Help me think of a gift for my awesome teaching mentor!

April 30, 2015 6:41 PM

The instructor for the genetics course I have TAed for for the last two years got laid off, and her last final at the university is coming up soon. Another grad student who taught with her and I would like to get her a small gift as a send-off, but are trying to think of ideas. Difficulty level: gluten free, so my initial impulse to make fancy scones and cookies is probably a no-go.

My instructor has been amazing to work with and actually received a student-selected teaching award the same semester she learned her contract was not going to be renewed due to budget cuts. (She is a lecturer, not tenure-track, and the department is undergoing a lot of budgetary stress.) She's got a good job lined up, so I know she isn't going to be in a bad position per se but I also know she will miss teaching. She's been an amazing mentor and taught me a lot about how to teach effectively. The same goes for my friend who would like to give her a send-off. We will probably write a small thank you card, along with a small gift.

I know she loves genetics and will be decorating her house with the large molecular model of DNA she uses to teach with. I'm less sure about her other hobbies, although I know she has two children and her non-work life seems to be structured around her family and community involvement with her church. Her last final is coming up in a few weeks, so I have some time to plan and maybe order things off the internet. Any ideas?

posted by sciatrix to Human Relations (8 answers total)

Chocolate truffles (made with gluten free ingredients) are still pretty easy to make (or buy) and a sweet gift. Another possibility that occurs to me (although maybe not a great idea if you don't know her that well or if she's generally opposed to genetic testing) is a 23andMe gift coupon or one of the ones more associated with just ancestry. That might be way too personal though, so apply your own judgment.
posted by permiechickie at 7:09 PM on April 30, 2015

Best answer: I am a lecturer whose own state budget looms (I'm assured that I'm as safe as can be without 'something really terrible happening') and what means the most to me are the emails and the cards that tell me that I've made an actual difference in the lives of people who come through my classes. One of our best students is going to study abroad in the fall and is getting ready to graduate next year and is just amazing and wrote me the nicest thank you email for nominating her to one of our honor societies, saying that it was all my 'fault' since she had me for 101. That one is printed out and sitting underneath my monitor. :-) So, by all means, get her a box of her favorite tea or make some nice chocolates or what have you, if you feel so moved, but please tell her how awesome she is; that is what will stick with her (especially right now when she's facing getting laid off, budgetary reasons or not, and people are busy complaining about their grades and she's having to grade finals and so forth.)
posted by joycehealy at 7:15 PM on April 30, 2015 [7 favorites]

(That being said, if you're stuck for GF goodies to accompany a card, I'm GF and can give you a ton of ideas for easy GF sweets and such, if you want.)
posted by joycehealy at 7:28 PM on April 30, 2015

Almond cookies made with rice flour! Coconut macaroons! Gift certificate for a lot of coffees somewhere.
posted by Oyéah at 8:06 PM on April 30, 2015

Macarons are both fancy and gluten-free and can be made in a variety of flavours and colours.
posted by jeather at 5:11 AM on May 1, 2015

Best answer: Do you have, or can you get, a good picture of her actually teaching, something that shows her talking to a class, interacting with a student, whatever? A picture like that in a nice frame along with a letter would be great, especially if she's not going to be teaching in her next position.
posted by mareli at 6:23 AM on May 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

A mug or a notebook is a gift she can use in her next job. I really like the science related ones the IFLS site.
posted by eau79 at 7:27 AM on May 2, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks, all! I've wound up getting her a little stuffed DNA molecule and my friend will get her a nice packet of Ghirardelli chocolates which we both know she likes, and I'm going to handwrite a card to go with it thanking her for her effort and reminding her what a difference she's made to her students and to me as a teacher.
posted by sciatrix at 8:33 PM on May 11, 2015 [1 favorite]