Gift Suggestions for Teachers

While apples may be a nice, healthy gift for a teacher, use your imagination for other fun ideas.

Teaching is one of the most demanding, most noble and least rewarded professions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, teachers of grades K-12 held about 3.5 million jobs in 2008. That doesn't count the 115,100 in vocational schools, or the half-million teaching preschool and special ed. People who choose to teach in public and private school systems often work many hours after students have gone home. Weekends can find them grading papers or laying out class plans. To honor a teacher who has helped you or your children, you may want to give her a gift at special times of the year -- or for no reason other than to say thank you. Budget considerations vary, but try pooling resources with other students and parents for some sure-to-be-appreciated options.

The Gift Card

Learn a teacher's hobbies and interests to choose an ideal gift card or gift certificate.

What could be simpler than a gift card or certificate that lets a teacher pick out whatever he likes? Try to find out what the teacher's hobbies and interests are. Gardeners will appreciate a gift card to a nursery. Cooks might like a trip to a specialty gourmet kitchen store. Readers and writers will welcome a gift card from a small local bookstore or stationery shop, or ebook downloads if they have a Kindle, iPad or other reader. Most people like music, and gift cards to music stores, or for CDs and downloadable music, work well as gifts. Find a cultural shop such as an Irish, Italian or Greek import store. Select gift cards to office supply stores or bath and body shops. Get gift certificates from off-the-beaten-path places such as boutique cheese or wine shops, a seaside art gallery and novelty shops for yarn or crafts. Active teachers might like gift cards from sports stores for summer camping gear. Don't forget the high-end department store so the teacher can buy a favorite perfume or cologne.

Going Out

A day at a spa gives a teacher a well-received gift of pampering and relaxation.

Teachers need breaks. Quality breaks include mini-escapes to historic home tours, a jazz festival or a Bed-and-Breakfast weekend. Buy tickets as gifts to movies or a classical or rock concert. Tickets to an art gala or health fair or film festival make thoughtful gifts. Try to purchase a pair of tickets so the teacher can take a guest. Other ideas are tickets to a rodeo, river rafting or a dinner train. Check your area for what's involved in private tours to a place the teacher might want to visit, such as a state capitol, a major garden or a scientific research facility. Don't forget one of the most appreciated gifts of all: spa time. Book an hour or a day for your favorite teacher.

Get Creative

Glass, porcelain, wood, beads, candles and other crafts make unique gifts for anyone.

Homemade gifts can be wonderful surprises for teachers, especially if its something you have put your heart into creating. Use your artistic abilities to give something lasting. Beeswax candles, a blown-glass vase, a fine porcelain vase or bowl or a painting of a cherished landscape all make beautiful gifts. Beaded jewelry and bags can be custom-designed for the teacher. Make a journal or keepsake book from handmade paper for her to use through the year. Build a small picture frame to frame a scenic photo you took. Find special little boxes or jars at thrift shops and customize them uniquely with seashell collections or homemade bath salts. Write a poem about how the teacher has helped in your life.

Services for Fun and Practicality

Feng Shui is the art of balancing energies in a space -- this could be a novel gift item.

Teachers don't always have much time to tend to some basics in life. You can help out by hiring professional help. Get a recommended housekeeper, lawn mowing service or landscaper for an hour or two. If the teacher has a pet, purchase a session of pet walking or grooming. Hire a color coordinator or cosmetologist for a personalized clothing or make-up session. A home chef for an evening brings delicious relief. Don't forget the personal organizer or trainer. For fun and interesting alternatives, hire an astrologer for a personal or solar return chart. Bring in a Feng Shui consultant for the teacher's home or classroom. If she's going traveling in summer, get a fuel certificate for road trips or hire a travel planner to help on her behalf. And that palm reader or psychic you drive by often? Why not an hour reading? The teacher might just get a real kick out of it. Especially if they serve tea and crumpets with apple butter.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Teachers -- Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary

Resources

• Fresh Trend
• World of Feng Shui
• Hipster Gifts
• Net Gift
• Gifts for Educators
• Freehand Gifts
• U.S. Spa Register