Coffee mugs, apple-themed gifts and candy.

These might be tried-and-true gifts for teachers at the end of the school year, which is quickly approaching. But there comes a time when teachers have too many mugs. Apples are old-school. Candy might or might not be welcome, depending on dietary restrictions.

Maile Ostrem, a veteran teacher of 41 years, says it is nice to be acknowledged, though it is by no means the reason why she teaches.

“We really appreciate being acknowledged individually,” said Ostrem, an elementary school teacher at Hanahau‘oli School in Makiki. “It’s just because it makes you feel you’re appreciated. Sometimes from the day-to-day part, you don’t hear it at all from the families until the end.”

She has amassed a pretty good collection of mugs and apples over the years, but one treasured gift is a poem written by a third-grade student in a 3-by-4-inch silver frame. That student is now a senior in college, but the poem, which is about teaching, still touches her heart.

Other special gifts were collective offerings from the class: a custom yearbook parents made from photos taken throughout the year, a blanket or pillow bearing a class photo or a sketch by each student, or a platter with her name and the names of her students.

Michele Aucello, a former teacher and mother of two in Kaimuki, remembers when a few families got together and volunteered to take turns bringing lunch for teachers during the week at Mid-Pacific Institute.

One of her favorite gifts to give is a batch of homemade granola, in a Mason jar, made with old-fashioned rolled oats, honey, sugar and chopped almonds. She decorates the top of the jar with a cupcake liner, adds a colorful spoon, ribbon and a gift card for a bookstore. Other times, she makes pesto from basil in the garden.

While private schools might have their own gift policies, the state Department of Education considers public school teachers accountable to the state ethics code. The guidelines state that modest “gifts of aloha” such as flowers, lei, a box of candy, cookies or malasadas are acceptable, as are gifts of “nominal or minimal value,” including calendars, coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets. Prohibited gifts include cash, gift cards, jewelry and computer or electronic equipment.

Whatever your budget, when thanking members of the nation’s most undervalued professions, consider three criteria: does it come from the heart, is it useful and is it a good fit for the teacher.

“The best gift, and you might get it later, is not anything you can buy,” said Ostrem. “It’s when someone comes back and says you really made a difference.”