No more apple paperweights! On National Teacher Day this May 6, thank your favorite teacher with one of these thoughtful, practical gifts they’ll really be thrilled to receive, says National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel.

✔ Handwritten thank you notes
“Teachers take them out on their hard days for a little lift,” says Van Roekel. Heartfelt thank yous “become cherished treasures as they look back on their careers [and] can be a great source of inspiration during difficult years … Teachers want to impact kids’ lives—if a gift can show how they’ve done so, they will cherish it.”

✔ Thoughtful gift cards
“Because teachers spend so much out of pocket to meet the needs of their students, gift cards can be helpful.” Certificates for school supply stores are a good bet (teachers “really like cards for stores where they can put the gift to use for their students as well as themselves,” Van Roekel says), as are coffee shops.

13 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Formerly Teachers

✔ Magazine subscriptions
“Teachers love to learn, too!” says Van Roekel. Subscriptions to educational mags like National Geographic help teachers and pupils. “Research shows that whether teachers read for personal fulfillment or professional inspiration, their reading informs their instruction.”

And here are three things you may not want to gift your teacher:

✘ Mugs
“Our research has shown that teachers find mugs too impersonal,” Van Roekel says. Plus, many teachers likely already have a stash of mugs from previous students.

✘ Apple-themed tchotchkes
“The best gifts are thoughtful and personal to the specific teacher,” he says. Apple paperweights and the like are anything but. “They pile up, and soon, the teachers can’t even remember who gave them the gift.”

✘ Homemade food
Home-baked cookies are thoughtful, but you may not know about allergies or dietary restrictions your teacher may have. Plus, Van Roekel points out that “the health codes and guidelines of each school district vary, and there could be regulations preventing students or parents from giving homemade goods to teachers.”

Here’s one final gift-giving tip from Van Roekel: “Educators consistently said that the gifts that moved them the most throughout their careers were low on cost and high on sentiment.”