Teachers always say the best gift is a handwritten note of appreciation from students. And it’s true. My husband the teacher keeps all the heartfelt notes he gets.
But the dirty little secret is that they also love to get stuff.

You can’t go wrong with gift cards. Underpaid teachers will appreciate any and all in any denomination.
Teachers spend a lot of their own money on classroom needs. So a bookstore card is likely to be funneled back to the kids. If you really want to make sure the teacher treats him or herself, go for movie theaters or restaurants or Starbucks. For a real treat, have the class chip in on a spa day.
(Here’s a hint: It helps if you know where the teacher lives. If the gift card is for a restaurant or theater in, say, Weston, and the teacher lives in Lake Worth, that gift card is going to just burn a hole in the wallet.)
If you really want to give a wrapped gift, candles are always good. Candy or other goodies are OK (especially if there are kids in the house). Steve’s gotten wallets (useful), tea from China and coffee from Colombia (a special treat), a lovely ceramic wall-hanging from Thailand (luckily, it matches my kitchen). But avoid perfumes and colognes (you never know about allergies).

And please, no more Santa coffee mugs.
— G.D.B.