Educators will tell you that teaching is the profession that keeps on giving: headaches, parent-teacher conferences, lesson planning, late-night grading, and a salary commensurate with industries that require paper hats and knowledge of a combo menu. Whether lecturing to a college classroom or wiping boogers from a dirty face at recess, a good teacher is worth his or her weight in gold for the impact he or she can have on thousands of lives. In this season of giving, here’s your playbook for finding the perfect gift for the teacher in your life.

Rally the Troops: You need to organize your classmates to collect the funds. You don’t want to be spotted passing notes in class, much less an envelope full of money. Get caught with a fist full of cash and you’re looking at interrogation from the vice principle or dean who missed his calling as a Homeland Security Agent. Not only will you spend the rest of your year trying to convince your family and teachers that you are not in fact the head of jayvee drug cartel – you’ll also have ruined the surprise. Try collecting payments online and that way you can make sure everyone pitches in without having to stuff somebody in a locker.

Be Thoughtful: It might be a no brainer to most, but remember to make your gift thoughtful. If nothing else, teachers help us learn to develop and apply critical thinking skills to real world settings. Buying something that requires some observation and discernment will impress and show that you’ve matured in the classroom. . For that young teacher who blends in with students because he’s still sporting an L.L.Bean backpack, return the favor and help him mature into something more stylish, like a briefcase or leather shoulder bag. Not only will it make him feel and look more professional, it should also help keep the seniors who had been taking his lunch money at bay.

As any educator will tell you, sometimes it feels like they’re talking to the wall and not reaching a single student. I suspect that each one of us is guilty of contributing to this feeling at some point. Teachers have one of the highest burnout rates of any profession, so help keep the fire burning with comical and inspirational reads just for teachers. The New Yorker Book of Teacher Cartoons , and I Remember My Teacher, which contains 365 short stories offering daily tribute to teachers, are just a few titles that might give the educator in your life the motivation or laugh they need to make it through the day. (Credit is due to Christmasgiftsforteachers.com, a great resource for ideas, for highlighting these titles.) It can also be a little payback for all the homework you’ve been assigned if you give them a quiz at the end of the semester.

Personalize Your Gift: One’s office or desk can say a lot about a person. If your class or team has had some memorable moments captured on film, frame a nice picture and have your classmates sign it for your teacher or coach. Paraphernalia related to your instructors’ lessons and interest can not only spice up the décor of their classroom but can also serve as props for their lectures. Let your history teacher live out his dream of dressing up like George Patton by getting him authentic or replica WWII items from army surplus stores, or help your English teacher convey Edgar Allen Poe’s descent into madness with a creepy raven puppet. And there’s always the classic name placard. Nothing says “appreciation” like a nameplate that shows their true character. “(No more) Mr. Nice Guy” and “Ms. Independent” knows they’ve got their students respect (though you’ll want to make sure that “Ms. Independent” didn’t just change her name from “Mrs. Happily Married”).