My daughter has had some truly amazing teachers this year. I really want to get them something special, but I can't think of good ideas. I know they are amazing teachers, but I don't know much about their personal lives and hobbies, so it is tough. Starbucks gift card is not quite rife with meaning... It is hard to find a gift that says, "you have had an amazing influence on my daughter's life"

Yes, it's nearing that time for us, too. We usually give bookstore certificates but I'm trying to come up with something different because we already have done that for the holidays and teacher appreciation.

Some things that came to mind: create a story, a poem, a piece of art.

How about a donation made in the teacher's name to a charity that promotes education in an impoverished location?

Write them a letter/note to go along w/the gift. Trust me, they will love it. My step-mother was a teacher in the classroom for about 17yrs and loved the handful of heartfelt letters she received over the years.

i'll second the note - grateful parents are a wonderful thing.

but the thing that my mum (the most amazing teacher i've ever met) always loved best was anything made by the student that reflected an area of the student's genuine interest. over the years, she received handmade cookbooks full of recipes kids wanted to share with her, elaborate portraits of her (hilarious and charming!) and stories written just for her - years after retiring, she still has a moisture-proof box of these items in the basement.

Write a letter and get her a gift card that she can put to use. We usually enclose 2 letters - one from the parents thanking the teacher and one from the child and a gift card to Target or Trader Joe's/Safeway or Michael's craft stores. I have seen that teachers have too much clutter in their classroom with a lot of pottery mugs and things like that - so I just let them buy something useful for themselves with gift cards.

Last year my DS broke his leg and his teacher and ta went to extreme lengths to make sure he was comfortable and happy and safe. I felt they'd really gone the extra mile and got each of them a gift card for a massage/facial. I wrote a nice note, too, of course. I got a thank you back that that was a teacher's fantasy gift, and wow, and thank you so much...so I know they really liked it. It was a splurge, though.