Literary Teacher Gifts

Teachers are an enormous part of a child’s life and my glory a good teacher is worth their weight in gold, so I like to put some thought into end of year gifts. Teachers also have to put up with our children! PudStar is lovely and all that but by glory she is strong willed and there has been more than a few trips to the school office. Her classroom teacher at one point suggested that Frida Kahlo was probably not the best role model for Pud – if you don’t know, Pud has a Frida thing happening (see here).

We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have the same classroom teacher for Pud for two years now and this teacher gets her. She embraces her quirks and has a joke with her (threw in the word ‘Thermomix’ to her spelling test recently) whilst managing to calmly and kindly modify some of her behaviours! She is all you could ask for in a teacher. We’ve purchased for her a personalized teacher print from Hark Home and Pud and I chose the words to go on the print.

I like to give a book if I can find a suitable one. This year I’m giving teachers ‘Melancholy and Bright‘ by Kylie Johnson and one of the Kylie Johnson’s ceramic quote or Christmas tags. I came across ‘Melancholy and Bright’ last week when my lovely cousin gifted me a copy after a horrid week  – husband in hospital etc etc. Actually that week PudStar announced to her teacher that ‘Mummy isn’t really coping on her own without daddy’. Hilarious and true – hats off to all the single parents out there. Kate had it signed by Kylie and she inscribed it herself with the words ‘because you don’t do hugs’. So true – I don’t social hug. This book was better than a hug and I adore it. The ceramic quote tags can be purchased from Biome by clicking on the images below – this is just a sample – there are heaps to choose from.

Image by Biome

‘Melancholy and Bright’ is an exquisitely produced book, in which Kylie Johnson has curated a collection of classic and rare quotes featured over the past decade in her ceramic and paper work. Spanning everything from love to loss, to family and friendship and the whimsy of life, the quotes offer inspiration or solace, moving from the melancholy to the bright. ‘Melancholoy and Bright’ is the perfect gift for anyone inspired by words of wisdom and truth. It has a gorgeous fabric cover…love a textured cover. Click on cover image to purchase.

wisdom begins in wonder
socrates

the woods would be very silent
if no birds sang there 
except those that sang best
henry van dyke

For other teachers I have purchased sets of Kate Knapp’s ‘Little Affirmations’ – 24 little quotes and affirmations with a wooden stand and in a very gorgeous little box. I have a set of these on the library counter which the student adore and we also have some at home, which the girls change regularly. Kate’s art is whimsical and perfect and these cards are a perfect little ‘thank you’ gift. I have purchased mine at Lifestyles and Biome. The image below take you to the Biome site for online purchase.

Previous teacher gifts can be seen here and teacher librarian gifts can be seen here.