Ladies, I think many of you misinterpret some of the comments made. On my campus, we shared cookies and other baked goods with the whole campus. Custodial staff are often overlooked and underappreciated. There is always a clean-up at the end of each day for health department reasons.
My most treasured gifts have been letters written by students which I save in a special album.
My original post was based on both being a parent and a teacher. I always looked for gifts for a teacher that would be useful. I could only guess what a teacher would appreciate because I knew my taste was probably not going to be the same. Scented lotions, soaps, and candles are "pamper me" gifts but make sure the teacher is not sensitive to them. Baked goods have the same problem (lot of people have food allergies). Anything that has religious implications can also be a problem. You know your teacher best.