The holiday season is approaching, and with it comes Christmas cheer and chaos! This is not just in the sense of the annual school induced stress before winter break ensues, but also in finding the perfect present for others. While it is custom to get a holiday gift for family members and close friends, what about teachers? Is it necessary to get them gifts? If so, what should students even get them? To find out what most Central students gift their teachers, a total of 55 students across all grade levels were surveyed and asked if they typically got their teachers gift cards, chocolates, gift baskets, or something homemade. The results showed that nearly 47% of the people surveyed chose chocolates/candy and surprisingly only 5% of those surveyed chose something heartfelt or homemade as their ideal gift.

Gift cards were the second most popular option at 38%. “Personally, I think gift cards to businesses such as Panera or Starbucks make great gifts,” says Madilyn Winter (‘23).“Both of those places offer coffee and various baked goods to keep the teachers awake and energetic on early mornings when they’re dealing with crazy students. Not to mention by giving them a gift card, they are able to choose exactly what product they want.”
Toleen Alkatanani (‘23) prefers to give teachers more variety. “By getting your teachers a gift basket, you can give them various different presents, such as a lower priced gift card, some chocolates, and a more personal card,” she says.

Students tend to approach teacher gift-giving with an all or nothing mindset: either all of their teachers receive gifts or none of them do. This can be hard because if students want to gift their educators something of value, the prices add up quickly. At the same time, to gift only the favorite or most appreciated teachers seems unfair. Most of the students interviewed resolve this by either giving all of their teachers a small present or card thanking them for their service, or just not getting any of them anything. “It gets really expensive really fast,” said Erin Hu (‘23). “Getting a small present just to show you care is the best option.”
Regardless of the gift, if any, it is the thought that counts. Even a verbal thank you can show teachers the appreciation they deserve.