The last week of the school year produces a lot of chocolate. A teacher with a class of twenty-five goes home with a bag of it, plus candles, mugs and cards, and by February most of it has been eaten, regifted or put in a cupboard.
The gifts that last tend to have one thing in common: a name on them. Here are the three situations we get asked about, and what we would suggest for each.
From one child to their teacher
The teacher star keychain was made for exactly this. It is a bright star printed in full colour with two names on it: the teacher's, and the child's. The child's name is the part that matters. Teachers often keep things from particular children for years, and a keyring that says who it came from is one they can still place in five years' time.
- $12 for one
- $10 each for three or more
- $9 each for five or more
- Pink, purple, red or white, with a matching keychain clip
The three-or-more price is worth knowing about if your child has a teacher and a teacher aide, or a classroom teacher plus a specialist for music or sport. It is also how families with two or three children at the same school end up ordering.
What to write. Use the name the class uses: "Mrs Ngata", "Miss Lee", "Matua Rawiri". Check the spelling against a school newsletter rather than going from a seven-year-old's memory. For the child's name, the way they write it themselves is usually the right answer.
From a group of parents
Some classes pool money for one bigger present. Two things work well here.
The desk organiser is $30, about 21 to 22 cm long, and has the teacher's name across the front in raised letters. There is a prompt on the order form to add Miss, Mrs, Ms or Mr before the name, because a teacher's desk is the one place they are rarely called by their first name. You pick two colours: one for the organiser and one for the name.
The jewellery box, from $15, is printed in full colour with a name and a floral design. It suits a teacher you know well enough to give something personal, and if the class has a drawing or a photo it would like on the lid, you can send your own image for $3 extra.
If the group has more money than that, put the rest towards a voucher and give the named thing alongside it. The voucher gets spent; the organiser stays on the desk.
From the teacher to the class
This one runs the other way. A lot of teachers give each child something small at the end of the year, and the You Are a Star class keychains are made for that.
Each star carries the child's name and the teacher's name. You set the quantity to the number of children and type their names into the order, one per line. That is the whole order form, and it is easier than it sounds: copy the class list, paste it in, check it.
- $8 each
- $6 each for fifteen or more, which covers most classes
A class of twenty-six is $156. Teachers often pay for this kind of thing out of their own pocket. If that is you, the cheaper option is the plain name keychain at $6 each, with just the child's name.
Check the list twice. The names are printed as typed, and with twenty-six of them it is easy to miss a swapped letter. If a child spells their name differently from the roll, go with how the child spells it.
Other things teachers use
- A hoodie pencil holder, $16, with a matching name keychain. It holds 10 to 15 pencils, which is about right for a reading table.
- A plain name keychain, $6, for coaches, kaiāwhina and the office staff who do far more than anyone notices.
When it isn't the right thing
If you do not know the teacher's name well enough to spell it, or you are not sure whether they go by Mrs or Ms, a named gift is a risk. Ask the school office, or give something without a name.
And if your child wants to give their teacher something they made themselves, let them. A drawing on the fridge beats anything we print.
Timing
Everything is made to order in Auckland: 0 to 2 working days to make, then 1 to 3 working days once posted. Give yourself time to check a class list properly, which is a good reason not to leave twenty-six names to the last week of term. Postage is worked out in your cart, collecting in Auckland is free, and the details are on the delivery page.
The whole range is in the teacher gifts collection.