Teachers are dedicated persons who, above all, want to transform their students — our sons and daughters— into something more and better. A teacher wants to leave a footprint behind in the lives of students; wants the world to know they were here. I remember a teacher in high school many years ago who, while many of the other teachers were demanding a salary increase, said she was against a raise! It might attract people to the profession just for the money! She was a real teacher!

So, what would make the perfect present for such a person?

• One that allows the teacher to nurture and train it, to make it more beautiful, more imposing.
• One that rewards the teacher for increased attention and care.
• One that instills in the teacher a sense of serenity and tranquility.

What is this gift? Why, a bonsai –a miniature tree –, of course! It doesn’t matter if the teacher is male or female. If the teacher is fairly young and has somewhat of a green thumb, give that individual a kit consisting of:

• a good bonsai book,
• one or two bonsai starter plants from a nursery or the internet; good candidates would be: pyracantha, cotoneaster, or juniper. Your options will depend on where you live to some extent if you buy locally,
• one or two small ceramic bonsai pots, from Japan if possible, from China if necessary,
• one or two basic tools, like good bonsai cutters and some copper wire to train the branches.

Producing your own bonsai from a starter plant is very satisfying indeed, but it’s a developmental process and does take a few years. It requires attention a few times a week, just like students. As it develops, fulfilling more and more the illusion of a tree and the style of tree that is intended, bonsais resemble one’s children or pupils growing, learning, and maturing.

Now, what if the teacher is older, retired, or has no ‘green thumb’ at all? In that case, the gift should be:

• a finished bonsai already in its bonsai pot; good candidates would be: Azalea, Flowering Cherry, Japanese Wisteria, or Japanese Maple
• a how-to-care book.

The teacher would just have to water and prune it occasionally. The gratification would be less developmental and more immediate: beauty and serenity added to the teacher’s life.

Some errors to avoid:

• Small bonsais do not grow into large bonsais, so do not buy a very small finished tree, thinking it will grow taller.
• Do not stick just any plant into a bonsai pot and call it a bonsai, that would be like opening some sardines and calling them salmon or caviar.

A bonsai makes such a great gift, because it is like no other —– it is a living sculpture of a tree. Moreover, it makes a great gift for a teacher, female or male, because while the teacher is training it to reach its full potential of a miniature tree, it is training the teacher to be more: contemplative, patient, observant, and caring —– a two-way affair! (This article was written by Alfred Fiks, Ph.D.)