Top 10 Gifts For High School Teachers

Yes, of course, the best gifts for great teachers are the ones that come from the heart – the carefully-penciled poems, the hand-crafted teacher paraphernalia, the not-quite-edible brownies. Yes, we as teachers love those kinds of gifts, (not that we're eating the brownies, what with the prevalence and availability of chocolate-flavored laxatives these days.) But we do appreciate the thought!

If craftiness isn't your thing, and you're fresh out of ideas for poetry, then consider one of these gifts for teachers when you head out for some shopping. Trust me, your teacher will love these things!

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Starbucks Gift Card

We teachers like our hot beverages, especially when we're staring at a pack of students at 7:25 in the morning. Coffee is definitely the gift that gives back. We can't teach if we're still asleep.

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Movie Tickets

Teachers like a good movie as much as the rest of the world, and often, when they're spending their cash on things like supplies for the students and the latest class to maintain their teaching certificates, things like movie tickets can go by the wayside. So give them a night out with a friend/spouse with movie tickets.

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A Donation

One of the best gifts for teachers comes in a box you don't have to wrap. Find out your teachers' favorite charities, and make a donation in their names. Then, make them a card telling them exactly what you've done and you'll be sure to give them a happy holiday.

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A Magazine Subscription

Magazine subscriptions make great gifts for teachers — Christian Zachariasen / Getty Images

Teachers are readers. They have to be to stay current in their topics. Want to impress your teachers? Ask them for their addresses and sign them up for a magazine in the field they're teaching. They'll thank you for the easy research accessibility.

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Something Personal

And we don't mean a package of boxer shorts. Pay attention to your teacher during the year. Is your Bio teacher a nut for fast cars? Buy him a Matchbox Porsche. Is your English teacher in love with Elizabeth Bishop (and who isn't?), buy her a little book of poems. Is your Health teacher into garbanzo beans? A tub of hummus and some pita chips would work nicely. Just knowing you paid attention to something your teacher likes is the real gift, anyway.

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iTunes Gift Card

music makes a great gift for teachers — Hero Images / Getty Images

When teachers are grading the latest stack of quizzes, or trying to relax when they're not, they're typically jamming to some Rolling Stones or Bob Marley on the old iPod. One of the gifts for teachers that can go a long way toward making the season bright is an iTunes gift card. Music is proven to make teachers happy, and you definitely want your teachers happy when they're grading, right? Right.

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Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pen

Teachers are writing all the time. Get them a good pen like the Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pen. This bad boy is easy to use and has been declared the best pen for long writing stints by the American Arthritis Association. If that doesn't scream volumes, I don't know what will.

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A Christmas Ornament

shelf with ornaments — Lisa Hallett Taylor

Sure, not every teacher has a Christmas tree, but for those who do, a Christmas ornament is a great gift. It's fun for teachers to take a moment to go back through the memories of the kids who gave us the ornaments as we're setting up the Christmas tree each season. Bonus? Christmas ornaments are inexpensive, which is perfect if you're gifting more than one or two teachers.

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Altoids

picture of a man with flames shooting from his mouth — Jose Mariola / Getty Images

Teachers talk all day long. What does that mean? By 6th period, we're dying for an Altoid, and our students are wishing we had one, too. Hook up your teachers with that little box of mints, and don't be sad if they're mildly offended. We'll mostly be grateful. Nothing disappears faster from a teacher's stash of goodies than the Altoids, and you'll benefit yourself, too. Halitosis during Shakespeare? Not pretty.

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A Memory Book

a personal photo book is a great gift for teachers — Caiaimage / Chris Ryan / Getty Images

If you really want to knock the socks right off your teacher, get your whole class involved. Have everyone in class send you a photo, and make a memory book on Shutterfly or Snapfish or another memory-book site. Nothing will express your gratitude for his or her hard work more than the memory of your bright and shining faces.

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Roell, Kelly. "The Top 10 Gifts for High School Teachers." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/top-gifts-for-high-school-teachers-3211918. Roell, Kelly. (2020, August 28). The Top 10 Gifts for High School Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-gifts-for-high-school-teachers-3211918 Roell, Kelly. "The Top 10 Gifts for High School Teachers." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-gifts-for-high-school-teachers-3211918 (accessed June 9, 2023).