Guest post: Gift ideas for teachers

Today’s guest post comes from Vance Miller, a dad from the US who wants to share a story about the beautiful end-of-year gift his daughter made for her teacher. It’s not the end of the school year here in Australia, nowhere near it… but it’s coming, and I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to summer and summer school holidays. 

A Thoughtful Elementary Student

My daughter came home from school a week before summer break with a request to get a gift for her teacher. I found myself smiling as I remember being her age and thinking the last week of school could not get over soon enough. Teachers were the last thing on my mind. Thinking of getting a teacher a gift probably never even crossed my mind at seven years old. But now I was faced with a little girl who was insistent on getting her teacher an end-of-school gift.  She surprised me with her thoughtfulness and persistence.

 My “Thoughtful” Gift Ideas

My first reaction was to suggest great gifts that I could easily purchase online. A quick visit to my favorite shopping websites and I would have the perfect gift for my daughter’s teacher. My gift list included:

• eBook gift card (books are awesome)
• tea or coffee gift certificate (mmmm…tasty)
• movie passes (I’m a huge movie fan)
• photo book of my daughter (I have loads of pictures from throughout the school year)

My daughter thought my gift ideas were…..ok, but she had her own ideas. She was excited by the thought that her gift could remain in the classroom even after she had moved on to the third grade.

A Child’s Gift

When I asked my daughter what she thought would be a good gift for her teacher she immediately shared some thoughtful ideas. As I wrote down each gift idea I realized that my daughter had not named even one of the generic gifts adults give to each other. She never mentioned the go-to “Best Teacher” coffee mugs, flowers, or gift cards. The one thing she did include was a “Hugs” teddy bear from The Serious Teddy Bear Company. She loves her teddy bear and said her teacher would love one, too.

Handmade Gifts From The Heart

The main focus of my daughter’s gift list revolved around handmade gifts. She suggested we make a giant “goodbye” card from poster board. She wanted lots of color and ribbons to brighten up her teachers last day of school. My daughter rationalized, “that way she won’t be so sad when we all leave”.

Another great idea was a picture in a self-painted frame.  My daughter told me how her teacher had a board with lots of students pictures displayed in the classroom. I noted down the idea and asked if she had any other gift ideas. Of course she did. My daughter started going through her room to find her paints and colored pencils.  Once her art ensemble was gathered she went to work. What was produced after several hours was a magnificent work of second grader art.

So there it is. My little second grader is going to give her teacher a “Hug” teddy bear with a self-made work of art to remember her by.  And of course I’m going to grab a few snap shots so I can remember this year’s act of kindness and re-share it with my daughter when she’s older.

About the author: Vance Miller is an outdoors enthusiast and father of two. He spends as much time as possible exploring the world’s lakes, rivers, and oceans with his family. 

Linking to The Sunday Showcase.