Re: end of year therapist gift?

[Guest guest]

I always enjoy either something very personal, like an item that was

hand made by the child, or a gift card. Most therapists don't have a

very big spending budget at work, so they purchase many of their own

materials. A gift card to a local teacher store, or a gift certificate

to an online speech/language store, such as Super Duper Publications,

would be great. If you know her well, you could get a gift card for a

store or business that she frequents (e.g. her favorite coffee shop, or

her favorite book store). I have also received gift cards to my local

super market. Another idea that I have enjoyed is a hand written letter

from the parent or child expressing their thanks for a great year. One

year, a parent sent a letter to the school board expressing their

gratitude for the work I had done that year with their child. I was

very moved that they took the time to write that letter. Often times,

as parents, we are quick to call to complain about a teacher or

therapist, but we don't think to call supervisors to praise the work of

a teacher/therapist.

Smiles,

Deb

MA CCC/SLP and mom of 4 amazing children

Visit my blog: http://speechgadget.blogspot.com/

<http://speechgadget.blogspot.com/>

Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/SpeechGadgetDeb

<http://twitter.com/SpeechGadgetDeb>

[Guest guest]

Deb gave some great ideas and who would know better than an SLP what an SLP

would like?! I do have below a few archives on this however because it is that

time of the year for teachers as well:

Re: Gift Ideas For Speech Therapist?

Hi Debra!

Don't have time to search for the therapist gift archives right now -

but here's one for teachers. I'm sure the same applies!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Simple gifts can say thank you at holidays

By FRANCESCA DONLAN, fdonlan@...

Published by news-press.com on December 11, 2003

Marie Carson's Christmas tree looks like it belongs in an apple

orchard.

That's because the kindergarten teacher's students have given her

more than 100 apple ornaments over the past 12 Christmases.

Gift ideas

Lots of people in our lives could use a holiday thank you. Think

about teachers, school bus drivers, hairstylists, day care

providers, landscapers, baby sitters, newspaper and mail carriers,

fire fighters — plus all the others who make life a little bit

easier. Here are some tips for gifting from some of these folks:

• Gift certificates to stores, restaurants or movie theaters. Any

dollar amount is appreciated.

• Holiday tins of cookies — store bought or homemade

• Candles — especially those that smell good such as Yankee Candles

• A box of candy

• Flowers

• A bottle of wine

• Popcorn tin

" I have so many apple ornaments there is no possible way to put them

all on a tree, " said Carson, who teaches at ABC Learning Center of

Fort Myers.

Carson and teachers everywhere are among the many people others want

to thank this holiday season. People like the lawn care guy who

keeps the grass green and the citrus trees fertilized, the stylist

who never recoils when you're having a bad hair day and the baby

sitter who always also arrives on time and leaves the kitchen tidy.

The holidays are the perfect occasion to thank those who make our

lives a little bit easier or more pleasant. The trouble is, most of

us don't know exactly who we should give presents to, or what to get

them.

Although Carson said she appreciates and always makes a big fuss out

of whatever she gets from students, she added, " Most teachers really

appreciate gift certificates. "

This year candles seem to be a popular gift, said Bonnie Tillman of

Rumours Hair Design in Fort Myers. She and her scissors-wielding

colleagues have also received candy and stationery. And for many of

their clients it's the season to tip generously.

A simple gift of appreciation makes everyone smile, said Jackie

Avery, supervisor of customer service at the United States Post

Office in Lehigh Acres.

A surprise gift in a mail box brightens the rounds of postal

carriers during the holidays, she said.

" I know a lot of them get handmade crafts, " Avery said. " They get

little mailmen or some cookies. Some get fruit to bring back to the

Post Office for everyone. "

It's always nice to be appreciated, she said.

No one knows that as deeply as Carson. She makes sure every child

knows she treasures each present.

" Some of the kids pick out the presents themselves and they're so

excited, " she said. " I'm not really a candy person, but if I get

candy I tell them it's my favorite kind. "

http://www.news-press.com/news/lifestyle/031211familyties.html

Re: Gift Ideas For Speech Therapist?

> I've given " a movie night " in a basket. I bought a basket at

salvation

> army. Put in a gift certificate from blockbuster, favourite drink

> (tea,coffee,wine,hot cocoa,coke) sa couple packets of microwave

popcorn

> (or speciality corn if I know they have a popper) Then some

chocolates

> or something. My kids usually make the gift card that looks like a

> movie ticket or something movie related.

>

> You could make the theme whatever her interests are and depending

on

> what you put in it, the costs could be as low or as high as you'd

like.

> I gave this to a neighbour who was hospitalized and found a movie

that

> he has rented several times from the dollar bin at Wal-mart

I love this idea! I agree with everyone that said many people

already have so much stuff and it's hard to know what they need- but

who doesn't like a movie night? I used to be an art director and

know that some don't know how to be creative without seeing an

example so here's one online

http://www.awesomecreations.com/movie_gift_basket.htm And... you

can make a " 65 " dollar basket (which in that case only has 2 five

dollar gift cards to Blockbuster) for less than 20.

I'm not suggesting you pick out any particular movie vs. the

Blockbuster gift card because I know for me if I loved a movie

I would have bought it vs. rent it many times -but OMG for sure

if I had to pick my favorite speech therapy movie of all times it has

to be ie!!! The SLP is in the movie using flash cards when I saw

that I was so thrilled that here was a movie I could relate to - and

the classic part for me was when the little girl dresses up ie as

her fairy Godmother and begs her to make her talk right. I forced

many people to watch that movie who had no idea how good it was until they did

it will make you laugh and make you cry. Below is a link to watch

some of the movie online and one about the movie

snip video online

http://www.fancast.com/movies/ie/28234/594622571/ie/videos

about the movie ie http://www.fancast.com/movies/ie/28234/main

And from an archive which you know is old because I say video and not

DVD!

" We own the ET video which is (was?) one of Tanner's favorite movies

because he LOVES when the kids teach ET to talk -as a matter of fact

I posted right after we saw ET in the movies that Tanner, who was

sitting next to me, was hysterical laughing when ET was practicing

his " B " sound to Sesame Street on the TV. (Tanner also loves the

movies ie, and belle's Wish probably for the same reasons) "

And just in case anyone wants to buy a ie DVD...for themselves or

for anyone else! (I found it online less than 5 bucks but here it is

on Amazon)

http://www.amazon.com/ie-Gena-Rowlands/dp/0783231210

hey and speaking of Amazon if the SLP doesn't have a copy of The Late

Talker...hello!

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