I have had the most awesome student teacher this year! As I know her time is quickly coming to an end with my class, I have begun contemplating what to get her as she starts her career as a teacher. This got me thinking, there are probably many of you out there that have future educators in your life and you aren’t quite sure what would make a good gift.
If you are much like me, you love to give your grad gifts that are practical and things they can use. There are so many fantastically cute things on Pinterest from wreaths, to signs, you name it for your soon to be teacher. However, a little known secret is that teachers often walk into classrooms and there is nothing in their room, but walls and desks. Teachers spend most of their own money on their decor and they often have other items that they really could use or end up skimping on. Here are some great gifts that they can use in their classroom in a variety of prices and options. All can be purchased with a click of a button, and don’t require you to make anything! (Great for the person on a time crunch!)
Okay, full disclosure…I LOVE AMAZON! It is my go to place for my supplies because they have variety and they have Prime shipping! Amazon didn’t pay me to say this, just the truth. If you don’t believe me you can come look all the collapsed amazon boxes in my recycling. lol
These items are in no particular order. A few items at the end don’t have photos, but I’ve linked them directly to the item so that you can see them and get the information to purchase.
#1 MR.SKETCH MARKERS
Mr.Sketch scented markers are one of my faves! These markers smell great and they are fantastic for making anchor charts and posters for wall to cover learning objectives that teachers have to write. Another great thing about these is that they are an inexpensive gift. Slap a tag on them and and add some ribbon and you are all done!
#2 LAMINATING MACHINE
A laminating machine always comes in handy! Yes, most people will have access to one at school, but not always or they are limited on lamination film etc. This laminating machine is super affordable and I love that I have it at home where I can laminate my activities if I need to do so.
#3 FRIXION ERASABLE GEL PENS BY PILOT
To say that these pens are my favorite is an understatement! I use them for EVERYTHING! The reason they are so great (outside of their fabulous colors) is that they truly do erase. They don’t leave marks or smear. They are perfect for teachers because we often have to write names on things, put grades in a paper grade book, or grading papers. They are absolutely fabulous. Here is a close up picture of them, the eraser is the gray tip you see on the end of the pen.
#4 A GOOD PLANNING BOOK
This goes along with the pens. I like to give lesson plan books. I’m partial to this one because, well I created it. I made it to contain the grade book, lesson planner, and other important information all in one place. It goes great with the pens so that info can be adjusted as needed. This planner comes in multiple styles and more are being released soon. If you don’t like this planner, there are many other great planners out there as well. The perk to this one is that it allows a teacher to have all of their information in one place and it is much cheaper than many of its competitors. Options to personalize it are coming soon as well!
#5 POST-IT NOTES
Post-it notes in all shapes and sizes are very handy for classroom lessons and different things that a teacher does in the classroom and they are often expensive. If you can catch the sale, you can purchase this Post-It Note Teacher’s Treasure. It is a little high in price (about $80 on amazon regularly). If you have time and can watch though, Staples will run it on sale for $50 and it contains 10lbs of Post-it notes in tons of shapes, sizes and colors.
#6 X-ACTO TEACHER PRO ELECTRIC PENCIL SHARPENER with SMARTSTOP
A GREAT PENCIL SHARPENER! I prefer the one at this link. The thing that makes this one great, outside of the price is that it has a light that comes on to let the user know that the pencil is sharp. This is great when you are sharpening a lot of pencils at once. It is a great time saver!
#7 TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS GIFT CARD
Finally, we all know gift cards are a great gift. In particular to places like teacher stores, Ross, and Amazon so that your future teacher can purchase the much needed items on their list for their new classroom. I would also recommend one other that you might not think of, that is a gift certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers is a site that many of us teachers use to purchase activities. When I started teaching we would buy book upon book from the teacher store that we could copy out of. Thankfully, times have changed! Instead of purchasing materials from book makers who aren’t in the classroom, teachers can now purchase from teachers around the world. Giving them a gift card to purchase materials on the site is a huge help to your future teacher and is very cost effective as well. (The average cost of an activity on TpT is around $4 making the options for your teacher very affordable!)
Get a Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card HERE
I hope you found the perfect gift for your grad in this post! I wish all of the future teachers out there all the best! Remember you are changing the world one class at a time!
