This is the first year that my daughter has had a male teacher and I am a little stumped. In the past we have always sent in little seasonal goodies for the teacher but I am not sure what to do for "him". I feel that a male teacher is not going to appreciate seasonal note pads, note cards, kid made crafts etc. So with Christmas approaching (and my lack of time management) I thought I would see what you think. What do I get for the male teacher? I know gift cards are a great choice but sometimes a little over done. I am pretty sure that he would not enjoy candles, bath lotions, ornaments or picture frames (which are the common female teacher gifts). I am just at a loss. What did you get for your child's male teacher at Christmas?
To answer a few questions:
This is an elementary school teacher :) I do not know if he is married or if he has children. I don't know what his hobbies are or if he is a sports fan.
I was trying to get away from the gift card idea and think more practical and outside the box a little.
I do like the idea of a basket of teacher supplies, I will just need to figure out what it is he could use.
Please keep the suggestions coming :)
Thank you
Men like to eat too so any holiday treat is great. My hubby has taught classes and comes home with coffee mugs of hot chocolate( he does not drink coffee and the kids know that), cookies and candies girt card to local restaurants, ornaments that the kids have made all make great gifts. Also when parents and kids thank him with a note or card he still keeps those from 5 years ago. Good Luck!
As a former teacher (now a SAHM), gift cards are the best--trust me! My mom and MIL are both teachers and LOVE them. My mom has been teaching for 26 years--if she gets one more #1 teacher apple or candle I think she will scream! Even if you only want to spend $10, gift certificates are the way to go (movies, restaurants, mall, starbucks if he drinks coffee).
As the wife of a teacher, we have received some interesting gifts. I would suggest a scarf, a gift card to the Barnes and Noble, a picture of the class in a frame (more likely a good gift for elementary, not so much high school), a gift card to Starbucks or other local coffee shop. Lotions and frilly stuff would be out.
Does your daughter know what he likes? She should look around the classroom and see what posters he has up. Does he have a quirky sense of humor? Does he wear silly ties?
Please don't bake anything. It always seems like such a nice idea to make something from scratch, but we never eat food brought in by students unless we really know them well. I also teach at a university and am a bit hesitant to eat anything my students make as well.
Get him a gift card to a local restaurant. Even if you only spend $10, that covers the majority of an entree. I have many friends who are teachers and they really appreciate a nice meal that is free or almost free! Every guy likes to eat right?? :)
How about a gift certificate to a local spa? If he is married or not, he can bring a date or just make the world go away.... Depending on if you are getting the class to pitch in or if it is just an individual gift from your daughter.
Also there is something called sublimation where you can take a photo of the class or maybe a picture of your daughter and teacher together and transpose the picture onto a mug or tile on a box for a reasonable price.
My nieces are teachers and they have more mugs, picture frames & scarves than they know what to do with. Men love to eat - so food is always an option - gift card to a Panera's (he can get brownies or a sandwich), or local coffee shop, even a dunkin donuts. Book store, or sporting good store if he's known to be a sports fan, even to KMart or WalMart - so he can pick out his own gloves, or even underwear. ;o)
After seeing my sister in law accumulate and re-gift tons of student gifts over the years (30 yrs) (after all how many candles and coffee mugs do you need?), we usually bought a gift card for all the teachers with a theme that met their interests. I would often buy a blockbuster certificate (in the old days) or movie tickets and put that in a popcorn bucket with a favorite candy or beverage. Or buy a $5 or a $10 gift card from a local store. Last year both Target and Hobby Lobby seemed to have gift cards that were themed teacher thank you. If we knew the teacher had certain habits or hobbies, I also tried to highlight that. We used to see one teacher at a local fast food place, so I got a Sonic Gift card (and they gave me a bunch of coupons to go with it. P.s. After retiring from teaching, she still has most of the hand written cards that the kids made for her over the years.
If not a gift card to a restaurant (which seems to be a very popular suggestion), get him a gift card to a teacher supply store. I like going in them and looking at all the stuff, and I am not even a teacher! I think it would be nice for him to get to go in and buy something for the classroom, or just a fresh batch of pens and stamps and ink, or something pretty for the walls.
Male or female the BEST gift bar none for ANY teacher is a gift basket of "teacher stuff". You know the STICKERS, PENCILS, BOUNCY BALLS, BOOKS etc ANYTHING that they give out to their students...they buy that stuff out of their own money...why not give them something practical and useful? I am a retired school teacher and I know that I could easily spend $100's of dollar a year on my "reinforcements" for my students. I taught kids in every grade and every grade like stickers (yes, even the seniors). PLEASE help the teacher stock his/her supply and PLEASE NO JUNK FOOD.
Barbilee
Family Success Coach
Retired School Teacher
Single or Married:
gift cards to Home Depot or Lowes or a local sporting good store
Kids:
Gift certificate to go to the local zoo, aquarium, etc. Something he can do with his kids during the holiday break.
other idea:
- make something crafty, like a book or a poem about why Mr. Jones is a great teacher. "J stands for JUST because he is always fair. Like the time that Billy did blah blah . . . " O is for . . . .
Sometimes I like giving the gift of experiences: movie tickets, restaurant gift card, minature golf passes, tickets to whatever special attractions that happen to in or near your town. Also, you can always get him a more masculine notepad for his desk or perhaps a desk or wall calendar would be something that he'd like.
Last year one of my fellow parents asked our teacher to fill out a survey which included things like favorite restaurant, hobbies, snacks, candy, bookstore, theatre etc. I found this online and would be happy to email you a copy. Just send me a PM including your email address and I will forward it to you.
A tie is fairly traditional. But they get tons of them over the years. There's nothing wrong with a candle. I think it's a great all purpose gift. If he doesn't care for it he can always re-gift it. A Starbucks gift card will always get used.