Don’t give an amount to an expensive store or establishment because you don’t want the teacher to have to spend money to use the gift card. Atari Sno has been an elementary and preschool teacher, and she cautions parents to consider the gift card source when choosing the amount. Melissa Verity Baral teaches kindergarten in Los Angeles and tells SheKnows most parents give $25 to $50 gift cards. “If your child has the teacher for just one period of the day, $10 to $20 is appropriate.” Let’s tackle the subject most parents are interested in: What price range is “average” or appropriate per teacher? Our etiquette expert would like to remind parents, “You don’t have to spend a lot of money, and sometimes, a handwritten note from the heart is the best gesture of appreciation.” That said, Schweitzer says that, depending on the school policy, $50 may be appropriate (and she prefers a pooled gift) if your child has the same teacher throughout the day. For my own children, I did Pinterest projects.” Price range for teacher gifts “But I also got Target and Starbucks gift cards. Jessica McClure taught kindergarten at a Tustin, California, private school, so she received luxury gifts like Tiffany jewelry and Coach purses, she tells SheKnows. It’s always fun getting gifts from kids as well things that they notice you eat or things you say you like in the class and make the gift more personalized.” Gift cards allow teachers to treat themselves more than they normally would be able to. Between $25 and $100 from over half the students, and the rest may get gifts. I would say gift cards are probably the most common. “With that being said, the families spoil teachers at our school. I just want to have amazing memories, focus on being kind and do the best they can in my class,” Heather Morlock, who teaches elementary school in Redondo Beach, California, tells SheKnows. (FYI: Amazon no longer allows the option of gifting someone an Amazon Prime subscription, but your favorite educator can purchase one themselves with an Amazon gift card.) The truth is we spend a lot of our own money on your children before we even meet them, so to have gift cards to help with supplies would be much appreciated.”Īlternatively, you could also gift them an Amazon Prime, Audible, or Kindle membership. “As a teacher, the best gifts are gift cards I can use on supplies for the classroom,” Shari Selman tells SheKnows. Lisa Santos Jackson teaches kindergarten in Los Angeles and tells SheKnows she receives mostly gift cards to places like Starbucks, Amazon and Target, and the average amount per card is $25. “Don’t go broke trying to impress,” Ybarra Childs tells SheKnows. She says the average is $50 to $100 per parent toward a gift card. And pooling also avoids favoritism, says Schweitzer.Īs for how much to contribute, “I think it’s up to what the parents can afford,” says Jeannette Ybarra Childs, whose Redondo Beach, California, elementary school does group gifts. Some schools organize group gifts via room parents, which takes the guesswork out of what to give. It’s always good to check with the front-office staff. “Public and private schools vary, and some items are considered attempts to influence grades, especially cash and gift cards used as cash,” says Schweitzer. School gifting culture varies, and sometimes, certain gifts are prohibited. Less stuff!”Įtiquette expert Schweitzer says to remember to check the school’s gift-giving policy before you buy. JoAnna Beernaert is a teacher near Hartford, Connecticut, and she tells SheKnows parents should avoid giving “weird-smelling candles, any kind of chocolate, homemade cookies (sorry moms!) or random weird gifts from home goods. Especially those that can be used on classroom supplies (sadly). Most teachers tell SheKnows that gift cards are what they prefer. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Read on for the truth about teacher gifts - and happy giving! (And note: This guide was initially written with winter holiday giving in mind, but it applies just as well to Teacher Appreciation Week and end-of-school-year giving.) And we got Sharon Schweitzer, an international etiquette and modern manners expert, to weigh in with her own handy guide to school gift-giving. The consensus was that gift cards are your best bet. Luckily, we spoke with some helpful teachers to get the lowdown on school gifting (real talk: They have enough scented candles). It’s about that time (again) to think about these things, because Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12 this year.
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