Mark the End of a Meaningful Career with the Top Gifts for Retiring Teachers

Teaching can sometimes be a thankless job. When the time comes for a teacher to retire, it’s not just the end of a career, but the end of a lifetime of special relationships, and the end of shaping the lives of young people. If you know a teacher who is soon to be retiring, give them a retirement gift that conveys your appreciation. Over the course of their career there will have been countless ‘teachers’ gifts, so it’s not going to be easy to come up with something that’s unique. But don’t let that worry you because we’re going to be sharing some of our top ideas.

Retirement gifts for teachers, they won’t want to give away

Being a teacher is one of the few professions that is regularly treated to gifts. Throughout the academic year there are lots of occasions that call for gifts. Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and the end of the school year are just a few examples. Christmas ornaments, picture frames, paperweights and coffee mugs are popular gifts for teachers, so when it’s time for them to retire, it’s best to steer clear of these as they’ve probably already got quite a collection

It will be a good idea to find out what their plans are for retirement. Whether there is a hobby or activity they are planning to explore. Choose a gift that builds upon one of these ideas and the retiring teacher won’t want to give that gift away. Here are a few suggestions:

• Pay for some classes so the teacher can learn more about their new hobby
• Organize a weekend getaway for the teacher who longs to travel
• Book a cleaning or gardening service so they can enjoy a little rest before starting their retirement
• Kitchen equipment for the eager chef
• A box of new fishing gear or a new fishing rod
• A wheelbarrow filled with gardening tools and plants
• A gift certificate for the local hobby or craft store
• A few golf lessons

If you’re not sure of their plans, there are a host of other teacher retirement gifts that will be enjoyed by the retiring teacher.

• Puzzles, cards, and board games
• Theater tickets
• Restaurant voucher
• A scrapbook filled with memories of their career
• Jewelry
• Notebook or journal

Celebrate the occasion with a retirement gift for teachers

Teachers play a significant part in the lives of young people. Their working life will have been dedicated to sharing their knowledge and inspiring young people to develop their skills. It takes a certain kind of special person to become a teacher, so it’s only fitting they get given a special retirement gift. Here are some more options:

• Write a poem that celebrates their career, and the valuable contribution they have made
• A personalized pen and presentation box
• An engraved whistle for the sport teacher
• A creative writing course for the aspiring novelist
• The chance to pamper themselves with a day at a spa
• A collection of messages from former pupils

When a teacher is retiring it can be difficult finding the best retirement gifts for teachers. Consider the subjects they’ve been teaching over the years, as this is often a good place to start your search. A gift that relates to the subject they’ve been teaching is always going to be interesting.

It’s also very likely that the teacher will be looking forward to enjoying new hobbies and exploring new interests. After years with little time to spare and a very full calendar, they will be looking to find a worthwhile endeavor with which to fill their time. Therefore, if you can find out about these you’ll have more scope for picking the best retirement gift. And the more personal a gift, the better it will be.

A retirement gift for teachers with a good sense of humor

There aren’t many teachers who don’t have a great sense of humor. It’s an important quality for such a stressful job. Over the course of their career it is very likely there will have been many entertaining and hilarious moments with students. A humorous retirement gift for a teacher will be a great idea, especially if you understand their style of humor. Here are a few suggestions:

• Fridge magnets with a humorous message such as “Retired teacher, no job, no clock, no cares, no memory”
• A mug that states “I used to teach. Now I have no class”
• A personalized t-shirt with the teacher’s favorite saying
• A plaque that states “Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever”

Ideas for teacher retirement gifts

A retiring teacher deserves to be recognized with gifts, awards, and thanks. There are some very traditional gifts to choose from or you can pick something different.

• Organize a party with peers – On their last day at school celebrate with a party for former and present colleagues, pupils, friends and family. If you want to keep a tight reign on the budget, why not ask all the guests to bring a dish of their own? Decorate the venue with balloons and streamers, and make sure there are plenty of photographs featuring the guest of honor.
• Celebrate a career full of special memories – By the time retirement comes knocking a teacher will have been teaching for two, possibly even three decades. Which means there will have been plenty of memorable occasions. Reach out to former students and colleagues and ask for contributions, either in the form of a picture, note, message, story or other favorite memory of the teacher in question. If you know one of the people is crafty you could ask that the memories are made into a quilt or collage.
• Time to treat themselves instead of others – A good way to show appreciation for a retiring teacher is to give them the opportunity to do something for themselves. A gift voucher for a spa day, or some treatments at a beauty salon, such as a pedicure, manicure or massage. If the retiree is an avid reader, they might well appreciate some new books to read, rather than for use in the classroom. If you know the retiring teacher has been longing to travel, pool resources with a few other people and organize a trip.

Teachers are very important people. Not only do they teach us about history and science, but they also teach us how to respect each other. When the times comes for retirement give them a gift that shows your respect and admiration for all they have done.

Mark our site as one of your favorites because we’ll be featuring lots more retirement gift ideas for future occasions.