10 Best Retirement Gift Options for the Teacher Who Made a Difference in Your Life (2019)

We all have a special teacher (irrespective of gender) in life who’s made a difference in our lives, and affected us for all the right reasons. For some, it may be from middle school who made an extra effort in helping you through a tough subject or perhaps a high school teacher who got you involved in extracurricular activities to further your hidden talent. Teachers usually don’t get the accolades they justly deserve for their services, over and above the long hours and compromising on many fronts. So when it comes to their retirement or even before, their achievements should be celebrated the right way, too. It is a popular belief that gift recipients adore all kinds of emotional gifts that remind them of the gift giver or their relationship. So when you pick a gift for a retiring teacher it should be something that exemplifies your relationship with each other and may perhaps set a future path for it to continue.

The kind of personality your retiring teacher has will have a bearing on the kind of gift you’re getting for them. So you’d look at gift options like a collage of all their yearbook photos to highlight their journey over the years, or perhaps list their favourite memories of their students from the past, or something related to their hobby or passion in life. The number of people who can contribute could be anything between 5-20 students. You’d also explore some memorable moments the teacher has had with other teachers of the school/college administration, considering that these people are most likely to know them better than the students.

A teacher’s retirement is an important occasion which marks a turning point in their life from, ‘Oh God, I can’t believe I have to do this again today!’ to ‘OMG, what on earth am I going to do with all the time on my hands!?’ So, irrespective of whether you give the retiring teacher something useful, personal or witty, it has to be something that not only warms their heart but also brings a laugh out, as well as is cherished for long. From a variety of Tshirts or mugs with funny quotes to a book of humorous retirement advice, an assortment of fridge magnets with messages like, ‘retired teacher, no job, no clocks, no cares, & no memory’ or ‘I used to teach, now I have no class,’ to personalized plaques that say, ‘teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever’, the list is endless.

Long after the gift has been received and experiences, the retired teacher may stumble upon a thoughtfully written card attached to the gift, which is heartfelt and appreciates the teacher’s hard work, achievements, and dedication. That is something that surpasses all gifts and something that everyone wants as well. To add to that emotion, you can gift the retiring teacher an exciting new experience that’s experiential and different from the usual material gifts one receives. For instance it could be a gift of relaxation like a few coupons for relaxing spa treatment, an Ayurvedic massage or mind & body relaxing activities; a gift for new beginnings like a registration to a group class or workshop that is focused on the teacher’s areas of interests/hobbies or travel plans, customized etched or engraved gardening tools or hobby subscriptions and more!

A trendy and practical gift set for the retiring teacher could be a combination of a Laptop Bag and Travel Pouches. The Geo Bird Laptop Bag from Chumbak comes with Toucan Birds’ design with a laptop compartment appropriate for a 15” laptop, a slot for accessories and a zipper pocket on the outside. With a sling that allows greater usefulness and makes it easier to be carried around, the Geo Bird Laptop Bag is made of PU and Polyester Lining, measuring 6cm in width, 40cm in length and 29cm in height. It is best cleaned with a dry/damp cloth and is priced at Rs.2,295.

The Paisley Fox Pouch Set of 2 makes storing things easy & convenient and can be used for storing cosmetics, tech accessories or travel knick-knacks. Made of polyester, the Paisley Fox Pouches come tied with a colourful ribbon and are priced at Rs.557.

A Home and Lifestyle Gift Basket that includes an elegant ceramic mug with an adorable teddy bear keychain, a white sipper bottle and a math analog quotes Fashion watch is a perfect gift for a retiring teacher, priced at Rs.1,428. The Elegant Mug is made of ceramic and makes for a trendy and modern gift item, measuring 5.5” x 3.5” x 2” (length, breadth and height), while the Teddy Key chain is made of soft plush material.

The 600ml Aluminum White sipper bottle is a great way of carrying drinks with style. With a professional-quality UV-resistant ink adorning the bottle, measuring 8.25” the Sipper Bottle from iKraft is a perfect vessel to keep beverages cool and makes for an ideal outdoor companion. It comes with a standard bottle cap with a carabineer clip.

The Unique Math Analog Quote Fashion Watch is a Big Owl Branded designer wrist watch, styled in attractive dials and strap colours ranging from white, black, blue, brown, pink to turquoise and made in Faux Leather. With a Quartz watch movement and analog display, the Big Owl wristwatches come with a 6-month warranty and is packaged in a bubble-wrapped branded box.

Made of eco-friendly and 100% natural cotton linen, the Gift Wine Bag from amazon.com comes with a white cotton core drawstring and beige coloured wine bottle cover, measuring 13.5” x 5.5” for a regular 750ml or 1L wine or champagne bottle, befitting most wine bottles. Recommended for a machine wash this Gift Wine Bag for a retiring teacher comes priced at Rs.2,621, inclusive of shipping.

Team it up with an ‘I can wine all I want, I’m retired’ laser engraved stemless Wine Glass to make a Retirement Wine Gift Pack. Made of premium quality, the clear stemless wine glass holds about 15oz of liquid and measures 6.6x4.4x4.3”, priced at Rs.2828.

A brilliant idea for a gift for a retiring teacher, the Bookworm Gift Voucher worth Rs.1,000 includes access to a nice collection of trivia, information on some popular books and coupon to buy books of their choice from Crosswords. You can increase the voucher amount based on the budget you have in mind. This Gift voucher is applicable at all crossword stores in Delhi, Chennai, Bhopal, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Lucknow, and Indore.

Pair the Gift with a tiny Clip Book Light priced at Rs.199, which comes in handy at night and weighs just 11gm. With an LED light that offers a comfortable reading light, it can be hooked to a book and is flexible to be adjusted in any direction. Measuring 14.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 cm it comes in different colours.

The gift set is complete with the inclusion of a Wall Mounted Book Shelf made of heavy duty metal and makes for an invisible shelf (white in color) set of 3 with plastic anchors and screws. Priced at Rs.649, this shelf set can be mounted on a wall and becomes invisible behind a stack of books, placing them in an organized fashion. Each floating bookshelf is made of strong metal and supports nearly 5kg of books/CDs/DVDs and more. An excellent space saver, this invisible book shelf set is easy to assemble and install, and stacks books vertically in a tower like formation and comes with 3 wall mounting bookshelves, 6 plastic anchors and 6 screws.

The Teacher Appreciation Gift Set includes an all-new WiFi ebook Kindle Reader from Amazon, priced at Rs.7,899 featuring a 167ppi glare-free touchscreen display, 4 built-in LEDs in the front and free cloud storage, 6” display screen, 4GB internal memory, WiFi connectivity and a year’s manufacturer warranty. The package includes the main unit, a USB 2.0 charging cable and a quick start guide.

You can team the Kindle with a Dawhud Direct Glass Colour Changing LED showpiece, shaped like an Angel priced at Rs.3,517 on amazon.com. This beautiful colour changing LED angel is an elegant addition to evoke peace in the recipient’s life and ideal as a gift for their new life ahead. Measuring 7” the Angels comes with batteries.

Gift the retiring teacher with an office desk accessory to de-clutter their workspace with a 3-piece Wooden Desk Organizer which can store business cards, paperclips, paper notes, staplers and practically all kinds of small items that tend to clutter a workspace, making it easier for them to reach their utility items and also keep the work desk décor to a bare minimum. Made of mahogany & walnut wood, the Wooden Desk Organizer is finished with an Italian food varnish for protection, is 3/4th inch thick and weighs between 335-574gm. This is available at Rs.1,999.

You can pair the desk organizer with a Crossword Wall art also made of wood. Inscribed ‘Faith, Hope, Love’, this scrabble wall art will remind your retiring teacher to love with gay abandon, hope against all odds and hold onto faith during trying times. 15mm thick with solid wood panels, measuring 4x4” and weighing 75-95gm roughly, each crossword block comes with a removable double-sided tape for easy wall mount, made of natural wood and is priced at Rs.1,299.

Celebrate your teacher’s retirement with an Angel Figurine with quotes of celebrating a retirement and a Retirement Plaque from amazon.com. With words of ‘in celebration of your achievements & the journey you’re about to venture – happy retirement’, the Pavilion Gift Company Angel Figurine is a Retirement Angels measuring 6 ½”, beautiful detail and hand-painted packaged in an attractive gift-to-go box. Measuring 3.8 x 2.1 x 6.5 inches, the Angel Figurine is priced at Rs.3,448 and weighs 10.4 ounces.

The Carson retirement Easel Plaque measures 6x6” and is made in ceramic. Made in a charming colour and clock print, the plaque radiates peace and quality time shared with others, perfect for a retiree gift. Including a wire easel, the plaque comes gift boxed, weighing 13.8 ounces and is priced at Rs.3,517.

The Natural Ayurvedic Gift Box from Khadi Naturals comes with natural skin and hair care products which are aimed at reviving skin to its original glow, restore sheen and health to shiny and lustrous hair, tailor-made to suit most skin types for varied skin and hair care needs. Enriched with a variety of organic natural extracts and essential oils, these handmade items contain a Shikakai Hair Cleanser (100ml), A Green Tea & Aloevera Hair conditioner (100ml), a Rose & Honey Moisturizer (100ml), Lavender & Ylang Ylang Body Wash (100ml) and an Aloe Vera & Rosewater Soap (75gm) packed in a gift box and priced at Rs.509.

Here’s another fascinating gift set for a retiring teacher who can enjoy their free time with music and books for the company. The Fasmov Books, wood bookend with 2 sets of desktop organizer drawer units comes with 3 small drawers and keeps books vertically organized, in place and make for a smart décor item in a study or workspace. Measuring 6.5"x6.6"x4.3" roughly, it is a perfect gift item for a Retiring Teacher, with the 6 books having gold knobs that open up to drawers. The smallest drawer measures 4.5”x3.25”x1.5”, with the medium measuring 5”x3.8”x1.5” and the largest drawer measuring 6”x4.25”x1.5”. Weighing 3.13 pounds the Fasmov Books, the wood bookend is priced at Rs.4,015.

With books for company, the other perfect companion can be a Bluetooth speaker. The Amazon Echo Bluetooth Speaker priced at Rs.7,999, weighing 821g comes with beamforming technology, 360-degree omnidirectional audio, voice control for home, a customizable décor shells and dynamic bass response. Then there’s Alexa, a constant voice-controlled companion which ensures that all tasks and commands are met efficiently with a simple voice command and includes making calls, sending texts without touching a smartphone, ordering food to request a cab, playing audiobooks, tuning into radio frequencies and listening to the news as well.

Relay your best to your retiring teacher with the Best Wishes Gift Basket that includes a Carmona Indoor Bonsai Plant in a Ceramic Pot for good luck and a subscription gift of Hobby Crafts. The Carmona Indoor Bonsai is an elegant looking plant that can re-energize any space it is placed in, in-pollutes the environment and makes for a perfect gift. Priced at Rs.2,295 it includes a bonsai plant and a pot.

Team the good luck plant with a Hobby-in-a-Box subscription which aims at enhancing the inner talent of your retiree teacher, ranging from DIY jewelry to DIY mini garden as décor for home/office. From a wide variety of hobbies to choose which include block printing, candle making, decoupage, fluid art and more, to gifting them with a month/3 months or 6 months of do-it-yourself hobby crafts, each subscription varies in price, ranging from Rs.999 to Rs.4,999. Choose according to your budget.

Being a teacher is one of the few professions that’s constantly treated to gifts, whether it is during holidays, end of the school year or school functions. From Christmas ornaments to picture frames, paperweights to coffee bugs, a majority of gifts shared with a teacher are the usual and mundane category of gifts, which may or may not be appreciated or received well owing to them being popular and inexpensive choices of gifts, which tends to become boring and perhaps growing in the collection. Hence, it would be wise to come up with a new list of gift items you can explore for the retiring teacher, in terms of their future plans that may focus on travel, hobbies or activities they’d like to pursue. Here are a few suggestions.