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Tazmin68
24-10-2013, 12:44 PM
Hi
I need ideas. This is the first time that any of my children have a male teacher. I am after ideas for a Christmas present. In the past have always given personalised candles but no idea this year.

watford wizz
24-10-2013, 12:51 PM
Book tokens, socks, nice pens, something more personal if you know their out of school interests, donation to their favourite charity, something for their car x happy shopping

lizduncan72
24-10-2013, 01:10 PM
I chickened out last year when my DS had a male teacher for the first time and sent in a load of cakes for all the staff!! Sorry, not much help x

Rick
24-10-2013, 05:02 PM
Book tokens, socks, nice pens, something more personal if you know their out of school interests, donation to their favourite charity, something for their car x happy shopping

I wouldn't mind getting any of those :D

karensmart4
24-10-2013, 05:02 PM
My grandaughts teacher in the infants school (the only male their and he loved it :laughing:) wore ties, she bought him one for christmas and he wore it quite often the following year. She much prefers a male teacher and is sooo pleased she has another one now she's in juniors :thumbsup:

bindy
24-10-2013, 05:29 PM
I once asked the head teacher of a school, a few years ago now, what the teachers like as presents, Reply- Bottles of wine, bubbly stuff, flowers and plants, git vouchers!

FussyElmo
24-10-2013, 05:37 PM
Ds had a male teacher last year for Christmas I made Christmas pudding fudge but he has an nut allergy :rolleyes: So I had to get a Simpsons mug.

When he left the class I had a glass painted for him with Superteacher on it. That went down a treat :D

I now have him again for dd - going to make homemade chutneys for Christmas :D

Glitter
24-10-2013, 05:41 PM
Gloves always go down well with teachers. They like them for playground duty in winter, but are always loosing them.

samb
24-10-2013, 06:28 PM
I always do a craft with my children to give as gifts to teachers- they are unisex really so we've done things like... A coaster, a pen pot, a keyring etc this year they are decorating small glass jars from ikea and making sweets to go inside- not sure which sweets yet though.

dominiquegait
24-10-2013, 08:15 PM
My mum used to be a teacher and I was in her school staff room when one of the teachers got a rusty Frey bento pie for their present... I'm guessing anything but that!

My DH says if he were a teacher he's like a cinema voucher or alcohol or chocolate

FloraDora
24-10-2013, 08:17 PM
Having spent 35 years in teaching.....I really never appreciated the time and effort some parents put in to Christmas gifts !!

I am in awe ....how great are all of you !!

From 'the other side' I can assure you that

- no teacher 'expects' a present - home made cards always get taken home - especially ones that look like they have been made by child - if you are buying cards( because you work all hours!) the child HAS to write in it themselves!!
- the best presents are gifts that the children have had some input in ...home made ...are gold stars!!
- I have never worked in an area where parents can afford alcohol ... Chocs are great ..if you are going for bought... Not fancy!
- every male teacher I have worked with absolutely boasts about anything to do with their favourite football/ rugby/ music - fav band / cricket team ..or if they are a golfer , the naffest ( is that a word?) golfing gift ever!! Shows the children really know about him - the males love that!!! They always drink out of their'teams' mug - though thermos and lidded are better in the H&S world of late.
- silly pens, desk tidies ...the children see the teacher using them after christmas and that is nice.
- a child, in an area of some deprivation where christmas gifts for teachers were not the norm...gave me some handmade 'vouchers' once - best gift ever! Promises to ...tidy my desk...sharpen pencils...carry stuff to car ....behave( he had some challenging behaviour on occasions!) ..read every night without me nagging...

Whatever you settle on will so be appreciated( and not expected) - the thought that children/ parents care ..at he end of a long term ..always makes you happy.

As an aside story- that might make you smile... About 20 years ago... A mum and child came into my class with a litre bottle of Tia Maria ( mmmmm fav liquer) I was amazed..what a generous gift! I promptly shared it with my colleagues - at break .. Coffee and Tia Maria ... Wonderful!!! ( those were the days... When we thought it was ok to drink alcohol on school premises!! Def not allowed now!)

We had it again after school when we were preparing for the Christmas fayre... The same parent popped in whilst the preparations were going on to drop off some cakes " I know I have already donated something special for the tombola, but thought I ought to make a cake too.." !!!!!!! The Tia Maria was for the tombola...and we had opened it, thinking it was a Christmas gift - she wasn't specific!!

We searched the local shops for a Litre bottle to replace the one we had opened .... Took ages ... And cost loads!!

Best 'after christmas fayre party' though ..as we finished the Tia Maria minus the coffee..

The Juggler
24-10-2013, 09:27 PM
having seen the cupboard in the kitchen and the reems of chocs from last xmas (yes!!!!) and from the summer still uneaten (though a welcome boost on a late workign night) NOT chocs or mugs.

I agree with the handmadeness and made by kids - a card with a message is what I've always done. My kids have always had about 2 or 3 teachers/Ta's each so I coudl never afford a bottle of wine etc each and then it would have been wasted if wrong colour wine or they don't drink.

I've bought candles and spa creams before. But for a male, I agree, gadgety stocking fillers, ties silly socks would be good.

loocyloo
24-10-2013, 09:28 PM
I got some personalised stickers saying superteacher and their name from PTS ( primary teaching supplies ) they went down very well. One teacher named everything belonging to him with his stickers!

dawn100
24-10-2013, 11:26 PM
I always make homemade millionaires shortbread, well I always made homemade cakes or similar but after making the millionaires shortbread one year lots of teachers made hints to my son next christmas for it to be made again so that's what I make every year- enough to be shared in the staff room by all teachers. Then last year for the class teacher who was male I bought a couple of bottles of pear cider - he seemed very pleased with that.

VeggieSausage
25-10-2013, 06:23 AM
I have to say I do not bow to the pressure of presents for teachers.....I give a card saying thank you for the wonderful year my daughter has had and my daughter makes and writes in a card to say what she would like to.

If I was a teacher I wouldn't be keen on getting food things made by childrens little hands, just in case they were not quite as clean as they might be!!

bindy
25-10-2013, 09:32 PM
I have to say I do not bow to the pressure of presents for teachers.....I give a card saying thank you for the wonderful year my daughter has had and my daughter makes and writes in a card to say what she would like to.

If I was a teacher I wouldn't be keen on getting food things made by childrens little hands, just in case they were not quite as clean as they might be!!

I agree, nor would I want 30 hand made items! Sorry! Just a simple " Happy Christmas" is enough!

Carol
25-10-2013, 11:48 PM
Having spent 35 years in teaching.....I really never appreciated the time and effort some parents put in to Christmas gifts !! I am in awe ....how great are all of you !! From 'the other side' I can assure you that - no teacher 'expects' a present - home made cards always get taken home - especially ones that look like they have been made by child - if you are buying cards( because you work all hours!) the child HAS to write in it themselves!! - the best presents are gifts that the children have had some input in ...home made ...are gold stars!! - I have never worked in an area where parents can afford alcohol ... Chocs are great ..if you are going for bought... Not fancy! - every male teacher I have worked with absolutely boasts about anything to do with their favourite football/ rugby/ music - fav band / cricket team ..or if they are a golfer , the naffest ( is that a word?) golfing gift ever!! Shows the children really know about him - the males love that!!! They always drink out of their'teams' mug - though thermos and lidded are better in the H&S world of late. - silly pens, desk tidies ...the children see the teacher using them after christmas and that is nice. - a child, in an area of some deprivation where christmas gifts for teachers were not the norm...gave me some handmade 'vouchers' once - best gift ever! Promises to ...tidy my desk...sharpen pencils...carry stuff to car ....behave( he had some challenging behaviour on occasions!) ..read every night without me nagging... Whatever you settle on will so be appreciated( and not expected) - the thought that children/ parents care ..at he end of a long term ..always makes you happy. As an aside story- that might make you smile... About 20 years ago... A mum and child came into my class with a litre bottle of Tia Maria ( mmmmm fav liquer) I was amazed..what a generous gift! I promptly shared it with my colleagues - at break .. Coffee and Tia Maria ... Wonderful!!! ( those were the days... When we thought it was ok to drink alcohol on school premises!! Def not allowed now!) We had it again after school when we were preparing for the Christmas fayre... The same parent popped in whilst the preparations were going on to drop off some cakes " I know I have already donated something special for the tombola, but thought I ought to make a cake too.." !!!!!!! The Tia Maria was for the tombola...and we had opened it, thinking it was a Christmas gift - she wasn't specific!! We searched the local shops for a Litre bottle to replace the one we had opened .... Took ages ... And cost loads!! Best 'after christmas fayre party' though ..as we finished the Tia Maria minus the coffee..

Made me giggle you all drinking the tombola donation lol

FloraDora
26-10-2013, 09:28 AM
Recieved the oxfam unwrapped book in the post this morning - another idea that might go down well- thinking of others around the world.

Teachers | Oxfam GB | Shop (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfam-unwrapped/teachers)

Personally I am going to gift 'give girls a head start and 'girl power' instead of buying Christmas cards for all though's long ago friends.

bluebell3
26-10-2013, 04:12 PM
its hard not to bow to the pressure of buying gifts for teachers because its almost like saying you don't appreciate the teacher for all they've done.

I don't buy christmas presents for teachers but I will buy / make something at the end of the year to show appreciation.

I tend to go for a homemade gift and it depends on the teacher or how many teachers I have to get for too as to what kind of effort goes into it.

Last year I spent ages printing the teachers and teaching assistants home made bookmarks with inspirational teacher quotes / or best teacher and an apple or something on and my children helped cut them, wrote their message on the back to Mrs... from ... xx and then we laminated them and put a ribbon on. Between my 2 children there were 5 teachers (1 job share and 2 went on maternity leave and I didn't want to forget them as they were brilliant) plus 3 teaching assistants - 1 was a support worker with 1 boy but I knew she was also playground monitor and had taken time to look out for ds when he had some issues.

Teachers must read books at some time and a bookmark is useful so seems personal.

If I was buying something I wouldn't spend more than about a fiver I don't think.

I also have printed off chocolate bar wrappers and just given a bar of chocolate but wrapped in a wrapper that say 'best teacher bar none'

I also made clay apples one year that my child painted red and wrote on the back to his teacher and wrote on the front 'best teacher award 2012'

just personal and a way to say thanks. If the teacher doesn't appreciate the sentiment that's fine - I can imagine they get a lot of tat and can't keep hold of it all. Likewise something that costs a lot of money isn't necessarily going to be appreciated.

My friend was given a really expensive designer coat and it was horrible - she couldn't wear it or sell it and the person kept asking why she wasn't wearing her coat.

yummyripples
28-10-2013, 11:55 PM
A venus fly trap. So cool

clairer
30-10-2013, 08:29 PM
Mugs, biscuits, mini tool kit, chocolates, notebooks, one of those not all!:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

loocyloo
30-10-2013, 08:34 PM
A mindee gave me an oxfam unwrapped gift years ago and since then, I give oxfam unwrapped gifts to all those 'got everything' 'don't know what to get them' people.

mrstom
30-10-2013, 10:04 PM
I made DS1s reception teacher some Christmas pudding fudge last year (the pink whisk's recipe - she does variations so you can make it just vanilla, rum and raisin etc instead). She took me aside in January and raved about how gorgeous the fudge was :D

This year she'll be getting some homemade Nigella Christmas chutney (DS2 is in her class now) and the year one teacher will be getting the fudge this time!

Tulip
01-11-2013, 08:59 PM
mmm home made chutney sounds lovely