10 Essential Gifts for the Teacher in Your Life

Professional Development and Inspiration

A few weeks ago, my mom helped me put up the Christmas tree. Over the years, the tree has grown shabbier (it was third or fourth hand when we picked it out at a garage sale). But the decorations have gotten better every year. Even though I teach high school, it seems like each year I receive a few holiday ornaments from students. As a result, none of the ornaments on the tree match; they aren’t polished or perfect. But I love them all.

While I was putting out the Christmas decorations, I thought about the best teacher gifts I have ever received. So today I wanted to share 10 essential gifts for any teacher!

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Timeless Gifts

The best teacher gifts do not cost much. Handmade and homemade gifts are the ones I cherish the most and get out year after year. I have poems and letters from past students stapled to my bulletin board. I keep every picture students draw for me. In the same vein, a printed photograph is an easy and low-cost gift.

Stationary is another timeless gift for teachers. I am forever using thank-you cards with my students and for my colleagues, so receiving stationary is always a plus. Similarly, a handwritten note from students is a wonderful gift, and a few words from the heart doesn’t cost anything.

Finally, subscription boxes are another timeless gift! While there are plenty of subscription boxes out there, my favorite one for the classroom is the Little Justice Leaders box. Each month, you get different books, readings, activities, and questions designed to facilitate conversations about social justice issues. Even though the box is aimed at K-6, I get plenty from it for my high school students. It’s a resource that grows and feeds my students, school, and community.

Gifts for Stressed Teachers

Teaching during a pandemic is a recipe for stress. During this chaotic time, I’ve really been working hard to maintain a balance. These are three tools that have been invaluable this year and would make great gifts.

For several years, I was a traveling teacher or taught in a mobile classroom where they was no restroom. As a result, I was always dehydrated. While distance learning has its hazards, being able to stay hydrated is an unusual and unexpected silver lining. I never thought I would fall in love with a water bottle, but I adore this 32 oz. water bottle from Gitto. It has cute messages to encourage you to drink water, but, more importantly, it has a covered straw. I love it, and this would be a great gift for the stressed teachers in your life.

As the philosopher Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t kill their husbands.” Well, Elle was right: exercise does give you mood-boosting endorphins. A regular exercise schedule can help relieve stress so much! For the stressed teachers in your life, a gentle recommendation about your favorite exercise guru could be a blessing. This year, I have been loving working out with Sydney Cummings on YouTube. Her workouts are free, she does the entire routine with you, she’s positive without being fake, and she posts a new workout every day. Honestly, I don’t know where she gets the energy, but being able to pick a few of her workouts each week is definitely a gift!

Finally, sometimes stressed teachers are simply overwhelmed. As teachers, we are always working on grading, lesson planning, and assessing. And since those activities now also include helping students navigate technology and trying to keep everyone healthy, that stress can really build up. For these reasons, a gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers can be ideal.

Looking for more posts about school-life balance? Check out these quick reads:

Gifts for the Techie Teacher

Whether you are teaching students in-person or in a remote situation, technology is part of every lesson. For me, these two gifts have made a huge difference in distance learning.

Firstly, a document camera is a great tool for in-person learning and distance learning. I use the document camera to model annotation whether students are in my classroom or on my computer screen. Here is the document camera I’ve been using and loving.

Additionally, a headset has been a significant addition to my classroom routine. While this is not the most stylish accessory, it has been a game changer in recording lessons and helping students with work when I have a sub and/or when they have been absent. This is the affordable, easy-to-use bluetooth headset I’ve been using.

Technology can be a costly gift, so I would encourage you to see if your department chair, principal, or team has money to purchase these gifts. I stand by all of these recommendations, but I also think schools have a responsibility to equip their teachers with the right tools.

Gifts for Teacherpreneurs

Being a teacherpreneur is an oddly satisfying job, but it comes with some hidden expenses! Whether you want to invest in yourself or in a loved one, these tools are perfect for turning your passion into a profit!

First, if you’re a blogger like me, bringing visitors to your blog is essential! For me, Pinterest is the best marketing tool, but no one has time to pin throughout the day. That’s where Tailwind comes in! With Tailwind, teacherpreneurs can schedule their Pinterest and Instagram content ahead of time!

Similarly, the Tasty Pins WordPress plugin is a great investment for teacher bloggers because it helps ensure your customers are saving your very best images! Plus, there are lots of great features to help drive customers to your Pinterest account!

If you’re looking for inspiration for your teacher side hustle, check out these quick reads:

Give Yourself a Gift

While it’s great to get gifts, sometimes you just need to treat yourself! As I’ve mentioned before, teacher quality is not determined by how much money you spend on your classroom or students. And that’s why these two recommendations are free!

To begin, start using Loom to record classroom videos. I use Loom every. single. day. When I’m wearing that dorky headset to record lessons, Loom is doing the recording. When I’m modeling a tricky process, Loom is recording. And when I want to record a lesson for a sub, Loom is there. When you sign-up, take the time to apply for an educator account, and you will get unlimited videos and will also be able to record longer videos! If you ignore every other gift on this list, Loom is the one in which to “invest.”

Lastly, give yourself the gift of some great Chrome Extensions. Using Chrome extensions can help you work smarter, not harder. The extensions you employ are unique to your needs, so you control every aspect of this “gift.” Get started making your life easier with these tools!

What are your gift recommendations for teachers?