1. Books in the Teacher's Honor
My children decided to each give a donation to the school library for new books in honor of their teachers. We gave each teacher a small token gift (so my children each had a gift to give) and a card explaining that we had made a donation to the library.
Variation: I had my kids pick out a favorite book they read this summer and then one they thought they would like to read. We made stickers for the inside that say "For Mrs.____'s Library, Love, ____." The kids included a note explaining their choices. I know that teachers spend a great deal of their own money building up their classroom library. For holidays or other special occasions my children continue adding to their teacher's library collection.
2. Pencil Sharpener, Pens & Other Supplies
Many teachers appreciate gifts for the classroom. In the past, we have given a pencil sharpener to replace a broken one. As a teacher, there is one thing I know for sure: TEACHERS LOVE PENS! If you think your kids are sick of seeing red all over their papers, send in some new colors to that teacher. We love pens for checking papers, Sharpie pens for making posters and other things that decorate classrooms, pens for the overhead projectors, pens for the dry-erase boards -- you name a pen, we love it! Also, WE LOVE COLOR -- yellow and orange and let's not forget purple! Kids love crayons that come in hundreds of colors, and teachers only wish that Crayola made packs of pens to match! (P.S. You might want to throw in a cute little pad of paper to match!)
3. Ping-Pong Table
My daughter's 6th-grade class was always doing some big project, but the room was small so they were limited on work space and a display area for their projects. After getting permission from the teacher and principal, the parents got together and bought a ping-pong table for the classroom. Not only was the table great for workspace, the kids also had fun playing Ping-Pong on rainy days and at class parties. This was a unique and useful gift that future classes would also be able to use.
4. Volunteering
Probably the most appreciated gift you can give a teacher is time. Though I work full time, I save vacation days so I can volunteer for field trips or holiday parties. I also work in the library one hour a week by arranging my lunch schedule accordingly.
Variation: Teachers work so hard and rarely get a break. I sometimes substitute teach at the school, so I know how hectic a day can be. One year I sent a note to my child's teacher and told her she was going to have lunch away from class one day the following week, including a restaurant list to choose from with a space to write what she'd like to eat. I told the principal I'd be watching the class at lunch, and on that day I brought hand-picked flowers in a vase, some magazines, and the requested food. The teacher got to sit outside in the courtyard for a leisurely lunch. I gave her an additional 20-30 minutes to read her magazines while I let the class make her thank-you cards for teaching them. The other teachers in the school were saying, "I want your child in my class next year!"
