Would it be considered tacky/poor taste to give a teacher a $5 or $10 bill with a note saying something like "this is a gift certificate to be used at a store of your choice" instead of something like a mug or bag?

Maybe you could put it is a neat money holder or mug, etc.

I am a teacher and yes we get plenty of mugs etc. Just a nice card with the money would be fine.

Or you could make some "money" holders that could then hang on their Christmas tree...

I used to buy my kids' elementary school teachers gift certificates to the Scholastic book order. I figured they always end up spending their own money of classroom books.

I was a teacher for many years and my daughter is also a teacher. Teachers often spend their own money on things for their classes, so a gift of money is always appreciated. I received a variety of gifts over time and always appreciated the giving nature of my students. Many of the mugs I still have and use. :)

How about a mug rug for all those mugs? With some cash . . .

I often gave money or office supply gift cards to my son's teachers.
I gave it to them at the end of the day when I picked up my child from school, or just left it on their desk, in a card, when I volunteered in the class.

I don't know why, but other parents seemed to act weird about that sort of thing when they saw me gifting. I enjoyed being anonymous.

When I taught, I would have loved this...

I think you have a great idea. I used to spend thousands of dollars a year of things for my classroom that wasn't in the budget. Teachers always get way too many tote bags, coffee mugs, cutsie stuff that they will never use. I applaud the practical.

I have way too many mugs too after teaching for so long. Instead of money, I'd say put it into a gift card for Staples or somewhere like that. $5.00 at Staples could get those little things that add up when you need them - post-its, markers, whiteout etc. Money would make me a little uncomfortable, not sure why.

Great idea. Teachers could use this.

My dear MIL taught third grade for 40 years. She made me promise that I wuld never give a mug or Christmas ornament to a teacher....she had boxes full of them. I think the card and money is a great idea. I gave a gift certificate to Borders (the book store) and the teacher loved it. Another idea is something practical like a home baked loaf of bread still warm or a platter of cookies with a tea towel. There are plenty of ideas.

Here! Here! I don't spend that much at all! Wow. But--I try to tell my students to skip giving a gift to me--I have everything I'll never need/want, unless, I tell them, they want to bring in a bale of shavings. ;) :lol: I encourage them to get a gift for the classroom--more pencils is always good! Or--a gift of writing! BUT, they usually bring in a gift for me--and a gift for the classroom. :roll:

Money would be fine with me--especially with that sweet note.

As a teacher, I would vote for a gift card, if anything at all. I have received a wide variety of gifts over the years, many of which I had no idea what to do with, as they were very impractical. I did and do appreciate the thought behind them, though, and tried to let each student who gave me something know that I did. I am also fine with a card made by the student. Those I can put on my bulletin board behind my desk and enjoy for a long time.

I like this idea a small handcrafted gift for the teacher along with a bit of cash.

We were not allowed to accept cash as a gift. One thing I always wondered about though........ how come the male teachers got wine or liquor and we female teachers got bath salts or chocolates?? Talk about gender inequity!! ;)

Gift cards to be used to purchase those things that are never in our budget is always such a nice gift to receive. I always appreciate even those who bring in the huge jug of animal crackers for snack, or simple school supplies - there are some parents who just can't afford the basics, pencils, glue sticks, crayons....

haha, I never knew about that.

I'm a teacher and would LOVE it!!!!!! I get so many things that I end up passing along to friends just because I don't need another coffee mug, tote bag, etc. Or gift cards from places that I don't usually shop..... However-----the very best gift from a parent is to have your child or you write a heartfelt note telling me what I have meant to your child and thanking me for (naming them!) the things that he /she likes best about me and/or my class. Those notes will be keepsakes and last a lot longer than anything else I get.

no! a gift card or money is a great gift for a teacher. My DD is a 3rd grade teacher,
she uses all her own money for her classroom. Staples,office max and joanns,give teacher discounts.
she likes to work on her school stuff at paneras sometimes, a $5.00 gift card would be wonderful!
she doesn't have a coffee pot, but she stops at Tim Hortons or McDonalds to get her coffee, on her way in to work.

They have some great dollar folding patterns they would be fun for them?? Let the kids make the teacher something. I saw one year a quilt with the students hand prints on them if I was a teacher it would be a gift to cherish!!!

I usually gave my girls teachers things for their rooms, stickers for the kids, pencils, markers, paper, or library books. I'm sure they would also appreciate money for the class.

those are excellent gifts! I save stickers all year long for my DD's class. I get her pencils from sams club, and little things, she puts in a bowl, for the kids to draw out of when they do really good.

I think its a great idea!

I'm a retired teacher. I always appreciated gift cards, esp. to office supply stores. As many have already stated, teachers spend a lot of their own money on classroom supplies. Mugs were cute, but have a tendency to fill the kitchen shelves.