ISO: The perfect teacher gift
What exactly do you give the person who taught your son long division? Who spent 8 hours a day in a small trailer with 27 sweaty pre-teens? What about the person who helped diagnose your daughter's learning disabilities and filled out endless referral forms? And the one who had to help your three year old wipe his tush?
An mug seems inadequate.
Yesterday I overheard someone, who I assume is a teacher, complaining about her end of the year gifts. 1 She had received "Sixty dollars in cash and the usual crap tchotckes." 2 I was simultaneously disappointed in her lack of tact and sorry for her poor haul.
My mother taught second grade for twenty five years. We had an entire closet filled with nothing but bath salts, candles, picture frames, ornaments and mugs. The re-gifting closet, we called it. Most of those things probably got passed around more than a Susan Boyle YouTube clip.
Some teachers say nothing means more to them than a heartfelt letter, and I used to wonder if they were feeding me the company line. Last month, I popped into my son's old second grade teacher's room. She still had my note tacked up by her desk. 3 He's in the fifth grade now. She likes notes. 4
As room parent5, I've had the opportunity to go into in the classroom and have the kids make a joint handmade gift. One teacher cried. Another teacher left it behind on the playground when the party was over.
Gift cards are practical but seem so impersonal. Plus there's the issue of how much to give. Ten dollars seems chintzy, twenty dollars borders on bribery. And between my three kids there are 7 teachers, 3 aides and 2 Hebrew school teachers. 12 times 20 = a week's groceries.
We need to stop looking for a one size fits all solution, because, like our children, every teacher is diiferent. But the teacher who spent 180 eight hour days with your child6 this year? Certainly deserves more than a paperweight shaped like an apple.
1) She actually lost a ton of credibility because she was talking on her cell phone in the bathroom. Eww.
2) That is how you spell it.
3) It was a *really* nice note.
4) Hint: send a copy to the principal too.
5) I *ONCE* called myself a room mom and took so much grief for it. Not worth it.
6) I don't actually know your child. I'm sure she's lovely.
An original DC Metro Mom post.
This year Amy G. made her kids write nice thank you notes and bought the teachers $15 gift cards to either itunes or Borders. When not stressing about teacher gifts she blogs at LeShallowGal and Secret SpinelessWhine.
