Thank You, Teachers

With teacher appreciation week fast approaching, parents everywhere are looking for ideas on what to get their beloved classroom teachers. I've seen message boards with people peddling their wares (LuLaRoe leggings! Scented candles! Personalized everything!), but that's not my game. As a teacher myself, I know that all gifts are appreciated, but some are much more helpful (and wanted) than others.

Here are the things I've been doing throughout the year to help spread the love and make my son's awesome, caring, patient, and kind teachers feel appreciated.

At the end of the first month, we dropped off a fresh loaf of bread from an amazing local bakery and a nice jar of preserves. I worked at a bakery in college, and going home with a nice loaf of bread made my day. For real.

When we went on vacation for the weekend, we brought back a big bag of cookies from a specialty bakery that the town we went to is known for and delivered them to the teachers the next day at school.

For Thanksgiving, I asked my kids to write a thank you to their teachers. They don't get thanked enough, and this holiday is a good reminder to appreciate who you have.

When my son shared that his teacher said a homemade dessert he talked about sounded good, I made it again the next weekend and sent some in for his teachers. This one is tricky; as a teacher I don't always trust homemade goods, but I took a risk on this one because of the feedback my son gave. I knew it might go in the trash (sorry, moms, but this happens with sketchy looking home baked goods!), but I thought I'd chance it.

While out shopping, my daughter saw some blooming spring bulbs in her teacher's favorite color, so we got her a pot and brought them to school the next day.

I volunteered in my son's class this spring during a period of some stressful testing, and I brought with me an assortment of tasty treats, both salty and sweet, that I didn't make. I packaged them in recycled berry cartons with colorful tissue paper, put them in a box top, and delivered them to my son's classroom.

Looking for more ideas? Here are some favorites from my teacher friends:

Sarah said her favorite teacher gift was, "A letter. I still have it and read it when I need a boost!"

Lindsay, an elementary school teacher, added that she likes, "A little potted succulent or orchid and a nice little gift certificate. Another great gift was French cinnamon chip bread with nice jams and a gift card to the bread place."

"My favorites are works of art by my students. I once had a student who took a glass blowing class outside of school. She made me a gorgeous old-fashioned perfume bottle with a glass stopper," said Kristin, a high school art teacher.

Carina, a high school English teacher said, "My students painted a collage of characters from all of the texts we read throughout the year, and included a knife-weilding English teacher - she looked suspiciously like me. The knife was a nod to the Gothic literature that I love...not that I am a killer."

Rebekah's favorite gift was, "A scrapbook of their favorite moments in class. Quotes, life lessons, and a rap about what I brought to the classroom that year."

Chris most liked, "A really nice note with specific references to things the student appreciated and was thankful for."

"My favorites have always been the heartfelt letters. Those always make you feel like what you do matters. That doesn't mean I turn down some of the other cool things students have done for me over the years. I had one group of students throw me a surprise party that included all this random stuff I'd mentioned I loved over our time together... really random inside jokes. It was so sweet and had me cracking up. I often have kids buy me lunch when they go out. They bring me back things to thank me for giving up my lunches. I often get gift cards and always feel awkward about taking them. Free food is always good though," said Christy. 

"A dozen roses from a graduating senior because I 'didn't give up on him,"' were Letitia's favorites.

"When I left my old school, a student's parent gave me a party, made me a t-shirt with all my students' names, made a plaque with a poem about teachers and a lollipop tree. It was so thoughtful and sweet," replied Jami, an elementary school teacher.

Laura said, "I had a parent bring me Chipotle during finals grading period. Also made homemade brownies to boot!"

Amie remembered, "A student I had in class the year before dropped in to see me the first day of the new school year and said 'Oh my gosh, you are not going to believe what a found at a garage sale this summer!' She handed me a tattered and loved copy of Whitman's Leaves of Grass, of which we had read excerpts in class. After browsing through it, commenting on how cool it was, I went to hand it back--assuming she was just sharing her sweet find-- when she insisted, 'Oh no, I got it for you!' She said she knew I would love it, and she was right."

As for me, last year a sweet student gave us a night of free babysitting so we could go out to a movie. His mom told him that's what every parent of little kids wants, and she was spot on.

What ideas would you add to the list? If you're a teacher, what were your favorite gifts?