Gift Ideas for Teachers/Teaching Assistants/Dinner Ladies

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  • devildog
    devildog Posts: 1,222 Forumite
    How about a flowering plant. We did this one year for a primary school teacher and we bumped into her once and was told that every year it flowered the teacher was reminded of my (then) child(who is now at uni lol)
  • Triggles
    Triggles Posts: 2,281 Forumite
    Having lived in the states for a number of years, I just can't get my head around giving teachers alcohol as gifts (big BIG frown on that in the states). We will most likely have DS2 make a card and craft gift (probably a simple bookmark) to give his teachers, possibly with a mini-loaf of banana bread (DS2 can help make it and it freezes well so doesn't need to be eaten right away). He has 2 teachers (job share) plus 2 TAs, plus 1-on-1s, so otherwise it could get very expensive. I generally don't like to do the "everyone put in £ for gift certificates" and feel uncomfortable when a teacher suggests it as it strikes me as a bit "expecting a gift" and somewhat grasping. But that's just me. Nobody is REQUIRED to give a gift to their teacher, and many times the whole "everyone put in" puts pressure on people to do so.
    MSE mum of DS(7), and DS(4) (and 2 adult DCs as well!)
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  • nikkiuk
    nikkiuk Posts: 181 Forumite
    I'm a TA and I'd agree with the others that have said to steer clear of the best teacher mugs/teddies etc,! Also, None of the teachers or TA's I know would eat home made baked goods.....sad but true.
    My favourite gifts are always chocolates/wine/good quality toiletries and nice candles. Last year I got a gorgeous notebook though and I use it a lot, so that might be a good idea too, oh and I like the idea of a sock cupcake.........I'm off to look in to that now:D!!
    2013 Alphabet challenge: A[STRIKE]B[/STRIKE][STRIKE]C[/STRIKE]DEFGHIJKLMNO[STRIKE]P[/STRIKE]QR[STRIKE]S[/STRIKE]TUVWXYZ

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  • DaisyFlower
    DaisyFlower Posts: 2,677 Forumite
    I personally dont like the Oxfam gifts, I feel the charity is a personal thing and wouldnt like somebody to donate in my name to a charity I personally dont support. Plus I always feel charity gifts are about the person giving not the person receiving, which is wrong.

    We dont do home made items either, I've seen first hand from fetes that people/staff dont eat home made items so have always steered clear of those - not to mention I cant bake :rotfl:

    I buy for various staff at school and try and find something that they will like as an individual steering clear of mugs, teacher related items and cheap chocs/toiletries.

    Depends on peoples budgets though, everyones will be different.
  • SUESMITH_2
    SUESMITH_2 Posts: 2,093 Forumite
    Triggles wrote: »
    Having lived in the states for a number of years, I just can't get my head around giving teachers alcohol as gifts (big BIG frown on that in the states). We will most likely have DS2 make a card and craft gift (probably a simple bookmark) to give his teachers, possibly with a mini-loaf of banana bread (DS2 can help make it and it freezes well so doesn't need to be eaten right away). He has 2 teachers (job share) plus 2 TAs, plus 1-on-1s, so otherwise it could get very expensive. I generally don't like to do the "everyone put in £ for gift certificates" and feel uncomfortable when a teacher suggests it as it strikes me as a bit "expecting a gift" and somewhat grasping. But that's just me. Nobody is REQUIRED to give a gift to their teacher, and many times the whole "everyone put in" puts pressure on people to do so.


    yes but we're not in america

    at secondary level there are only a few parents that send gifts - no one should feel they have to send in a gift as most don't. doesn't make any difference to how that child gets treated.


    i presume the clubbing together is at primary level, never heard of it in any schools i've worked in.

    and like others say most home made cakes don't get eaten anyway. we do microbiology and grow their fingerprints and if you saw what grew on the washed hand plate you would be very careful about eating anything that child had had its sticky paws on
    'We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time
  • uolypool
    uolypool Posts: 1,207 Forumite
    We once made mini christmas cakes made in short baked bean cans,all marzipaned and iced just like a big christmas cake.Placed onto sliver foiled pieces of card and wrapped in florists cellophane.I had to make 6 as dd was in nursery and had a nursery taecher and a nursery nurse.They loved them and the next year one of the teachers paid me to make them for her son and daughters teachers at christmas.Wasnt expensive to make, and they looked lovely and tasted nice to.:)
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  • suemj
    suemj Posts: 42 Forumite
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    SUESMITH wrote: »
    yes but we're not in america

    and like others say most home made cakes don't get eaten anyway. we do microbiology and grow their fingerprints and if you saw what grew on the washed hand plate you would be very careful about eating anything that child had had its sticky paws on

    Does this mean that the cakes or cookies in a jar would be no good too, although they require the teacher to bake them theirselves?
  • benbenandme
    benbenandme Posts: 12,175 Forumite
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    I personally dont like the Oxfam gifts, I feel the charity is a personal thing and wouldnt like somebody to donate in my name to a charity I personally dont support. Plus I always feel charity gifts are about the person giving not the person receiving, which is wrong.

    I get your point Daisyflower, but I also don't like the idea of a teacher being given 30 lots of best teacher mug etc that gets binned / shoved in a cupboard etc, and at least this way someone benefits :)
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  • katiecoodle
    katiecoodle Posts: 352 Forumite
    First Post
    At the end of the school year (in July) there was an enterprising mum in the playground who took it upon herself to run a collection from the whole class. We all put in a fiver, and the teacher received around £150 of vouchers for M&S - which was nice...
    For Christmas tho, we all do individual gifts - mine are sending homemade biscuits in pretty re-usable jars.
  • newz
    newz Posts: 97 Forumite
    As a teacher I've found home-made gifts the most meaningful and my favourites over the years have been a cushion, pen holder, plant pot and ruler container.

    I like the sound of the cookies in a jar gift. I also noticed a mulled wine kit as mentioned on an other thread which i'm sure most teachers would love. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2921/mulled-wine-kit

    Vouchers always go down well but can end up costing more than someone may wish to spend. I have to admit though the home-made cards with special messages/poems from the children whose parents can't afford to send gifts are every bit as appreciated if not more so! HTH
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