Dave’s mom is a life-long educator: teacher, principal, professor, and evaluator. So a few weeks ago when I was brainstorming how to thank Bean’s preschool teachers for a year of patience, kindness, and unbridled (really, supernatural) enthusiasm, I knew exactly who to consult.
First, buying a gift for a teacher isn’t mandatory and I really believe you should only do it if you truly want to thank the teacher. From Dave’s mom, really anything is a lovely gesture to people who often work long days for little pay and little reward, purely because they love kids and want them to succeed. She assured me a nice, warm card would do wonders.
(That being said, all those baked goods you’ve made for teachers over the years? Likely eaten by grown sons and daughters-in-law during midnight raids of the kitchen. My mother-in-law’s kitchen would be inundated with baked goods and chocolates come Christmas time, too much for her to eat, and weren’t we ever grateful.)
But. What do teachers actually want? It’s pretty simple.
A gift card to Starbucks.
That’s it! That’s apparently the perfect gift! Even a $5 gift card would be an amazing gift, she promised.
She added, if you really really want to thank them, pick a gift card related to a hobby or interest.
I ended up getting an assortment of gift cards to REI (for the outdoorsy ones who vacation in the Yukon) and Crate and Barrel (for the ones setting up their first apartments in SF).
I sent Bean off to school with warm notes with gift cards tucked in, easy and done!
More reading:
The teachers were right: separation anxiety edition
What to get for your gummy candy addict
