Re: WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD for the teacher!

[Guest guest]

Kathy is a member of this group right? I was just wondering if she

wouldn't mind sharing her school's name because I just ordered some

giftcards from that store you suggested from her website and plan on

writing in the gift card " My mom and dad bought this gift for you

from www.shoptobeheard.com a website that supports a teacher

(from ...) who is in need for her child " My son can sign his name -

what a great gift idea thank you. Happy Holidays everyone!

Kate

>

> Gifts for teachers -and many others- to reduce your stress and add

to

> the fun of giving.

>

> I'm a member of Mamasource and the question from one mother was

what

> to get her kindergartener's teacher as a Christmas present. There

> were 35 answers and shockingly most from teachers -and shockingly

> across the board " GIFT CARDS " were hands down no question the

number

> one gift of choice. Here's just a few of the replies:

>

>

> " I will say " gift cards " are the best especially shopping mall gift

> cards, Target, Wal-Mart, etc... Don't forget eatery places gift

cards

> are great too. Your kids' teachers can share with their loved ones

> too. "

>

> " Coming from a teacher... Gift cards! Either to a restaurant, or

> teacher supply store, or a movie theater. It is very thoughtful of

> you to think about your son's teacher! We appreciate that! "

>

> " Generally all the parents get together and buy a gift card or

> something similar. See if you can send notes home with the kids &

> organize it if you're up to it. Otherwise, I'd say gift cards are

> best because they can purchase whatever they need. Take care, "

>

> " I am a teacher, and the one thing i wouldn't get, is candy. There

> will be soooooo much candy around that we don't need more!! Good

> ideas are starbucks gift cards, bath and body works gift cards, a

gc

> for a manicure or pedicure....stuff like that. You don't have to

> spend much, teachers don't expect gifts, and anything you give will

> be greatly appreciated. "

>

> " As a teacher, I always appreciated a heartfelt card. It is not too

> often that teachers really hear thank you from the parents/children

> (just like parents don't often hear it from their kids!). But as

far

> as gifts go, I think gift cards are wonderful and they don't need

to

> be high in value to be appreciated. I like the idea of a gift card

to

> a bookstore. That way the teacher can by books for the class...a

win

> win situation! "

>

> " Many of my students find out what I enjoy in my personal life and

> have provided gift cards for those places. I've really appreciated

> that because I have choice in what I buy or when I use it. "

> http://www.mamasource.com/request/6768559593321660417

>

>

> Well I have a suggestion for all here that will both provide a

> suggestion for the " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD " (if you never heard of

> this before you are going to thank me big time) and support our

> friend here Kathy who is still trying to raise monies for her son's

> hearing aid.

>

> Please visit Kathy's site http://www.shoptobeheard.com Typically I

> tell you to click on her children's photo on the bottom left to see

> her story as to why we are raising the money for her....but this

time

> I want to tell you to look at the left side of the screen and click

> on " gift cards " (it's about half way down) Look all the way to the

> bottom right on page one and you will see a box for " Gifts.com "

> Click on it and instantly a new window pops up and you are at the

> actual website to Gifts.com but by going through Kathy's site she

> will earn 6% of anything you would have spent anyway. " giving

> without giving " as I say. How cool is that?

>

> You are now virtually less than 5 minutes away from getting your

> children's teachers (and probably a few others on your list)

> the " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD " . Here's what Gifts.com is for those

> that don't know. Say you purchase a 30 dollar gift card for your

> child's teacher. They will visit Gifts.com and be able to select

> from virtually hundreds of stores, restaurants, even movie

theaters!

> The stores range from TJ Maxx and Home Goods to Crate and Barrel

and

> Sephora. Restaurants -just about any chain restaurant you can

> think of -it's there -Olive Garden -check. Panara Bread 'and'

> Starbucks? check. Movie tickets, Ticketron tickets, The Marriott

for

> money towards a hotel room? check. (The Marriott for money towards

a

> hotel room? um... I'm not even going to comment) Just check out

the

> list yourself...I dare you to not find at least one store 'you'

> wouldn't want a gift card for. In today's day and age where stores

> are closing and gift cards may lose value over time -how cool is it

> that you are giving the gift that gives the receipiant the choice-

> see? Fun!

>

>

> As if that's not great enough that your child's teacher (or anyone

> you choose to give these to) can choose where to spend the 30

dollar

> Gifts.com card you gave as a gift ...your child's teacher (or

anyone

> you choose to give this to) can split up where to spend the

Gifts.com

> card between various merchants! A few bucks to buy a new book at

> and Noble...and 12 dollars of it to buy a Holiday striped

> cooking mitt at -Sonoma... the rest for some Starbucks? Of

> course and triple Wow!

>

> So if you like to both give a really cool gift, save yourself a

huge

> amount of headache and time, be thanked profusely by your child's

> teacher both for your gift and for you teaching the teacher about

> the " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD " ...and...helping a small apraxic child

> hear the jingle of the bells in both ears...please visit

> http://www.ShopToBeHeard.com and click on " gift cards " and then on

> the bottom right click on " gifts.com " otherwise known as

> the " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD "

>

> Happy Shopping!

>

> Oh and one more thing...the irony of this? Kathy Gottshal is a

> Kindergarten teacher who won " teacher of the year " last year!

>

> ho ho ho

>

> =====

>

[Guest guest]

Kate,

Thank you!!? I am one of 2 Kindergarten teachers at the Hugh J. Boyd, Jr. Elem.

School in Seaside Heights, NJ.

I wanted to let the group know that and her husband Glenn actually donated

the http://www.shoptobeheard.com site to me for my son.? I have known for 8

years now and met through this site when my twins were first diagnosed with

Apraxia.? is a very generous, caring and giving?person in all aspects of

her life...and I am sure you can tell just by the amount of time she puts into

this site with the advice she offers and?the responses she gives or researches

to find.? I am hoping to eventually be able to also give a site to someone or a

non-profit such as my school and their PTO.? It seems that many of the PTOs are

having a difficult time fund-raising this year.? In my school the parents just

can't seem to (economically) justify buying the candy or towels or t-shirts with

the school's name on it.? If the school has their own Shop to Earn (STE) site

(with their choice of domain name) then the parents can shop 24/7 365 days a

year and choose what they would like to buy while giving the school a percentage

back on their purchases.?

When I buy from the shoptobeheard site, I don't buy anything different than I

would have had I gone out?to the?store.? I still need gift cards for teachers

and drug store and Target items.? I still use coupon codes and comparison shop.?

Having 4 sons, working and tutoring after school doesn't allow for much time to

get in the car and go from store to store.? After homework, dinner, and all in

bed, I can grab a cup of tea and turn on the computer and shop,? (at the almost

1000 name-brand stores)?make a percentage back and help the planet (shopping at

the over 80 eco-friendly " green " stores).? If anyone has any questions or just

interested in how to help their own schools or a favorite non-profit or even for

your own shopping, please feel free to e-mail me or call me...732-506-0274.? If

I can't help you I will call and she will!

Thanks again, Kate and all that have visited and/or shopped!

Love, Kathy (and Logan!)

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

Too bad you're not teaching a little further south (little egg)..my

twins could've used a teacher with some knowledge about apraxia!

[Guest guest]

While I agree in principle that gift cards for teachers are a great

gift idea, in reality (at least for me), it's not something I can do.

All together, there are 20 people (between school, home therapists,

bus drivers and matrons-not including the students in his class)who

provide exceptional service to my autistic toddler. We are seriously

financially stretched and cannot afford the expense of gift cards. (I

would feel embarrassed to give a $5 or $10 gift card to one of his

providers as we live in an area where most people are financially well

off and I'm sure they spend a considerable amount of money at holiday

time). In my case, it's the thought that counts and I put a lot of

effort in to finding inexpensive yet thoughtful gifts that I give to

his teachers and aides. I'm ashamed that I cannot provide presents

that truly reflect how grateful I am for the love and dedication they

show my child, and I hope they can read between the lines and

understand that my " cheap " gift is not meant to be demeaning. It's

difficult to be poor, and even harder at this time of year, especially

when many of his classmates are from affluent families.

I didn't mean for this comment to be a criticism,I just felt that I

had to speak out for those of us who are struggling.

Happy Holidays.

[Guest guest]

Tracey I'm sorry you are in that situation. I do have a suggestion

below for you that I know goes over really well if you don't have

enough money to give a present- but most here don't buy bigger gifts

for all 20 teachers etc. for one child! Just for the primary

- therapists too of course.

The message was for those that were going to spend 25 bucks or so on

their child's teacher anyway -just a suggestion that most teachers

would prefer a gift card over a pair of " world's best teacher "

socks. In most cases there is a primary teacher -or two or three

primary teachers -and then a bunch of other teachers that aren't

primary -and then if it's a small school the receptionist and people

like that.

When you say inexpensive presents however what were you thinking of

buying? It's not unusual for parents to get a present for the main

teacher/s and then a token of thanks from the child for the others.

For example this is where baking cookies comes in handy. You can

decorate a paper plate (it can even be a small paper plate) with

festive napkins, throw a few cookies on it and use colored saran wrap

to wrap it up with a ribbon. Or you could make some holiday cards

with your child that he can give to his teacher/s. I don't know if

there are any teachers that don't appreciate home made presents from

one of their students. Made with love by.. can't get much better

than that!

For someone like me -I find these type of gift cards to be a relief

because I don't feel like I'm giving something cold- like handing

money to the teacher. This one provides the teacher (or whomever you

give it to) the ability to choose exactly what they want. Super fun!

You can customize this card. I think the one parent's idea of writing

that this is a gift that supports a teacher in need makes it even

more special. You can also add a photo of your child to this card!

Anyway to get back to the original message...this is the type of

parent it was geared to (those that are looking to find a " creative "

present for their child's teacher)

You can't imagine how teachers appreciate holiday gifts

By Betty Cuniberti

12/14/2003

It is so hard to choose among all the adorable holiday gifts for

teachers. If you want to stand out in the crowd, you have to make

your own.

I know, I know. I make the rest of you lazy, thoughtless moms look

bad. This is my goal.

My rookie year, my daughter was in a preschool program for the

hearing impaired. I really outdid myself. I bought a cookie cutter

in the shape of the American Sign Language " I love you " sign. I

baked dozens of salt-dough " I love you " sign cookies. The fingers

broke and fell off of many of them, which will make you sad if you

think about it too long. About eight intact survivors were painted

with a glittery, medium brown flesh tone that allegedly approximated

my Paraguayan daughter's. I attached a loop and hook, and a little

picture of my darling daughter in the middle. All her teachers got

one.

I never quite equaled that.

Another year, in an itty bitty craftsy town in Indiana whose name I

forget, I bought a bunch of cute socks with the word " Teacher " on

the cuffs. And then there was the huge, shiny apple ornament I came

across at Pier One. This thing was so shiny I could see my mustache

in it. I bought every apple they had left.

The key is to give a gift no one else has thought of.

Well, recently, while hanging out aimlessly at the home of a teacher

friend, my crazy neighbor, Sara Rice, she came upon a whole box of

teacher gifts she was throwing away!

" One year, " she said, " the gifts were so bad we all traded them and

regifted them as white elephants at parties. If it's not an apple,

it's from the Hallmark store. "

" That's bad? " I gulped.

" CASH, Betty, CASH! " she scolded.

She chuckled her way through stories of how teachers get together

and compare tacky teacher gifts and have little contests. I haven't

been this shocked since I found out Des Peres was blighted. I told

her about the socks, relieved that at least one of my gifts would

not have been a tackiest competitor.

" Socks? You gave teachers socks? " she asked. " Why not a toothbrush? "

There are teacher toothbrushes? WHERE?

As the truth slowly sank in, I was utterly humiliated to learn that

all my gifts had stood out, but not in quite the way I imagined. I

am too old to learn I have no taste. Desperately I wondered (not for

the first time) if maybe Sara is just crazy. She is, after all, my

friend, in addition to spending all day with small children at

Ellisville Elementary. But lots of other teachers confirmed her

story.

A wooden basket with apples as sides. An apple desk plaque that

says, " The Teacher is Busy, Take a Number, " and the numbers are on

little apples hanging from a peg. A little apple with some sort of

cherubic kid on top, and " #1 Teacher, " on it. You open it and inside

are two more children. Apple-scented candles, bath water, soap and

potpourri. A necklace made of huge wooden apples. A little statue of

a snowman giving an apple to a bigger snowman. Many, many lapel pins

of chalkboards, crayons, school buses and more designations

of " Greatest Teacher " than there are prime numbers. And, oh dear,

apple ornaments galore. One is a bell, another is gold and engraved

with " A+ Teacher. "

It's a nightmare!

A middle school teacher was once given a three-roll, hanging toilet-

paper cover with an apple tatted on the front by some well-meaning,

tatting mom. She had to look up " tatt. " So did I. As near as I can

tell, it's kind of like knitting, taken to the next level.

I've always been a little jealous that teachers have a fruit to call

their own. I don't have a fruit. When reporters write something

important but dull, we call it spinach. I began to imagine spinach

necklaces, lapel pins, cologne, potpourri.

I want them ALL.

But for teachers, I guess the best gifts, along with gift

certificates (to Applebee's?), are thank-you notes. A day of

volunteering in the classroom. Backing them up at home.

Although, I did see these darling ruler earrings.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/Columnists.nsf/Betty+Cunib

erti/D02779984022CDAB86256DF9003E11BD?

OpenDocument & Headline=You+can't+imagine+how+teachers+appreciate+holid

ay+gifts

And compare that to my original message:

Please visit Kathy's site http://www.shoptobeheard.com Typically I

tell you to click on her children's photo on the bottom left to see

her story as to why we are raising the money for her....but this time

I want to tell you to look at the left side of the screen and click

on " gift cards " (it's about half way down) Look all the way to the

bottom right on page one and you will see a box for " Gifts.com "

Click on it and instantly a new window pops up and you are at the

actual website to Gifts.com but by going through Kathy's site she

will earn 6% of anything you would have spent anyway. " giving

without giving " as I say. How cool is that?

You are now virtually less than 5 minutes away from getting your

children's teachers (and probably a few others on your list)

the " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD " . Here's what Gifts.com is for those

that don't know. Say you purchase a 30 dollar gift card for your

child's teacher. They will visit Gifts.com and be able to select

from virtually hundreds of stores, restaurants, even movie theaters!

The stores range from TJ Maxx and Home Goods to Crate and Barrel and

Sephora. Restaurants -just about any chain restaurant you can

think of -it's there -Olive Garden -check. Panara Bread 'and'

Starbucks? check. Movie tickets, Ticketron tickets, The Marriott for

money towards a hotel room? check. (The Marriott for money towards a

hotel room? um... I'm not even going to comment) Just check out the

list yourself...I dare you to not find at least one store 'you'

wouldn't want a gift card for. In today's day and age where stores

are closing and gift cards may lose value over time -how cool is it

that you are giving the gift that gives the receipiant the choice-

see?

=====

[Guest guest]

Some ideas......

I have given $5.00 gift cards (Dunkin Donuts or Wawa for a coffee)?to the

crossing guard with a cute mug from the dollar store.? One year a friend and I

typed out the " Star Polisher " ( little story about what a teacher does) and put

a pretty border around it and found cute cheap frames and gave them as gifts to

all of the teachers.? I even have one hanging in my class.? I love getting a

thank you note from a parent!? I don't know of any teachers in my building that

compare gifts.? I have even gotten used toys from students.? How touching is

that !!!? One year it was an old plastic pink piggy bank.? I will never forget

it....only because that child gave one of his possessions to me.? I think I

actually cried...but my Kindergartners do that to me!? Homemade cookies are

great since I have no time to bake and actually don't enjoy it, therefore am not

good at it!? I have gotten cookies on Xmas paper plates and dollar store cute

plastic trays. My own kids' classes always seem to collect $5.00 from every

child and then the class mom/dad buys a gift card from the class--it is always

signed from everyone even if a child did not send in the money--which my twins

have done on more than one occasion because they were too shy to hand the money

in!

The Star Polisher

I have a great job in the universe of occupations. What do I do? I'm a " star

polisher " .

It is a very important job. If you want to know how important, just go out at

night and look at the stars twinkling and sparkling.

You see, I'm a teacher. The stars are the Children in my class. My job is to

take them in-in whatever shape they come- and shine and buff them and then send

them out to take their places as bright little twinkling beacons in the sky.

They come into my room in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they're bent,

tarnished, dirty, crinkly, and broken. Some stars are cuddly, soft, and sweet.

Some stars are prickly and thorny.

As I buff, polish, train and teach my little stars, I tell them that the world

cannot do without them. I tell them they can do anything they set their minds to

do. I tell them they can be the brightest, shiniest stars in the sky and the

world will be a better place because of them.

Each night as I look at the sky, I'm reminded of my very important job and

awesome responsibility. I go and get my soft buffing cloth and my bottle of

polish in preparation for tomorrow and for my class of little stars.

by Leah Becks

kathy

http://www.shoptobeheard.com

[Guest guest]

Hi again everyone!

Wow where is the Holiday spirit here?! I did not mean my message to

say that there needs to be an exact amount any one of us choose to or

are able to spend on our children's teacher/s -I just gave an example

based on less then what my kid's teachers get from most of the

parents I know. I think the point of the message is if you are the type

of parent that is going to spend twenty or thirty bucks on presents -

most teachers online (and that I know from a few schools now) prefer

gift cards over the coffee mug that says " world's best teacher "

filled with candy. I am sure that there are teachers that don't care

for any presents just like I'm sure most teachers don't care how much

is spent by each child. But please don't think it's outrageous to

spend 30 dollars as it depends on the family -the school -the

teacher -etc. It works both ways and nobody wants to be made

uncomfortable for not giving enough -nor for what others view as too

much. The amount spent is not the spirit -we each give what we can

or wish to or both.

There are private schools where it's not unusual for parents to spend

over 50 dollars on each teacher, and yes in some cases there are a

number of teachers. I'm sure in those cases too if one is going to

spend that amount on the teacher -they may prefer the " Classy Teacher

Resin Statue " over a gift card -here's the description:

Classy Teacher Resin Statue

Teacher's are a part of the building blocks of life and should be

recognized for their amazing achievements with our Classy Teacher

Resin Statue. This 8'' copper colored resin figure displays an image

of a teacher and a student in front of a blackboard. This gift can be

personalized with two lines on a plate that will go on the bottom of

the plaque. There's no better way to make that special teacher feel

appreciated than with this statue.

Price: $57.95

http://www.memorablegifts.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=2372 & idcatego\

ry=148

But perhaps that teacher would prefer a gift card -I don't know. I'd

probably say the gift card but could be wrong.

" Classy Teacher Resin Statue " aside - this isn't about how much you

spend or can't spend. It's a suggestion for those here that will be

purchasing a teacher present to at the same time benefit a family in need.

Not just any family but a mother of 4 including twins with apraxia,

who's husband was killed in a car crash. Also being it was brought

up for a teacher's present -the mother, Kathy, is a kindergarten

teacher who won teacher of the year last year which makes it even

more special for teachers to know the gift supports her as one

parent here pointed out. It's to help a teacher/single parent who

has to raise 2,500 dollars to buy a hearing aid for her one apraxic

son who now has a permanent hearing loss in one ear. If you are

going to shop anyway -if you can shop at

http://www.shoptobeheard.com it doesn't cost anything extra than what

you would already spend -and it helps support a good cause.

If you can't afford to shop -please don't. It was just a suggestion.

Pam in a few of my kid's schools now I'm hearing it loud and clear

that teachers do prefer " money or gift cards " (as nifty as the " Classy

Teacher Resin Statue " is -you can probably use so many of them)

If you can't afford a gift a handmade card or homemade cookies -

things like that I've heard are appreciated by most teachers. You can

only use so many mugs -that's the point. Don't waste money! Nobody

wants people to waste money for things they are going to just give to

Goodwill.

And another more blunt serious article than the last funny one I

posted with suggestions so you don't " give crap to teachers "

And PS from this list below the gift card I suggested covers much as it can be

used for hundreds of restaurants, stores, movies, Ticketron etc. which is why I

thought it to be " WORLD'S BEST GIFT CARD " for the teacher!

Top 10 Gifts for Teachers

by Madsen

Ah, giving crap to teachers. We do it every year, on the pretense of

it being somebody's holiday: Eid, Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, a

New Year of some variety, the start of summer break. As a college

instructor, I'm mostly immune from the gift-giving, but as the

daughter of two (now retired) high school teachers, I can attest that

they get some wacky stuff.

And the poor elementary school teachers. . . Type " teacher "

and " gifts " into your favorite search engine, and you'll find a bunch

of pablum that assumes your teacher is a lonely, white, Christian,

middle-class, middle-aged, female, third-grade teacher starved for

personal care time who yearns for child-crafted stuff or gardening

gloves.

Allow me to set you straight.

First, if your child has a particular gift with the arts-n-crafts,

then by all means let him or her make something for the teacher. But

otherwise, put down the pipe cleaners and the hot glue gun and heed

the following advice.

Here's the bottom line: If you're going to give a gift, it must be in

sincere gratitude or friendship, and not given out of a mere feeling

of obligation or quid pro quo. My mother, for example, in her final

years of teaching high school English, received, on more than one

occasion--and always near report card time--earrings. Except she

doesn't have pierced ears. Details, details.

Raise your hand if you or your parents have given a teacher an apple-

shaped tchotchke. Consider your gift thoughtless. Unless, of course,

you gave your teacher fresh, real apples that you hand-picked in an

apple orchard at the height of apple season. That's gift idea #1: If

it's fall, give your teacher

1. apples you picked yourself. (Eating apples are better than cooking

apples because what teacher has time to make applesauce or bake a pie

this time of year?) Also much appreciated, if you're feeling

especially generous: those fabulous pears from Harry and .

But what of the personal care products that seem so perennially

popular? Let me say it now: I hate lotion. I can't stand the

perfumes. And unless it's fairly traded, vegetarian, not tested on

animals, petrolatum- and paraben-free, etc. etc., the thought doesn't

count. I don't know if your child's teacher feels the same way, but

with everyone allergic or sensitive to some chemical or another these

days, a better personal care gift--if you're feeling generous--might

be

2. a gift certificate to a local spa or salon. You can go in on such

a gift with several other parents from your child's class. And

remember: men as well as women can benefit from a massage or other

personal attention. Restaurant gift certificates also fall into this

category--just be sure not to give your vegan teacher a certificate

to the local steakhouse or pork loin joint.

Two things teachers tend to value: childhood literacy and lifelong

learning. And so I offer the old standby:

3. Books. By which I mean one of two things: (a) a gift certificate

to a local bookstore (preferably an independent one) or ( a special

book purchased for the classroom, or for the school library in the

teacher's name.

4. Also in keeping with the " lifelong learning " theme: If the teacher

enjoys art, history, or natural history, buy him or her a membership

to a local museum. Be sure the museum's temporary exhibitions change

several times each year so that the teacher can return during the

year to see something new.

5. Donate money, in honor of the teacher, to a nonprofit organization

that you're certain means something to the teacher. Note: This does

not mean giving money to your favorite nonprofit. If you know your

teacher is an environmentalist, you might donate, for example, to The

Nature Conservancy or to a local organization that protects natural

habitat. Teachers interested in human and civil rights might be

delighted with your donation to, for example, Amnesty International,

or particular to the U.S., the Southern Poverty Law Center. If your

teacher is a writer or a fan of global lit, write a check to

International PEN or the PEN American Center, both of which defend

free expression and advance literature. Not sure what matters most to

your child's teacher? Ask someone else at the school who knows the

teacher well, or check out the bumper stickers on your teacher's car.

6. Pool your resources with other parents and buy your teacher a gift

certificate to the local or regional entertainment venue—you know,

the arena that hosts basketball games, ice hockey, the symphony pops,

and rock concerts. Be sure you're giving enough so that the teacher

can bring his or her partner or other special friend.

7. If he or she doesn't already have one, buy the (relatively) tech-

savvy teacher an annual membership to Flickr or another photo-sharing

site. If you wish, you can set up the account yourself before turning

it over to the teacher, populating it with photos of all the children

in the class.

8. Treat your teacher to a movie night (or several). Provide a gift

certificate to cover tickets to a local movie theater, as well as

concessions, or give the teacher three months or more of Netflix or a

similar DVD-by-mail service as well as some popcorn and chocolate.

9. Stuff for the classroom. While this isn't technically a gift

tailored to the teacher's personal interests, teachers often spend

hundreds of dollars each year out of their own pockets to stock their

classrooms and labs. Tell your teacher that you'd like to make a gift

of supplies, and ask for some suggestions within your budget.

Depending on the thickness of your wallet, this might mean purchasing

a couple boxes of crayons, a collection of pipettes, a board game, or

a class set of paperback novels. Always ask first to be sure your

gift will be useful and appreciated.

10. A handwritten letter from you and your child expressing how much

the teacher means to both of you. Type up a letter with similar

sentiments supporting the teacher's work and give it to the school

principal. (Give the teacher a copy of this typed letter as well.)

What about you? What's the most thoughtful gift you've given a

teacher? If you're a teacher, what has been your favorite gift?

When she's not being curmudgeonly, Madsen- helps

university faculty improve their teaching. She blogs at The Clutter

Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.

http://www.blogher.com/top-10-gifts-teachers

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