<p>A lot of my friends are giving gift cards, so I’d say it’s fine. I think the more personal the better though, so if it’s possible give them gift cards to something you know they love from taking their class, or maybe something related to their subject.</p>
<p>@neoronie: That’s what I did too 
I wanted to try to make them special though, so I made literary sugar cookies for my English teacher and historical cookies for my history teacher.</p>
<p>I made my teachers cookies before I the holiday break… but I give presents to all my teachers so it wasn’t odd for me. I’m planning on getting them something from the college they helped me get accepted too… maybe a mug or something of the sort.</p>
<p>I have been in education for 25 years. Although I appreciate gift cards, I never save them (either spend or lose them) and I often wonder if they came from the student or their parent. Be honest - how many of you students bought the gift card with your parent’s money???</p>
<p>A thank you note, however? First it goes on my bulletin board to remind me of you and your gratitude. Then it goes in my “warm fuzzies” file for the days where I need encouragement - for example, when I have 20 recommendation letters to write in the next 2 weeks. If you received a thoughtful recommendation, it is because of both your teacher’s commitment to excellence, and the spoken gratitude of the students before you. Open a word doc, write out four sentences, and then hand write on stationary a note. If you really want to make a teacher’s day, especially in high school, ask your parents to write a note or email as well about how they have impacted you as a student. I have written probably 10 of these to high school teachers, who no longer have much parent contact. I got the distinct sense from their replies that they will go on their bulletin board for a very long time. Pay it forward.</p>