New ways to say thank you

Lets just get this right out there in the open: Teachers dont expect gifts. They dont want parents or kids to feel obligated to give them anything.

But the thing is teachers do get gifts; local teachers receive hundreds of gifts every year.

Some gifts are funny, some are practical, some are knickknacks and some are absolute tear-jerkers.

Teachers are grateful for the gifts, and most love receiving thanks for the work they do.

But there is one catch, something many teachers feel, but few ever admit publicly for fear of seeming ungrateful. Many teachers dont know what to do with teacher-themed gifts. During a single school year, many local teachers can easily collect a box full of well-meaning apple-shaped candy dishes, mugs, magnets, figurines and knickknacks inscribed with cute sayings. One local teacher says she has received more coffee mugs than one human being should ever own.

For parents and students who want to say thank you, there is a better way.

If parents or children are going to go to the trouble of giving a teacher a gift this year, they should make sure it is something that the teacher will use or cherish.

Funny and sweet

Younger students in particular can be sweet and well-meaning but a bit confused when it comes to gift giving.

Heidi Thomas, who teaches kindergarten at Pine Ridge Elementary in Bend, says one child in her class brought her a giant garbage bag filled with brand new Easter stuff with the tags still on. Thomas wondered about the gifts and her suspicions were confirmed when the students mother called to say that the child had brought in the familys Easter supplies without asking.

Steven Gleason, who teaches first grade at Three Rivers School in Sunriver, says one funny gift he recently received from a student is a tennis ball toy for his puppy and a six-pack of Coke.

Becky Mallatt, who teaches first grade at La Pine Elementary School, received a wooden angel decoration in three parts. When she thanked the student for the gift, she says he replied, My mom was going to throw it away, but I told her I wanted to give it to you.

All of these teachers appreciated the sentiment that came from the gifts: The kids were trying to say thank you the best way they knew how.

Good ideas

A handwritten note can be one of the best presents to give a teacher. In a survey from the National Education Association this spring, 48 percent of teachers said the best gift they could receive is hearing the words thank you or receiving a thank you card.

That sentiment rings true for Julie Stirling, who teaches fifth grade at High Lakes Elementary School in Bend.

I think parents think we really want stuff, said Stirling. But she says her favorite gift of the year was a handwritten note from a parent.

When parents take the time to send me a note, thats way bigger than getting a coffee mug, said Stirling.

While receiving gifts like flowers and gift cards is also nice, Stirling says its the notes of thanks that really stick with her.

Most people let us know what were doing wrong; its nice to hear youre doing something right, said Stirling.

Some local teachers, like Mountain View High Schools Deb De Grosse, keep a file of notes from students.

Over the years I have kept them in a good for me file, and the days when I am short on inspiration, or feel that I am not reaching the students, I have this great resource that gives me a place to reflect on past successes and how to build on that past to touch the present, said De Grosse.

Martha Carter, who teaches eighth-grade humanities and leadership at Sky View Middle School in Bend, said, I feel truly blessed by kids who do a little extra.

Carter, who has taught elementary school grades in the past, says there is definitely a difference in giving gifts between the younger and older grades. She says that recognition in middle school can be few and far between. When thanks do come, however, they can be powerful. Just last week, Carter says she cried after reading a card from a student who said she wouldnt have been able to make it through the year without Carters help.

This is why I do what I do, said Carter.

Thomas says she would way rather get stuff the kids can use than anything else. She particularly appreciates receiving art supplies, science kits or gift certificates to the local teacher supply store. Teachers spend so much out of pocket on school supplies, Thomas says, that receiving these kinds of things is a huge gift.

On average, teachers spend $475 of their own money on supplies and materials for the classrooms, according to a 2006 report from Quality Education Data.

Thomas says another good gift is a book for the class library with the childs name written inside.

The extra mile

In her 13 years of teaching, Lauri Peters from Pilot Butte Middle School cant think of a parent who has done as much for teachers as Kari Johnson. Johnson brings in an extra coffee for Peters, remembers her birthday and gave her a teacher conference survival basket filled with puzzles, food and a magazine.

It just makes you feel so wonderful, said Peters. She says hearing from Johnson and receiving gifts from her helps counteract the criticism she receives from other parents.

It is more rare at middle school, which makes it even more wonderful, said Peters.

Johnson, who gives gifts to all of her four childrens teachers, has been doing this for years. She does it as a way to balance out the negative comments she knows they receive.

Ninety percent of people are happy, but they only hear from the disgruntled, said Johnson.

I think teachers are undervalued, underpaid, under everything, said Johnson, who also works as a substitute education assistant in the district.

At the beginning of every year, she asks teachers to fill out a form listing their favorite drink, favorite color, favorite snack, favorite restaurant and birth date. That way, Johnson says, when she does feel like giving a teacher a gift, she knows it will be something they will use or enjoy, rather than an apple or another mug that they dont need.

At the end of the year, Johnson invites all of the teachers to a barbecue at her house as a way to honor them.

She says she never feels obligated and has yet to encounter one of her childrens teachers who wasnt worth recognizing.

Not every parent has the time or inclination to do as much as Johnson does. But many parents also find ways to go above and beyond for their childrens teachers.

Nancy Milliron, a music teacher at Juniper Elementary School, says one of her favorite gifts over the years is from a mother who wrote out the words to the Star Spangled Banner in calligraphy.

Alicia Vickery, a first-grade teacher at Highland Elementary School, couldnt contain her tears when she opened a gift from her class just before winter break this year. Each of her 24 students had made a page in a special laminated book, called How to Be a Good Mommy.

Vickery was pregnant at the time and has since given birth to her daughter Maizi. Each student drew a picture and wrote out a short idea for Vickery about how to be a good mom. Vickery says the pages are by turns hysterical, sweet and completely true. Suggestions range from feeding her baby, changing her diapers to loving the baby and trying to never wake her up while shes sleeping.

Kids are so refreshing, said Vickery.

Parents helped coordinate the effort and Vickery says the book was a complete surprise. Vickery considers the book to be a true keepsake and one that will hold meaning not only for her, but for her little girl as well.