As I am now very active on Pinterest (really, it's bordering on obsession) I've come across a lot of amazing ideas and sites. I love Pinterest because you just keep finding good ideas. And for the record, I have actually made some of the recipes I've pinned and they were (most of them) delicious!
One thing I've seen a lot of lately is gift ideas for teachers. Really cute stuff. Jars filled with candy or homemade somethings that are very sweet and thoughtful.
However, I'm going to be honest. Those are lovely gifts. If a kid were to give me one of those, I would love it and give them a big hug and make sure they know that it's an awesome gift. But (here's the honest part) that's not really what teachers want.
I shouldn't generalize. That's not what I would want. I'm not sure about the other teachers. We don't really talk about it. No one is actually going to send home a wishlist for parents and kids to choose from. That would be rude and tacky. So let me be rude and tacky.
I don't want any lotion from Bath and Body Works, I still have the ones kids gave me last year. If you give me candy, chances are it'll be gone before tomorrow and that's not healthy. Seriously, let's not try to promote diabetes here. And I don't need another mug to add to my collection. There are so many beautiful gifts I've gotten and my mom can still tell me which students gave her which ornaments when we're decorating the Christmas tree. As teachers we love getting gifts from our students and seeing their faces light up. It's a great feeling. Even the troublesome kids get excited to give their teachers something. It's amazing.
But if you asked me what I (and I don't know, maybe a lot of other teachers) really wanted the answer would be simple.
Gift cards.
That's right, cold, un-personal, no-need-to-wrap-it-just-put-it-in-a-homemade-card, gift cards.
No, not to Starbucks, although I'm sure some teachers would appreciate it. Specifically gift cards to the following places:
Bookstores (Half-Price Books, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million)
iTunes
Walmart
Target
and in some cases, Home Depot
Now some people might be really put off by this answer, but I need to explain the reason behind it. Some teachers might use the gift cards to treat themselves to something they've really been wanting, a new book or music or something for their house. Something they haven't gotten themselves because they've been too busy at work or they had other things to pay for, like bills. In which case, you're giving that teacher a real treat, something they'll actually enjoy just for themselves.
But chances are, many of the teachers who received these cards would spend them on their classrooms. Because as teachers, we don't get a lot of money for our supplies. So when you walk into a classroom and it looks like this:
or this:
or this:
remember that most of that either came out of their own pocket or was a hand-me-down from another teacher. Those books on the bookshelf? That's the teacher's personal collection. Those colorful tubs and posters? The school didn't just give them that at the beginning of the year. Most of what you see in a classroom is either hand made or bought by the teacher, with only a fraction of the cost being covered by the district. There is a lot the a teacher can do with that gift card. He can use it to buy more books for the class library. She can use it to get a rug or bean bags for the reading center or put up curtains . They might use it to purchase some new songs to use during classroom transitions. There are hundreds of ideas (many good ones on Pinterest) that teachers would do if they had the funding for it. And your kids will reap the benefits. Because teachers are people who care more about your kids than they do about their own sanity. It's true. No truly sane person would become a teacher. We do it because we want to inspire your kids and help them live a good life. And while cocoa mix and a new bottle of Cucumber Melon lotion is lovely, we want to do more for our students.
I know a lot of people can't spend that much on a gift for the teacher and that's totally fine. What if one parent call the other parents and they each donate what they can to the gift fund and then the Classroom Mother (or whoever is in charge) can go get the gift card. So even if everyone only donates $5, these days a lot of classrooms have close to 25 students. Do you know how much damage a teacher could do with $125?
Like I said, maybe some teachers would use the money to buy the new Michael Bublé Christmas album, but even if they do, good on ‘em I say. Teachers need your support now more than ever. If you support the teachers you support your kids. Period.
One thing I've seen a lot of lately is gift ideas for teachers. Really cute stuff. Jars filled with candy or homemade somethings that are very sweet and thoughtful.
However, I'm going to be honest. Those are lovely gifts. If a kid were to give me one of those, I would love it and give them a big hug and make sure they know that it's an awesome gift. But (here's the honest part) that's not really what teachers want.
I shouldn't generalize. That's not what I would want. I'm not sure about the other teachers. We don't really talk about it. No one is actually going to send home a wishlist for parents and kids to choose from. That would be rude and tacky. So let me be rude and tacky.
I don't want any lotion from Bath and Body Works, I still have the ones kids gave me last year. If you give me candy, chances are it'll be gone before tomorrow and that's not healthy. Seriously, let's not try to promote diabetes here. And I don't need another mug to add to my collection. There are so many beautiful gifts I've gotten and my mom can still tell me which students gave her which ornaments when we're decorating the Christmas tree. As teachers we love getting gifts from our students and seeing their faces light up. It's a great feeling. Even the troublesome kids get excited to give their teachers something. It's amazing.
But if you asked me what I (and I don't know, maybe a lot of other teachers) really wanted the answer would be simple.
Gift cards.
That's right, cold, un-personal, no-need-to-wrap-it-just-put-it-in-a-homemade-card, gift cards.
No, not to Starbucks, although I'm sure some teachers would appreciate it. Specifically gift cards to the following places:
Bookstores (Half-Price Books, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million)
iTunes
Walmart
Target
and in some cases, Home Depot
Now some people might be really put off by this answer, but I need to explain the reason behind it. Some teachers might use the gift cards to treat themselves to something they've really been wanting, a new book or music or something for their house. Something they haven't gotten themselves because they've been too busy at work or they had other things to pay for, like bills. In which case, you're giving that teacher a real treat, something they'll actually enjoy just for themselves.
But chances are, many of the teachers who received these cards would spend them on their classrooms. Because as teachers, we don't get a lot of money for our supplies. So when you walk into a classroom and it looks like this:
or this:
or this:
remember that most of that either came out of their own pocket or was a hand-me-down from another teacher. Those books on the bookshelf? That's the teacher's personal collection. Those colorful tubs and posters? The school didn't just give them that at the beginning of the year. Most of what you see in a classroom is either hand made or bought by the teacher, with only a fraction of the cost being covered by the district. There is a lot the a teacher can do with that gift card. He can use it to buy more books for the class library. She can use it to get a rug or bean bags for the reading center or put up curtains . They might use it to purchase some new songs to use during classroom transitions. There are hundreds of ideas (many good ones on Pinterest) that teachers would do if they had the funding for it. And your kids will reap the benefits. Because teachers are people who care more about your kids than they do about their own sanity. It's true. No truly sane person would become a teacher. We do it because we want to inspire your kids and help them live a good life. And while cocoa mix and a new bottle of Cucumber Melon lotion is lovely, we want to do more for our students.
I know a lot of people can't spend that much on a gift for the teacher and that's totally fine. What if one parent call the other parents and they each donate what they can to the gift fund and then the Classroom Mother (or whoever is in charge) can go get the gift card. So even if everyone only donates $5, these days a lot of classrooms have close to 25 students. Do you know how much damage a teacher could do with $125?
Like I said, maybe some teachers would use the money to buy the new Michael Bublé Christmas album, but even if they do, good on ‘em I say. Teachers need your support now more than ever. If you support the teachers you support your kids. Period.
True that! I've got a mug collection that fills up a whole shelf and I've culled through them already. One can only use one mug at a time. The gift card would be an excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteLovely idea, I thought some of the pinterest stuff was cute too, but to me they were more about the parents creativity than what the teacher could use.
ReplyDelete