It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! You remember growing up how some of your best teachers shaped and enhanced your life as a kid. They introduced you to things in the world and opened your ideas to learning ideas that still stick with you today. Teachers are sometimes the unsung heroes of the world. We rely on them to teach our children, but we sometimes take for granted just how important and valued they are. Think about how much time per school year that they spend with your child. Take your average 4th-grade student. He or she will spend on average 7 hours per day for 180 days each school year with their teacher for a total of 1260 hours. That’s an incredible amount of time spent each year teaching your child. So it’s essential and necessary to show the teachers in your life how much you appreciate all their time and effort. It does help teachers morale to receive a little “thank you gift” during this time.
In the early days of schooling in America, the common gift to give a teacher was an apple. This symbolic gesture has still lasted through the years, and many times on literature or ads to do with teachers you will see an apple symbol. In 2015, you have to be a little more creative with your gift ideas than a simple piece of fruit for a teacher. Here are some of the best, “out of the box” ideas for gift for the teachers in your life this Appreciation Week.
For the Foodie Teacher
Fruit of the Month Club Gift – Not an apple gift, although it could be, but there are many different types of fruits available at the Harry & David 
Website, a specialty food company that has the best fruit of the month gifts. So why not a peach gift, or Anjou pears? Something different that he or she won’t necessarily get themselves, but can look forward to and share with their family. They have a “Signature Light Fruit of the Month” club that you can get in packages of 3 months, six months, nine months, or a whole year.The type of fruit varies each month to include, honey mangoes, strawberries, and even Cherry-oh’s Cherries, which are a hearty cherry that is perfect to eat on it’s own.
Gourmet Chocolates – Don’t go to your local grocery store to grab a simple box of Russell Stover chocolate. Impress, and wow the teacher with a selection of gourmet, couture chocolate. Vosges Haut Chocolate hails from Chicago, is sold in some high-end food stores like Whole Foods, and has a beautiful website where you can order their chocolate online. They carry exotic truffles like their “Woolloomooloo” which has Australian macadamia nuts, coconut, mixed with deep milk chocolate. Or grab a collection of their gourmet unique chocolate bars such as their “Mo Bacon” bar with crunchy pieces of hickory smoked uncured bacon and dark chocolate. A treat that is addictive, and unusual. Anything you buy at this website is bound to impress a hard working teacher more so than the usual gift chocolate they have received in the past. This chocolate is truly special and worthy of a hard-working educator.
Cold Brew Coffee – William Sonoma offers a great gift for coffee lovers, and I don’t know a teacher that doesn’t love coffee. Those are some early school day mornings! The Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System is small enough that they can brew coffee with cold water right in their classrooms to enjoy an iced coffee any time of the day. It’s especially good for that after lunch lull where everyone is tired in the classroom. This will perk a teacher right up, and let them finish out the afternoon with renewed energy from this specialty coffee system. Include some gourmet cold brew coffee with it in a nice flavor like Hazelnut, French Vanilla, or Biscotti, and you have a gift for them that they love and get to use every day.
For the Gift Card Lover
Spa and Salon Gift Cards – There are many local spas in your area that offer great deals on gift cards where if you spend a certain amount of money, you get a few different services done at a better price. What teacher do you know that doesn’t deserve a little pampering? This is an ideal gift for a female teacher that will let them get a well-received massage, mani-pedi, or soothing facial. Find a salon or spa in your area that you know is close to where your teacher lives or to the school.
Sporting Event – Who doesn’t love to visit their local ballpark for a summertime baseball game or indoor arena for a sporting event. This is a great idea for the teacher who you know has a family of their own. Sometimes it can get pricey to get tickets to a sporting event. A gift card is a great way to offset the cost for them. Many ballparks around the country offer gift cards that can be redeemed for tickets, food at the ballpark or merchandise. Either way it’s something they can look forward to going to because it’s an “experience-based” gift card.
Amusement Park – Another experience based gift card is one to a local amusement park. Tickets for these parks are going up every year. Have you seen the prices go to Disney World? It’s insane. Once again, you can off set the cost for a teacher by getting them a gift card to a local amusement park, zoo, or water park. It something fun they can look forward to when they get that well-deserved summer break.
Concert Gift Card – You would kind of have to know the person a little bit to get this type of gift card for them, but the House of Blues Restaurant and Concert Venue has locations in most major cities. This is a great idea for a gift card for the music teacher in your child’s life. With a gift card, the teacher can find a concert that best fits their schedule.
Restaurant Gift Cards – Who doesn’t like to go out to dinner? Everyone usually likes a break from making home cooked meals at home to have a special night out. Many local restaurants will give you bonus gift card dollars when you spend a certain amount on a gift card, so you get more bang for your buck, so to speak.
For the Environmentalist Teacher
Stainless Steel Coffee Cup – Starbucks coffee shops have a large selection of stainless steel travel coffee cups that are unique, and beautiful. Most people end up using an old one over, and over until they get kind of gross. A teacher would appreciate a nice new one, complete with a Starbucks gift card inside.
Reusable BPA Free Glass Water Bottle – Reusing water bottles that are plastic, can be harmful to your health because the plastic can leach toxins into the water you are drinking. Keep your favorite teacher safe, and healthy with a lovely glass reusable water bottle from BKR, a company that makes luxury glass water bottles that are as functional as they are pretty. A best seller is the “Cupcake Heart” water bottle that is lavender with a tan heart on it. If you get the teacher an “e-gift card” for the website, then they can even pick out their reusable glass water bottles. There are so many styles, and colors to make drinking ordinary water special.
A Monogrammed Grocery Tote Bag – A few companies make monogrammed tote bags that a teacher can use at the grocery store, or carting around things they need everyday from home to their classroom. Some of the best companies to order from that make sturdy, stylish totes are “Pottery Barn”, “LL Bean”, and “Things Remembered.”
Solar Powered Radio – At the end of a long day teaching, when the teacher still has some work to do in the classroom once the students are gone, sometimes it’s nice to hear a little pop music. With this solar powered radio from Secur Hybrid Radio Company available at Bed Bath & Beyond, your favorite teacher can bop along to their favorite tunes while they plan their lessons.
Organic Soy Candles – Candles are a lovely gift but don’t just get candles from any company. The Root Candle Company make handmade gorgeous soy candles that are organic, and long lasting. They come in many different flavors, and colors to satisfy any eco-friendly teacher.
Whatever gift you choose to give to a teacher or educator this week, no matter what you give, it’s just nice to them as well to know they are appreciated and loved. Having your child add a personalized note or drawing to the gift is a good idea too. Teachers make a vital difference in our students lives every day, and they should be showered with accolades and kudos during this important week.
