggestions for easy homemade gifts bound to please any teacher.

Snowman Card
A homemade card for your child's teacher makes a great personal gift. When your child makes this snowman card, in addition to making a gift for his teacher, he will be practicing cutting, drawing and writing.

Materials needed:

• One 8-1/2-by-11-inch piece of card stock or construction paper
• 1 piece of heavy white paper and small pieces of black, orange and red paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• A hole punch
• A pipe cleaner or two grocery store twist ties
• Markers or crayons

Directions:

Fold the piece of card stock or construction paper in half. Tear or cut three white circles from the white paper for the snowman's head and body. On the head, use the hole punch to make two tiny black eyes (or draw two eyes), cut out or draw a red mouth and use the orange paper to make a carrot-shaped nose. Glue the circles to form the snowman on the front of the card. Before the glue dries, tuck the pipe cleaner or twist ties under the middle circle to serve as the snowman's arms. Cut out a small, black hat and paste it on the snowman's head. Write your holiday message on the inside of the card.

Laminated Bookmark
Most teachers like to read and often encourage their students to read, so what better gift than a handmade bookmark!

Materials needed:

• colored paper
• glue
• colored markers
• colored yarn
• a hole punch
• scissors

Cut a piece of colored paper into a strip , 8 1/2 by 2 inches. With colored markers, write a special message and/or draw a picture. You can also add stickers and/or a photo. Take your bookmark to a print shop, such as Kinkos, and have them laminate it. Punch a hole, centered at the top, with the hole punch. Make a tassle by cutting three strands of colored yarn and feeding them through the hole; then tie a knot.

Updated November 2006

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