What gift are you giving your child's teacher this year? It's the thought that counts, of course, but according to these lists of worst teacher gifts, some thoughts are just... weird. A Victoria's Secret gift card (from a single father, no less)? Talk about awkward! Other offenders on the "worst" lists are less obvious, like coffee mugs. Seems innocent and practical enough, until you do the math: one mug per child, 20 children per class, year after year... yeah, your kids' teachers probably have enough mugs by now. Here are some real-life examples of bad gifts from Redbook magazine and the Cheaper Than Therapy blog, sorted into categories for your reading pleasure. My Child Picked This Out! Yeah, I Can Tell: Figurines of the entire cast of High School Musical; giant stuffed animal.
I'm Praying For You: "The Purpose-Driven Life" and other religiously themed books.
You Seem Dirty, in a Bad Way: Feather duster
You Seem Dirty, in a Good Way: Fishnet stockings
"Worst" Gift That Actually Sounds Pretty Great for Someone Who Spends All Day With Twenty 10-year-olds: Bottle of scotch
Center of the Universe, Population 1: Framed photo of your child To end on a more positive note, many teachers said the best gifts they get don't cost anything at all: They're the hand-written cards and letters from kids and parents. Says one Toronto teacher:
I have a habit of putting cards like these inside random books in the house so that I happen upon them unexpectedly; this particular one fell out of a recipe book I was using the other day. I stood in my kitchen reading it and felt all warm and fuzzy, remembering the student and a feeling my work was actually worthwhile. What did you get for your child's school or day-care teacher? If you're a teacher, what's the best/worst/weirdest gift you've ever gotten? Related: What NOT to buy a teacher for Christmas