Mrs Bee's Emporium: Become the Teacher’s Pet - Great Gifts for Great Teachers

‘Summer vacation is the time when parents realise that teachers are grossly underpaid.’ Author unknown

Christmas is coming and, with it, yet another school holiday. Yes, we’re overjoyed too. As much as we love our kids, the school holidays are when we learn to really appreciate teachers and teaching assistants, and all that they do. It’s not surprising, therefore, that in this festive season, so many of us want to bestow a token of our gratitude for keeping our kids out of trouble and gainfully occupied for six hours a day.

So the question arises: what to get our children’s educators? Should you go traditional, crafty, or useful? Chocolate, alcohol and bubble bath are the standard gifts, and are generally popular. After all, after looking after 25 or more kids all day, who doesn’t need a drink, a sugar rush, and a good soak in the bath?

But perhaps you want to give a more lasting or more personal gift, but are stuck for ideas. You may well have a limited budget too - and with classes usually having at least one teaching assistant as well as the teacher, the cost of showing your appreciation can soon add up. At Mrs Bee’s, we understand the challenge well, so we asked some of our lovely customers for their ideas. These are some of the suggestions that they came up with.

Get crafty

Ok, so we know not everyone likes making things as much as we do at Mrs Bee’s, but nothing conveys your appreciation like a homemade gift. Perhaps you’re a master at baking, or fancy turning your hand to chocolate truffles or creamy fudge. If you’re a knitter or crocheter, how about a woolly hat and scarf for those chilly playground duties?

Alternatively, a hand-crafted gift from your little- or not-so-little one will warm the cockles of their teacher’s heart. Christmas decorations such as salt-dough stars, or air-dry clay pencil pots, don’t need to be complicated, but will be a lasting reminder of your little cherub long after they have moved onwards and upwards.

Stationery

It’s fair to say that many teachers looooooove stationery. Both Dom and I were teachers, and we happily hoard stashes of stationery. Yes, perhaps we should get out more! But, as teachers, we know the value of stationery supplies. Putting together a personalised stationery set doesn’t need to be expensive, but will be appreciated. Find a small trinket box tin, or a pencil case, and fill with rubbers, pencil sharpeners, pretty paper clips and drawing pins, and little sticky notes.

Survival kits

Kids are germ factories. There’s no denying it. Especially when they’re little and have no concept of any kind of hygiene. While teachers do develop almost super-human immune systems, they do still catch the odd illness, especially in winter. A winter bug survival kit is a must-have. Simply fill a small bag with tissues, hand sanitiser, cold and flu capsules, and throat sweets for a gift that will soon come into its own. Why not put it in one of our cute personalised teacher bags?

Personalised teacher bags - can also be adapted for nursery workers and TAs

Bags

Teachers carry stuff. A lot of stuff, just in case you haven’t noticed. Make their life easier with a new bag. Tote bags are an inexpensive but very useful gift for overloaded teachers. They’re also available in a whole range of designs, so finding one that relates to their subject or interests shouldn’t be too difficult.

Teacher Bags - £12.50

Vouchers

Vouchers might seem an odd choice, but they allow teachers and teaching assistants to treat themselves guilt-free. All kinds of businesses sell vouchers now, and ones for Costa (or other well-known coffee shop chains), restaurants, the theatre, or book tokens are all popular choices.

Special interest

Perhaps your children’s teacher is known to have a special interest. For example, we know of a teacher called Mr Elmer. He has a collection of Elmer the Elephant goodies, and is always pleased to have an addition to his collection. Play detective and ask your kids, or other parents or teachers if they know of any particular interests that you could buy for.

Personalised teacher coasters - £5.50

Personalised gifts

Personalised gifts really show that you’ve thought about the recipient. At Mrs Bee’s, we specialise in items that are both personal and practical. Our range includes mugs, coasters, water bottles, lanyards, pencil cases and much, much more. There’s sure to be something that they’d love. We probably wouldn’t recommend one of our sweary-bears though!

Always handy - classroom water bottles - you choose the wording. £14.80

Don’t forget support staff

While teachers obviously do an important job, without support staff schools would simply not function. Whether they’re ‘The Office’, librarians, site managers, or reading volunteers, they’re the grease that keep the school wheels running smoothly. Sadly, they rarely get the appreciation they deserve. Make sure they’re not left out this year. Chocolates or biscuits are one possibility, but perhaps a basket of exotic fruit would make a nice change. Other ideas include a set of mugs, nice tea and coffee, or customised pens or pencils.

Mugs for super hero Teaching Assistants - £12.50

We’d like to thank to our lovely customers who shared their ideas for perfect teacher Christmas gifts. Remember, if you’re looking for something unique, you can check out teacher gifts at Mrs Bee’s Emporium’s Etsy page. Happy shopping!