Gift for Teacher Appreciation Week

Choose a thoughtful gift for your teacher so that he knows how much you appreciate his hard work.gift image by Vasina Nazarenko from Fotolia.com

Teacher appreciation week is a time to show your teacher, or your child's teacher, that you recognize how hard she works to teach, discipline and care for her students. While you don't have to spend a lot of money for a great teacher appreciation gift, put some thought into selecting her present. Include a note expressing your thanks with whatever you choose. You can easily personalize many gifts to make them even more special.

Gift Card

It's no secret that teachers don't get paid too much money. Give your teacher a gift card so that he can spend some money on himself. Choose a gift card to a local restaurant or a store that you know he likes. You could also get him a gift card for entertainment. Choose a gift card good for movie tickets or to a local playhouse. If he likes music, choose a gift card for music downloads. Many teachers also spend a lot of their own money on classroom supplies. If your teacher does this, choose a gift card to a local craft store or classroom supply store. While this gift is not technically for the teacher, he will appreciate that you have noticed that he spends his own money on classroom projects.

Create or purchase a sign for your teacher's classroom. Choose something that she can hang in the classroom, on her door or outside her classroom on the wall. You can find signs that say things like "Mrs Jones's Classroom" and have decorations, such as apples. Alternatively, make the sign yourself. Go to a local craft store and choose a blank wooden sign. Then, paint her name on the sign along with any decorations you like, such as your school's mascot.

Give a gift basket devoted to a type of food the teacher likes. For example, maybe he is nuts about chocolate. Create a gift basket full of chocolate candy bars, gourmet truffles and hot chocolate mix. Maybe he can't get through the day without his coffee. Place a couple of coffee mugs in a basket along with a package of coffee, sugar cubes and flavored syrups. For the junk food lover, make a gift basket filled with sinful snacks. Include bags of potato chips, sugary candy and soft drinks.

Give her a potted plant to help decorate her classroom. Choose something that can survive without too much sunlight, as many classrooms don't get too much natural sunlight during the day. Also, avoid plants that need a lot of attention and watering because it will need to go without water during long weekends and holidays. Peace lilies and mother-in-law tongues are good choices for indoors.