45 Best Teacher Gifts, According to Actual Teachers

An Amazon gift card was far-and-away the most requested gift on our teachers' lists. And it makes sense: You're giving them what they want most — something they can pick out themselves. This one even comes in its own gift box, and all you have to do is add a thoughtful note.

These are wonderful for anyone who has crossing-guard duty or needs to supervise recess. They can last up to four hours on a single charge, and they come in several colors and patterns.

Lots of teachers say that what they want most, above gifts, are hand-written notes. But if your student finds it hard to get the words out, this journal helps them make it easy by offering fill-in-the-blanks that'll get the inspiration flowing. The class can even work on it together and make it a group gift.

Teachers told us they're always in need of a supply refresh. Instead of getting them a box of the yellow No. 2s, make their desks look like a springtime festival with this flowery pencil set.

The same travel tumbler that's used en masse by students last is also a hit with their teachers. And, with the ability to hold a whipping 40 oz of liquid, we get it. The insulation keeps beverages hot or cold, which is helpful for a teacher that has to stand up and talk in front of a class all day. Just don't forget the straw cover to go with it!

If you feel sheepish about giving a gift card by itself, you can always put it in something useful, like these color-coded zipper mesh pouches — which has a million uses. They come in a set of 24, so you'll have enough for several teachers and enough left over to organize yourself, too.

Perfect for a reading or English teacher, these name plates are made from repurposed Scrabble tiles. You can also add in an apple, star or heart embellishment in the beginning. It's a great just-a-little-something that won't take over their whole desk.

Teachers more than most need to keep sanitizing their hands. With this set of 10, they can stash sanitizer in every corner of the classroom — plus their bag and car. You can even get them a fun holder that'll clip to their bag.

After gift cards, personalized items came up the most often as a much-wanted gift. So teachers will delight in their very own stamps, created to look just like them, with their hairstyle, facial hair, glasses and other accessories. You can get them for male teachers and female teachers, and you can also personalize the text.

These are especially good for any STEM teachers out there. The molecule presented there is extremely appropriate for teachers — it's caffeine, something many educators need to get going in the morning.

When a classroom-app note just won't do, they'll appreciate having their own stack of personalized "From the Desk Of" notecards. This one comes with a choice of yellow, green or red apple, but if you don't want to go with the apple motif, you can opt for the No. 2 pencil design.

Another ingenious place to stash a gift card? Inside one of these pouches. They're made to go around a travel water cup like the Stanley Quencher, so that Teach can carry their IDs and keys and stay one-hand-free. But even if they don't have a beverage tumbler, there are a million places to clip this in where it'll be useful.

Our teachers said they'd much rather have something with their name on it than something that said, "World's Greatest Teacher." This tote bag has outside mesh pockets for easy access and an optional interior organizer. If you really want to be a teacher's pet, you can fill it with items like tissues, sanitizing wipes and pencils — supplies that are always in demand.

While our teachers asked for desk plants, they said nothing about the pots they come in. This two-pack features pots with cute messages designed to make teachers' hearts melt. All you have to do is get a succulent or air plant to pop in it, and you're good to go.

If you know your teacher is into LEGO, the only thing better than getting them a real bouquet of flowers is getting them one they can build out of LEGO. If this set is too extensive, there are also LEGO roses, daffodils or lotus flowers for less than $20.

Elementary school teachers in particular often have to decorate their rooms every year. Help them out with this sweet sign that comes in three designs, and can be personalized with their name.

While some teachers on our list were very anti-candle, others were all for them. If yours falls into the latter category, they might love this soy wax–blend candle, which is named after famed poet and author Langston Hughes.

From lesson plans to to-do lists to whatever musings enter their heads, teachers can always stand to have a notebook on-hand. And, with a laser-engraved design, they'll always know which notebook is theirs. There are also many different designs and styles to choose from.

Some teachers requested school merch or school-store swag as a gift; if that's not available, this is the next best thing. It comes in about a dozen colors and a couple different styles, and you can get it in sizes from XS to 2XL.

Markers were another school supply our teachers said they were in dire need of, and these aren't your old, washable kiddie makers. They're permanent, but with a fine point and in a rainbow of colors, which makes them useful for grading, labeling, writing notes and tackling other artsy projects.