The nicest teacher leaving gift comes from the whole class and is mostly made of words: what the children learned from her, what they remember, what they wish her. Whether the class teacher is saying goodbye after primary school, after the tenth year or on retirement, the usual way is one shared gift with a small contribution from each family. The children are what make it personal.

Check first: what are the rules on gifts for teachers?

For teachers at state schools there are rules on whether they may accept gifts and up to what value. Each German state sets its own rules, Austria has its own, and private schools may have different ones again. If in doubt, ask the head teacher beforehand. We do not give legal advice here.

Leaving gift for a primary school teacher

At primary school, the class teacher has often been with the children for years, from their first letters to the move to secondary school. The parents usually organise the gift and the children provide the content: pictures, short sentences, a song. Leave the children's spelling exactly as it is; that's what makes it real.

What the children themselves can get at the end of primary school is in our guide Primary school leavers' gifts.

Leaving gift for the class teacher in the tenth year

After the tenth year, the students usually sort out the gift themselves, through the class reps and the class group chat. Here it can be more personal and funnier: quotes only the class understands, photos from the leavers' trip, a few words when the reports are handed out. Anyone leaving the school afterwards is saying goodbye with the gift too. For a book for the class itself, see the Realschule leavers' book for the end of the tenth year.

10 ideas for a teacher leaving gift from the class

1. A leaving book with a double-page spread for every child

In a Flashbook, every child gets their own double-page spread with two photos and answers to questions about the teacher, such as “What did you learn from Mrs Muster?” or “What was the best day with her?”. Add a class photo and pages for signatures and messages. A Flashbook is a shared book: every family can get a copy, the minimum order is 10 books, and one of them goes to the teacher. More about the teacher leaving book.

2. A folder of pictures and letters

Every child designs a sheet in the same format: a picture, a sentence, their own name. A parent binds the sheets into a booklet or puts them in a nice folder. If the teacher must not notice, the children draw at home.

3. A song with new words

The class takes a well-known song and writes its own lyrics about their time together. It is sung on the last day of school, and the teacher gets the lyrics nicely printed afterwards.

4. A class ABC

A memory for every letter: A for the autumn trip to the farm, B for the big craft chaos before Christmas. The children collect the words and the parents turn them into a poster or a little booklet.

5. A plant that keeps on growing

A rose bush, a small fruit tree or herbs for the garden, with a sign from the class. It keeps growing long after the class has gone its separate ways.

6. A mug with children's drawings

The children draw small pictures, which are printed together onto a mug or a bowl. For coffee in the staff room or at home.

7. A chalk picture in the playground

On the last morning, the children draw a big picture with pavement chalk in front of the entrance and write “Thank you” next to it. A photo keeps it, even when the next rain washes it away.

8. A wishing tree

Every child hangs a little card with a wish for the teacher on a branch in a vase. Especially lovely when she is retiring and the wishes are for the time ahead.

9. A voucher for an experience

Theatre, a concert or a course she has always wanted to do. A voucher has its value printed on it, so check beforehand what the teacher is allowed to accept.

10. A few words when the reports are handed out

Two students tell everyone what they learned from her and which story everyone knows. Short and honest beats long and perfect. Works especially well for the tenth year.

Collecting money in the class parents' group chat: how it works

The usual approach is one shared gift from the whole class, with a small contribution from each family. That is a question of organisation and taste: no family has to keep up with the others, and the children's letters, pictures or a song say the most anyway.

One person organises and everyone else knows where they stand. Write clearly in the class parents' group chat what you are collecting for, by when, and roughly how much. Keep the amount small and voluntary and never name families who don't take part. You can adapt this message:

When does the class hand over the gift?

On the last day of school or at the farewell party, in front of the whole class. At primary school two children hand it over, in the tenth year the class reps. Plan a fixed moment for it so the gift doesn't get lost between school reports and the start of the holidays. A book needs more lead time: the books arrive 5 to 7 working days after the last answers and payments, and every family has to fill in the questionnaire first.