What could my son give his teacher, tomorrow is her last day, she has cancer... :(

[codeorama]

My son really likes his teacher, she made him feel safe and comfortable when we had issues with my son's mother.  His teacher has been out sick quite a bit and she let the students know that she has cancer.  He was really sad and asked if we could get her something. He wants to write her a card, but asked if we could get her a small gift.  

 

I'm not really good with things like this.  We are not rich and I'd say 20 dollars is probably the amount that would be appropriate. My first reaction was to get a gift card to coldstone ice cream or something along those lines.

 

Does anyone have any better ideas?

(just to be clear, she has not indicated that it is terminal, she told the kids she'd be back next year.)

[AsburySkinsFan]

$16 at Amazon.com

I used to bring these to hospital visitations, they are excellent "presence" reminders.

I would often see them on their lap table for weeks, because they thought of our church and the folks who were thinking about them and praying for them even though they couldn't be there.

[dfitzo53]

I think hands down the card will mean more to her than anything else. 

 

In fact, if you have a way to keep in touch, sending her another card later to let her know you're still thinking of her will probably really boost her spirits. 

 

She's probably going to be spending a fair amount of time in bed, so something like a fuzzy blanket or comfy socks might be nice, especially if he has some idea what she might like.

 

Something like Coldstone isn't a bad idea either.

 

You might also want to contact the school secretary. She may be aware of what others are doing to support the teacher, or be able to put you in touch with the teacher's family to ask them for suggestions. 

[codeorama]

Just now, dfitzo53 said:

I think hands down the card will mean more to her than anything else. 

 

In fact, if you have a way to keep in touch, sending her another card later to let her know you're still thinking of her will probably really boost her spirits. 

 

She's probably going to be spending a fair amount of time in bed, so something like a fuzzy blanket or comfy socks might be nice, especially if he has some idea what she might like.

 

Something like Coldstone isn't a bad idea either.

 

You might also want to contact the school secretary. She may be aware of what others are doing to support the teacher, or be able to put you in touch with the teacher's family to ask them for suggestions. 

 

 

Thank you, great points. This helps a lot.

Extremeskins community never fails.

[techboy]

In terms of gift expense, I'd say 10-15 dollars is about right... enough to show thought, but not so much that the teacher receiving it is put in an uncomfortable position. Twenty is probably okay too, but I wouldn't go higher than that for sure.

 

A lot of people seem to give teachers Starbucks gift cards, so that's another idea. 

[Dan T.]

31 minutes ago, dfitzo53 said:

I think hands down the card will mean more to her than anything else. 

 

In fact, if you have a way to keep in touch, sending her another card later to let her know you're still thinking of her will probably really boost her spirits. 

 

 

This, hands down.  If your son could compose a letter in his own handwriting expressing what the teacher means to him, and include specific examples, that would mean more to her than any material gift in the world.

[mcsluggo]

cancer sucks   

[Riggo-toni]

It might be stretching your budget a bit, but if you have a digital picture of the students in your son's class, you can get it transferred on to a small blanket. My wife gave me something similar twice - once for each of the 2 pugs you see in my sig pic. This serves both the function of providing warmth while she is sick, and gives her a connection to the kids in her class while she is bedridden.

[Burgold]

I left teaching about 10 years ago. One year, one of my students printed out a statement of thanks. It touched me and I framed it. I still have it to this day. It was such a sweet sentiment about changing his life, being there for him, etc.

 

The physical gift is a wonderful thing too, but it's the thought that counts. I think you teach, Code. I bet you've had a number of those moments where students surprised you and the sentiment just stays with you. Knowing you made a difference is a big thing.

[Kurd Cudins]

Make a $20 donation in her name to the most appropriate cancer research foundation.

[Redskin-All-In]

1 hour ago, Dan T. said:

 

This, hands down.  If your son could compose a letter in his own handwriting expressing what the teacher means to him, and include specific examples, that would mean more to her than any material gift in the world.

 

This. My wife stopped teaching 20 years ago but she still has (and occasionally reads) those letters.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Sorry to hear man. A letter and a picture of himself would be a great gift.

[Mr. Sinister]

Gift card seems like a bad idea imo. I think a letter would mean a lot.

[codeorama]

1 hour ago, Mr. Sinister said:

Gift card seems like a bad idea imo. I think a letter would mean a lot.

 

The letter is a given. I just thought about the gift card as an extra. 

I kind of like the idea of a donation in her name though. 

[skinsmarydu]

1 minute ago, codeorama said:

 

The letter is a given. I just thought about the gift card as an extra. 

I kind of like the idea of a donation in her name though. 

These are great ideas, the blanket Riggo-toni mentioned sounds super special as well.

I'll keep her in my prayers.

[Kosher Ham]

Support and encouragement. Anything else is a bonus. 

[balki1867]

Write a letter telling her how much she's meant to him. She's about to have a lot of free time on her hand and ample time for her brain to wander into things she really doesn't want to think about. She'll keep and cherish that letter long after the cancer is gone.