Your holiday shopping lists are starting to mount and you realize you may have forgotten a very important person: your child’s teacher.
“The biggest gift of all is feeling appreciated,” said Tracy Cnare, a primary directress at Keystone Montessori School in River Forest. “The best gift they can give is a thank-you note, both from the child and the parent.”
Teachers treasure gifts with a personal touch, however modest or inexpensive. Handmade cards, gifts or drawings by students made especially for their teachers score big points because there’s some thought and love behind them.
Or, if students and parents get to know a teacher’s interests and hobbies, they can tailor a gift certificate to those tastes. For example, if a teacher likes to bike, camp or in-line skate, a gift certificate to REI or a similar sporting goods store would be perfect.
“Don’t buy something personal unless you know the teacher,” said Elizabeth Schaeffer, directress/director, Keystone Montessori in River Forest. “A teacher I work with gets coffee cups all the time, and she doesn’t even drink coffee.”
Virtually foolproof gift certificates are ones to the movies, to bookstores and to restaurants, Schaeffer said. “If you can’t afford it, a beautiful note or card is just as original and thoughtful.”
Even though some teachers have received gift certificates in excess of $50, they agree a $10 to $25 gift certificate would be just as thoughtful.
“It’s the meaning, not the price,” Schaeffer said.
Added Cnare: “People sometimes think gift certificates are impersonal, but I don’t find them that way. It’s highly personal because it gives us a choice.”
Otherwise, gourmet gift or fruit baskets and fragrant candles generally can be put to good use in a teacher’s home.
And there’s nothing wrong with an old standby. “An apple is always appreciated,” Schaeffer said, “as long as it doesn’t have a worm inside.”
