Apples and Blocks

If you own a teacher supply store, or if you are considering purchasing a gift for a teacher, here are a few things that you need to know.

1. While they work with children, teachers are not in fact children themselves. So playing preschool music in the teacher supply store is both unnecessary and annoying.

2. While apples, blocks with letters on them, and teddy bears holding aforementioned blocks are all timeless symbols of teaching, it's okay to sometimes make or buy something for teachers that does not include said symbols.

3. While above music and symbols, monkey die-cuts, days of the week charts, and all billion elementary school paraphernalia may be appropriate (although stereotypical) items for elementary teachers, please don't forget that a great many teachers have students above the age of seven and might appreciate a few items sans cartoon animals and whatnot for their classrooms.

4. We would also appreciate some age and content appropriate books. While I know I have my pick of first grade spelling books, it would really help me out if I could obtain daily editing practice for those above grade 5, as well as novel teaching guides for books other than Where's Waldo.

5. Did you know that there is a world beyond the United States? And that in seventh grade students learn about it? Could you maybe provide items that would relate to "Social Studies" outside our ethnocentric borders?

6. I really feel like the apples and letter blocks need to be mentioned again. Note: just because we're teachers doesn't mean everything needs to be brightly colored and juvenile. A simple, plain, boring, lesson plan book without cute pictures, quotes, and childish fonts on every page would work just fine. My guess is that it would also cost less than $20, which would be pretty great.