By the time May rolls around, everyone has pretty much checked out of school. It is (usually) warm and everyone is busy making summer plans. So busy, in fact, that sometimes they forget about giving out teacher gifts until the last-minute. Panic!

Here are two important things to remember: 1) You don’t have to give a teacher gift. As a teacher, I can say I don’t think badly of families who don’t give me a gift. It is just an added bonus. 2)  Teachers are people too. Just like you wouldn’t want 12 coffee mugs with cutesy lawyer sayings on the, we don’t need 12 coffee mugs with cutesy teacher sayings on them. But when we get them, we do appreciate them because it is the thought that counts. But here is a list of three gifts teachers will love.

Cold, Hard Cash

Okay, I’m not talking about stacks of hundred-dollar bills. But I know a lot of people who feel it is tacky to give gift cards or gift certificates. I’ll be frank; most teachers don’t make much money. We teach because we are passionate about it. So when someone gives me a Starbucks or Target or Amazon gift card, it is like a gift from heaven. I can happily treat myself to something I wouldn’t normally buy. And an expensive iced latte on the first day of my summer is a treat I can’t even describe to you.

So where would teachers like gift cards or gift certificates from?

• Coffee shops (Starbucks, Caribou, local place, it doesn’t matter!)
• Restaurants (Even a small gift card for a drink is great)
• Spas or Salons (A massage or pedicure isn’t something we can normally afford)
• Online shopping (Amazon or Etsy would be fun places)
• Book stores (What teacher doesn’t like books?)
• Target (Everyone loves Target)

Handmade, Tasteful Gifts

Handmade gifts can be absolutely amazing or they can totally fall flat. I have gotten homemade holiday decorations that I still put up every year. My rule of thumb for something homemade is to ask yourself if you would hang it on your wall. If a client of yours or friend made it (perhaps with the help of their child), would you hang it up? Here are a few homemade things I have received and really enjoyed:

• Framed Christmas tree decoration
• Christmas cookies
• Body Scrub

Something for the Classroom

Teachers spend their own money on classroom stuff all of the time. Sometimes it is small, sometimes it is big, but it is always something they deem important. Ask the teacher for a list of things they want in the room and gift them something. Here is a list of things that may not be provided by the school, but that teachers may love getting:

• Fun books to read to the class
• Scrapbook paper
• New, fun pens or other office supplies
• Tissues (believe it or not, some schools do not provide tissues!)

So, what have you given or received that was a great gift? Let me know by commenting below!