Teacher gifts that won't end up in a drawer

The card design says it for you. Pick $10 or $25, send it by email, and it's waiting on their phone the morning they need it most.

Two tins of 20 tea sachets, Gingerbread Festival and Holiday. For the teacher who keeps a kettle behind the desk and makes a cup between bells.

Coffee poured at 7:30 is still hot when the first bell rings and the room finally settles. It goes in the dishwasher, because nobody hand-washes a cup on a school night.

Teachers stock their classroom libraries with their own money. This card buys books online and sends part of every sale to independent bookstores.

Made in Maine, tough enough for a semester of graded papers, and L.L.Bean will monogram it. It's the bag people keep for years.

A planner built for lesson plans instead of appointments. At $57.50, it's a good one for the class to chip in on together.

Money that goes straight to the classroom. The teacher picks a project on DonorsChoose, like new books or a rug for reading time, and your card helps fund it.

Have your kid write three sentences about something they learned this year, in their own handwriting. A lot of teachers keep these. Tuck it in with any gift above, or let it be the whole gift.