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Betty Yoder 4 months, 1 week ago.
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Christmas is coming up…what are some great ideas for a little gift that a high school teacher could give to his students? What about gifts for fellow teachers?
Regarding gifts for fellow teachers…I recall one year that as principal I gave each teacher a coupon for a class or other activity in their room. Over the next month, I found myself in each class one time, from teaching lower grade science to middle grade reading to recess duty. The teachers really appreciated the gift, and I gained an understanding of students in the school from a fresh perspective.
This I haven’t done…but one could offer to address some topic of each student’s choice as part of a class or morning devotion.Gifts for fellow teachers – one year a co-teacher (who enjoys shopping) bought each of her co-teachers gifts from second-hand stores that fit their personalities, such as the ABC paper weight she gave me.
Lower grade teachers enjoy used books they can make use of in the classroom.
I’ve enjoyed a meal and evening of fellowship with the rest of the teaching staff that one teacher gifted us with.
For high school students: one of our high school teachers used to give out the big candy bars. He also has given gift cards for a free coffee at the coffee shop he owns. Most young ladies enjoy plants. Succulents (such as sedums and hen & chicks) are very popular right now and are easy to grow your own if you can get a parent start. Other house plants can be easy to grow also. Find containers (such as glassware, tea cups, mugs) to plant them in at second hand shops for unique gifts.
This is an idea along a different vein:
Although this idea comes too late to incorporate this Christmas season, perhaps it is an idea worth sharing for other years or seasons. I know students love to receive gifts, but I find they also delight in being able to give. With this in mind, for a number of years I have deliberately planned a way for students to earn money toward a mission project such as Christmas gift items from the CAM Christmas Gift catalog. Since neatness was something I wanted to focus in on this fall, I began giving students periodic coupons based on neat work. These coupons are redeemable each Friday; each coupon entitles them either to a small tasty treat or money toward “buying” a gift item from the CAM Christmas Gift Catalog. Like always, their enthusiasm for giving both surprises and pleases me. Many times I see them pouring over the CAM catalog carefully planning what they want to “buy”, planning with friends how they will pool their money to have enough, counting how much they have, and gladly bypassing the tasty treat in lieu of the joy of giving. It feels like the true spirit of Christmas.
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