Nicole Panichelle decorates her home with some of the gifts she received from students during her 11 years teaching school. Panichelle says she remembers each student when she unpacks the decorations they've given her.

Teacher gifts can be tough to choose. The giver hopes the present will be useful or meaningful. Add to the gift list all the support staff, coaches, dance instructors and scout troop leaders in our lives, and the task can be daunting.

Area teachers polled said parents are quite giving all year long and hesitated to put requests into words. When pressed for ideas, they made the following suggestions.

Gift cards seem to be the modern way to represent the giver while allowing the recipient some choice. Ideas for such gift cards teachers mentioned included one for a bread store, restaurant, sporting goods, and even a teacher supply store.

Asked what she would really like as a present, one teacher said the best gift is something for the classroom, especially in the lower grades. A parent could ask the teacher what's on the classroom wish list, usually a board game or books for the class library.

The class parent could even organize a group present, with students contributing what they can, recognizing that all people's budgets are different.

Sometimes when children enter junior high and high school, the gift giving drops off. Still, several area school staffers, even into high school, said students continue to bring them baked goods, which they happily accept!

If you need an idea, here are some things staff members at Butler County schools mentioned as memorable gifts:

• Holiday ornaments, pillows or towels. For one former teacher, a homemade, hand-painted clothespin tree decoration is cherished.

• Music, if you know the teacher's taste in that area

• Lottery tickets

• Baked goods or candy (watch allergies!)

• Candles or hand lotion (Again, watch allergies or scent sensitivities.)

• Notecards

• Slippers or gloves

• Donating to a charity or a book to the library in the person's name

Former teacher Nicole Panichelle of Butler, currently working part time for the Midwestern Intermediate Unit education support system, remembers each student when she unpacks the decorations they've given her over her 11 years in schools.

A junior high teacher said she always likes to receive a card with a heartfelt message inside, calling that the "nicest" gift." Whatever it is, it's always something that means a lot to them, so it's always meaningful, she said.

Evidently, the most rewarding thing is to hear that they're making a difference in the child's life. That goes beyond the holiday season.