What Teachers Really Want

Jeff Martinez remembers the Christmas of 1981 perfectly. He was teaching kindergarten and throughout the day before vacation, nine five-year-olds shyly handed him a gift. Nine separate times, Martinez unwrapped a Brut Men's Cologne Flight Pack--the gift of choice for the only male kindergarten teacher in the school.

"Having to be enthusiastic and appreciative each time was a challenge," says Martinez, now the principal of Stonegate Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. "I don't even use cologne." He stored the bottles in the basement; 16 years later, he suspects he could still find a couple.

The holidays are almost here, and you want to show your appreciation to your child's teacher. But how? Another box of dusting powder won't do it, and adding your dough to a group gift your child may not even know about won't teach much about the spirit of giving. What will?