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Looking for a Few Good Teacher Appreciation Gifts?

It's the most wonderful time of the year . . . decorating, tree-trimming, baking, addressing cards . . . and holiday shopping is near the top of so many of our to-do lists! When I taught 6th grade in an elementary school, gifts from students were the norm. As a Middle School teacher, I've never received more than 2 or 3 gifts a year from students. But I know many parents feel anxious about giving their children's teachers an affordable yet meaningful gift, so I thought I'd share my teacher's perspective on holiday gifts from students . . .

Teacher gifts are always lovely tokens of appreciation and I'm truly grateful for every one, but the truth is, some gifts are just more practical than others . . . meaning some gifts get recycled or donated very quickly. (Sorry, folks, but my cupboards only house so many coffee mugs! I'm immensely grateful you thought of me, but the mug is going in a donation box!)

Gifts that I tend to donate because I just have too many of them include mugs, soaps, lotions, candles, teacher-y knick-knacks, anything that says #1 Teacher, and boxed chocolates.

Gift cards to Barnes and Noble are super-useful and especially appreciated because I can buy books for the classroom, which I absolutely love! It’s fun to write the name of the student who gifted the book inside the front cover and remember her each year when students reads that book!

 

Other gifts from students I have especially enjoyed over the years include instrumental holiday music CDs that I can play in the classroom, a beautiful set of Egyptian cotton hand towels from a student who had travelled to Egypt (an unusual gift, but I still use them more than a decade later and they are as soft and beautiful as ever!), and anything personalized (hello, Etsy!)

I do have a small collection of beautiful (non-teacher-y) tree ornaments that I treasure each season as they go on my family tree. Reminiscing each year about the student who gifted the ornament – Isabella gave me a beautiful hand-painted glass ornament from her family trip to Turkey and Robert hand-picked that snowman ornament because he noticed I especially like snowmen – is always a lovely part of the treasured tradition of decorating the Christmas tree and I love thinking of these students decades later and wishing them well as they decorate their own trees with their own families!
 

Of course, the gifts I have kept the longest and treasured the most are the hand-written notes of appreciation received from both students and parents that remind me why I chose to become a teacher! The 10-year-old holiday card from Brandon that says, “Thank you for introducing me to mysteries. Reading is my new favorite hobby!” still makes me all smiles and the card from Amanda’s mom that reads, “Thank you for caring enough about Amanda to help her improve her reading skills. For the first time in a long time, her confidence is growing and she is talking about becoming a teacher herself. The best thing is, she believes she can teach! Thank you for giving her that gift!” just melts my heart every year when I re-read it!
 
 
Click here to read "What Gifts Do Teachers Like to Receive? Teachers Tell All the Best and Worst Presents from Students..." over at my friends' blog, Created for Learning, where Jonathan and Lisa share the good, the bad, and the ugly from 19 fabulous Teacher-Authors!

I'd love to hear about a favorite gift you gave one of your children's teachers -- or an especially meaningful gift you received as a teacher!
 
Happy Gift-Giving!

Catching Up!

Time flies when you’re . . . well, it always flies! I took a bit of a digital break to re-connect with family I hadn’t seen in many years. This was only the second time in a decade I’ve seen my brother and my sister, and the first time all three of us have been together since Christmas of 1994 . . . so I felt our days together warranted some technology-free time!
 
 
Our time together was beautiful – filled with laughter, tears, joy, and countless hours of talking, talking, and more talking . . . in fact, my entire trip had only two glitches: My drive out took me through Cincinnati at the exact time that the Bengals were playing the Cleveland Browns – which I definitely would not recommend! We drove exactly 4 miles in 90 minutes! And supporting the local VFW in my brother’s town included a bit of adventurous eating – which I also would not recommend! (Let me clarify -- I wholeheartedly recommend supporting your local VFW! It's the main entree of this meal that I don't recommend!) Can anyone identify this?
 

In the midst of all the busyness of trip-planning and travelling, I was honored to accept an invitation from The Teaching 2-Step Bloggers to contribute to their collaborative blog. This is a group of 10 terrific Teacher-Authors working together to bring you the best ideas, strategies, and resources out there! Find my first post here:
 
http://theteaching2step.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/fifteen-fabulous-reasons-to-use-quick-writes-in-your-class/


I also posted a freebie in my TpT shop . . . 12 thoughtful, creative, and FUN writing prompts that commemorate winter holidays around the world, including:
Hanukkah
St. Nicholas Day
Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Winter Solstice
Festivus
Christmas
Boxing Day
Kwanzaa
Ramadan
Omisoka
New Year's Eve

Grab it here:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Task-Cards-Winter-Holiday-Writing-Prompts-1559335


I hope you're thoroughly enjoying your autumn! I'm off to create more holiday resources . . .

Happy November!
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