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Finding the best gifts for teachers can be a challenging task: You want to show your appreciation to the educators in your life, but figuring out what teachers actually want beyond a Starbucks or Amazon gift card can be a bit of a struggle. Fortunately, we’ve got a few ideas that are so much more exciting than the clichéd apple, which, let’s be honest, no teacher is actually going to be excited to receive during the hectic holiday season. We’ve rounded up some great gifts to help make your favorite teacher’s classroom their personal sanctuary: and yes, that includes some gourmet snacks.
Maybe you’re looking for a great gift to celebrate the holidays, the end of the school year, or Teacher Appreciation week or to make a good first impression during back-to-school season. There's no wrong time to show some love to teachers, so keep reading for some gift ideas that are worthy of an A-plus.
For the teacher who’s always clutching their coffee in the pickup line
No one deserves a perfect cup of coffee more than a teacher, so if you know that your favorite educator is a caffeine fanatic, you really can’t go wrong with a coffee-focused gift. A nice personalized ceramic mug that makes you think of them or high-quality travel mug will likely never leave their hand are both great options, since they’re practical and memorable. If you want to go above and beyond, buy them a great bag of beans, or splurge on one of our favorite coffee subscriptions for a gift that keeps on giving—and ensures that they won’t get bored of drinking the same old Starbucks coffee blend.
Snacks and sweet treats
Coffee might be one of the best gifts for teachers out there, but you know what else is great? A preassembled gift box of snacks and sweet treats they can nibble to get through those long days in the classroom. Luckily, there’s no small shortage of snack subscriptions and curated boxes of goodies to give an educator as an end-of-year gift that’ll leave them sad to see your kid go, no matter how much of a pain they were during the school year. If you want to give them the gift of a quick and easy home-cooked meal, it’s hard to beat Omsom’s Try ’Em All Set, which comes with four boxes of their instant noodles as well as a variety of cooking sauces. Want to give them a sweet treat instead? This tower of fancy caramels is the perfect pick.
Classroom essentials
The classroom is a teacher’s office, yes, but they also spend a lot of extra time there, which is why anything that can help brighten up their space is always a good gift idea. Small upgrades can have a major impact on an educator’s day-to-day, so this is a great time to think outside the box and show off your creativity when choosing a way to show your appreciation. We love this retro-inspired mini fridge, which they can keep near their desk and use as a place to stash everything from their lunch to a stockpile of homemade cold-brew coffee. Simple things like agendas to help keep their lesson plans organized are also a great idea, but feel free to take your gift ideas out of the classroom. A multi-pouch tote that they can use to carry all their paperwork, school supplies, and lunch for work is a versatile pick that can also double as a reusable grocery bag. Just stick to things they’ll actually use instead of decorative knickknacks that will only clutter up their already-cluttered desks.
