Worst Christmas Gifts for Teachers

Every year, many teachers get Christmas gifts that just end up, literally, in the trash or on a shelf collecting dust. In an attempt to help prevent that from happening this year, these are some of the worst Christmas gifts that you can give your child's teacher.

Baked Goods - Teachers will never tell you this, but the majority of schools require all teachers to throw any baked goods directly in to the trashcan once your child leaves their classroom. Schools worry about baked goods containing some type of ingredient they shouldn't contain, so as a precaution, they tell teachers to toss this Christmas gift directly in to the trash. Although you may have poured a lot of time, effort, ingredients, etc. in to whatever it is that you made, your child's teacher will not be able to enjoy the product of your hard work.

If you want to stick with the baked goods idea though, check out a gift card to a local bakery. Many of them do gift cards (or certificates); that way, your child's teacher will be able to go to the bakery and pick out his/her treat to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Apple (related) Paraphernalia - This is one of the worst gifts out there, according to many of my teacher friends. Yes, way back when, giving an apple to a teacher was a sign of affection and appreciation. But now, the apple related gifts have gone a bit overboard. I have seen everything from a tape dispenser shaped like an apple to the ever-popular apple shaped coffee cup. Teachers get so many apple related gifts that it becomes a bit of a boring and redundant Christmas gift. And, many of those items end up on shelves just to collect dust.

Quite often, teachers re-gift items like this when they're given as a Christmas gift, but really, who are they even going to give an apple shaped item to? Other teachers don't need more of it, and if they try to sell it online (i.e. EBay), who is going to buy it? Another parent looking for a teacher's Christmas gift? Apple related gifts lead to a never ending cycle of bad gift giving. Plus, buying something apple related almost seems like a cop out; it is way too convenient and easy to pick up something apple shaped, so put some more time and thought in to a gift for such an influential person in your child's life than simply grabbing that ruler with a plastic apple attached to the end.

Clothing - It is hard to buy clothing items even your own family members sometimes, so why would you give your child's teacher a piece of clothing as a Christmas gift? I remember some of the horrid sweaters and sweater vests that were given as gifts to my teachers back when I was in school. Really? Would you really wear that multi-colored knitted sweater with Santa and his elves patches? I doubt it; so why give that as a gift? I still know many teacher friends of mine that still get items like this; the gifts just end up tossed in the back of a closet or given to a Good Will store.

If the idea of giving clothing appeals to you, pick up a gift card for the teacher. Go some where that you know they will be able to buy some new work-appropriate clothing (Macy's, Sears, etc.) If you would not be caught dead wearing that sweater vest in public, chances are the teacher you are thinking about buying it for will not wear it, either.

Large Items with Your Child's Picture - If your child's teacher loves his/her job, yes, they love your child. But, unlike you, they do not want a wall calendar based on the life of your child. Sure, that picture of your little one decked out as a pumpkin is a great picture for October - but, for grandma and grandma, not your child's teacher. This goes for coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets, etc. with your child's face on them; no matter how close the teacher is to your little one, these Christmas gifts are just a waste.

If you do want to do something special involving your child to save this idea from being a worst Christmas gift ever, take a picture of your child and his/her teacher; then, have your child write a letter to the teacher talking about how much that teacher means to your family, how great of a job they do, etc. You can frame the letter and the picture together (think: small frame - no huge 8x10 frame here); this is a sweet memento that will be able to sit on display in your teacher's classroom for many years to come. If you do not want to frame it, you can have your child hand make a Christmas card and include the picture in that. A memento like this can easily be stored and can be cherished for years to come.

Chocolate (candy) Boxes - Do you enjoy being given just a box of chocolate on a major holiday (most likely, Valentine's Day) every year? Yes, it's a nice treat, but you really begin to wonder if the gift-giver puts any time and personal thought in to this gift idea. Plus, imagine having a classroom of 25-30 students and receiving a box of chocolate from each of them. Your teacher may find him/herself suffering from a sugar overload if he/she tries to eat all of the candy they are given throughout the year.

A gift card to a local restaurant is an easy fix to this solution; when all of your child's classmates are trying to fatten up the teacher with too many treats, you are making sure that he/she can go out for a night and have a good time. Gift cards are not always personal, but you can wrap it in a cute basket containing other night out items - a DVD, a gift card to rent a DVD, popcorn, etc. This is a great way to pamper your teacher after they have had a long week teaching a classroom full of kids.

Just put some time and effort in to coming up with a gift for the teacher in your life this year; teachers are such an influential and important person in any child's life, so make them feel special this Christmas with a gift that shows you care.