Wow! Until now I had no idea how busy this time of year is for a parent! Last year was a ‘covid year’ and we didn’t have things like summer fairs, sports days, trips or performances to attend. We didn’t even have any birthday parties to go to! This year though, we’ve got the lot and keeping up with all of the emails, texts, notifications and ‘things to remember’ is a bit of a challenge at times. Bring it on!
One item on the ‘end of term agenda’ is teacher gifts! So, what are great gifts to give to a teacher?
As an ex primary school teacher myself, I can assure you that when they say ‘teacher’s never expect a gift!’ it is 100% true. Teachers never expect presents and if you choose not to give one, then that’s absolutely fine and will never cause a problem.
But for those that would like to say an end of year thank you, here are 10 suggestions of things that are sure to go down well.
1 – Something creative or handmade – baked goods go down well (especially if you quietly reassure the staff that hands were clean and you did most of the cooking aka no bogies were added to the ingredients!).
2 – The most favoured gift for most teachers is wine – or any booze in fact. Obviously, this only applies if you know that they’re partial to the odd tipple!
3 – Plants and flowers are always gorgeous to receive. Plants are particularly good, as if the teacher is jetting off somewhere on Day 1 of the holidays they will still be there (hopefully!) to enjoy once they have made it home; flowers are obviously more of a risk.
4– Plant pots! If you or your child is feeling particularly creative, a hand decorated plant pot is a delight to receive.
5 – A scented candle is always lovely to receive. Choose a lavender one to help them relax over the summer holidays! We have some beautiful natural aromatherapy ones that would make a wonderful teacher present! Take a look here.
6 – A cotton tote bag, hand decorated by your child! Teachers are always having to lug huge piles of books home to mark and good sized shopping bags are very useful for this.
7 – Notebooks and pens - You can never have too many fancy pens or notebooks! Obviously these can be purchased in most supermarkets but for a real treat, take a look at our hand stamped journal .
8 – Chocolates. Yes, it’s true that teachers usually get enough chocolate in July to last them until the following year but who doesn’t love chocolate?
9 – Soap and hand cream. Teachers have always had to wash their hands a lot having had to deal with all sorts of mess that our little darlings present them with let alone following a global pandemic. A posh soap and hand cream to leave in the staffroom is a very lovely treat after the school soaps and sanitisers!
10 – The best gift that a teacher will receive and one that will possibly be kept forever, will be a handwritten note either from you, if your child is in primary school, or from the child if they are older. Let the teacher know that you appreciate the hard work that they have put into shaping your child this year and tell them how pleased you are with their progress – either academic or social. It’s the best feeling when someone says thank you and recognises that you have helped them – think how lovely it would be if someone said thank you in your place of work.
