Your teachers gave you a lot this year: knowledge, encouragement, and occasionally detention. In return, you doled out frustration, heartburn, and occasionally a modicum of effort. Now that the educational battle has wound down, you have the chance to give back something more meaningful: a small gift that shows you actually sort of appreciate what your teachers do for you.
Buying things for teachers is always tricky. It’s often impossible to determine what they like, beyond tormenting you. Sure, if you have a teacher who keeps 73 cat figurines on her desk, wears Garfield sweatshirts exclusively, and sometimes meows, you probably know just the thing. But it’s the teachers who aren’t seemingly crazy that are toughest to shop for. You’ve racked your brain enough this year, so let us share some tips on what objects best express your grateful sentiments. And remember, it’s not bribery if your grades have been submitted already.
The Reinterpreted Cliché
Students often give their teachers apples to show their appreciation. This makes the most sense in the beginning of the school year, when apples are in season. If you give your teacher an apple now, it likely will be mealy and bruised from sitting in a warehouse for seven months. That being said, you can still rock the apple theme with your gift.
Gift options: Used Fiona Apple CD; picture of an Apple iPhone that you cut out of a magazine and glued to a piece of balsa wood; wallet-size photo of Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter; your grandmother’s apple pie recipe, which you copied down by hand onto the back of a receipt from Old Navy.
The Pampering Gift
After 180 days in the classroom, your teachers are stressed. You might think they have three months to relax during the summer, but many pick up second jobs because—news flash!—teaching high school doesn’t pay that well. With that in mind, consider a gift that helps them decompress.
Gift options: Scented candles; loofah; one of those devices from Brookstone that lets you give yourself a back massage; Superman bathrobe.
The Inappropriately Lavish Luxury Gift
If you happen to be rich, you can shower your educators with gifts they can’t afford themselves. Please note that this may cause them to be embarrassed and say, “I can’t accept this.” To which you might reply, “Yes, I insist.” To which they will say, “OK, sounds good.”
Gift options: A year’s worth of mail-order steaks; bottle of vintage Cabernet (get your parents to donate it from their wine cellar); money clip from Tiffany & Co., pre-loaded with hundreds.
Something for the Classroom
School budgets are slashed on a daily basis, meaning many teachers have to dig into their own pockets to give their classrooms a bit of personality, or even just to cover the bare necessities. This is your chance to pitch in and help them convert four bare cinderblock walls into a Super Fun Learning Zone.
Gift options: Glow-in-the-dark globe; “Hang in there!” poster; 32 copies of Lord of the Flies; box of chalk.
The Recession Special
In this economy, you shouldn’t feel pressure to buy your teachers anything. Fortunately, there are some very affordable ways to show you care. It will prove that you’re not just kind, but also smart, because you're putting all your cash into durable investments such as ringtones and Frappuccinos.
Gift options: Thank-you card; standing ovation; hug; letter describing what you learned during the year; a beautiful poem, which you copied by hand onto the back of a receipt from Old Navy.
How are you showing thanks to your teachers?
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