Why I Don’t Give My Students End of Year Gifts

This FREE end-of-year poem is the perfect gift to give to students at the end of the year. It is a special and simple gift for them to treasure for years to come.

I have to wonder with all we do for our students, is it really necessary to buy them each an end of year gift?

From the before first day of school until the very last, there is so much we do for our students.  We fill our classroom with supplies and spend hours working to make it a warm and inviting space for learning.  We work tirelessly to create lessons that engage and challenge our learners. Each day we comfort and nurture our students as our own.  

I certainly don’t remember receiving gifts from my teachers!  Maybe I was given an end-of-year award (?), but definitely nothing material.  

It seems times have changed.

These days my social media accounts are flooded with images of teacher-created cute, personalized gifts for each child in their class that teachers have spent their time and money making!  You don’t have to look far to find a teacher filling a sand pail with summer goodies, attaching a cute note to a box of crayons or bubbles, or filling a personalized water-bottle with candy – just to name a few!

If you are a teacher who really wants to do this and it gives you joy to see your students receive a gift, then I respect you for that.  Go for it! If it’s your love language then you should not be made to feel bad about doing what feels good and right to YOU.

My concern is for those teachers who feel pressured by others in their building or by the images of these gifts that pop up on their Facebook feed or Pinterest accounts.  Please know that you do not have to give your students a gift!

When my students leave the classroom at the end of the year, I know they are leaving with something much more important than a box of sidewalk chalk.  As the years pass and my students move on, I know they will remember the way they felt in my classroom. 

My students will remember that they were a valued and integral member of our classroom community.  They will remember our classroom as a place where it was safe and necessary to take risks in order to succeed. A place where it was okay to fail.  They will remember how proud I was of them for their hard work. They will remember that I loved them.

To remind my students of these feelings I do give each student a little something special.  I give them this poem, along with a personal note from me. It’s simple and it’s easy, but it’s also meaningful and true.

end of year student gift idea

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While I don’t think a material gift is necessary, I do think it is fun to individually recognize and celebrate each student in some way. An All About Me is a wonderful and SIMPLE way to do just that!   

Both the Digital and Printable All About Me Book has been created to save you HOURS of your precious prep time!

The digital activities for this book have been created in Google Slides™ and preloaded to Seesaw™, just click a link and assign it to students!  And don’t worry, I’ve included a video tutorial for students working in Google Slides™ that teaches them how to edit text, insert images and clipart, and crop/resize images!  You don’t have to do any of that!  

Students will love getting the chance to reflect on the past school year!  They’ll get to list words that describe them, share their favorite memories, interests, and friends, reflect on their goals and more!  

This digital version makes a perfect end of year activity or gift in this time of distance learning, but if you’d prefer the printable version of the All About Me book it’s also available!

With the help of this ✨magical✨ auto-fill template you can PERSONALIZE a class set of ALL ABOUT ME book for your students in MINUTES! #ImNotKidding

As the years pass, friends, interests, and talents may change but this special book will help your students to remember just exactly who they were when they were in your class!  It’s a keepsake that students and their families can look back on and enjoy for years to come.  

We all know this last month of school is already wildly hectic time for teachers.  With all we have on our plates, I hope you won’t put added pressure on yourself to do something you don’t really want to do.  Be confident in knowing that you’ve already given your students an amazing gift- all of the hard work, thoughtfulness, and love you put into each day.  There’s nothing more lasting than that! 

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