To buy or not to buy...Teacher's presents

candygirl

I got a bottle of Bacardi[STRIKE]from the student teacher i've been helping[/STRIKE], 2 bottles of wine, chocs, flowers and a plant.Bless their little cotton socks.I will miss them really:o

BillTrac

My wife is an LSA and a lot of the kids have bought her pressies, but the one she was most impressed with was a homemade card and what amounted to an essay. She works with year 4 kids.....I'm old what age is that!! Only joking, but really it's like the old saying, it's the thought that counts - although not always for some greedy b*****DS..LOL

Bill

webitha

i bought 3 for a tenner wine from asda,
one each for the teachers, and one for the TA that works with my son who is statemented, his teacher and his TA has worked really hard this year (along with me and DS of course) so much so that his statement has been reduced to band c :j:j:j
and a bottle for DD1 teacher coz he is ace, and my little suck up, i mean daughter has done way way way way way better than expected, in fact he has told me that she will be on free reading very soon and she goes back to year 3,:j:j, she is reading year 6 books already and understanding them

Kelinik

I made brownies for the kids to take this year. It seems to be about half and half parents who do/don't here but my girls wanted to as they both had fab teachers this year and will miss them when they go up in September.

I have also been very touched to receive a couple of pressies the past 2 summers from pre-school leavers. Last year I got a mug and an ornament, both of which remind me of the little people they came from whenever I use/look at them and yesterday I was totally spoilt and came home with flowers, a box of chocs and a mobile phone charm. My favourite pressie though was the huge squishy hug that one of my teenies ran back to give me as she was leaving. Feeling emotional just remembering now actually, even if it did result in me wearing most of her red face paint lol!

benood

Here's a teachers take on end of term gifts: http://primaryschoolteacher.blogspot.com/2006/07/end-of-term-gifts.html

I love the closing paragraph:

A final thought. As performance management has invaded most areas of school life, maybe parents could be encouraged to join in. If you think your son’s teacher has been good this year, a bottle of Chianti from Asda would be appropriate. And if you’re unhappy? It’s biscuit-making time. Just make sure he doesn’t wash his hands first.

:rotfl:

Gangstabird

Sadly, our nursery class decided to to this rubbish. I stopped them and said vouchers are the way forwards.

Even better - we stop this cr a p. A homemade card is good. A bottle of wine is good if you really like them. I have never met a teacher who doesn't drink wine......

I dutifully put my fiver in the pan. This had to spread about 1 nursery teacher and 3 assistants. From 24 of us, it obviously didn't go far. I guarantee that everyone didn't pay up.

I think this should stop.

Jaiden_2

I bought 4 bottles of Blossom Hill for my kids teachers as i felt they really deserved them. My eldest has just left year 6 with three 5's and i'm chuffed to bits :T My middle daughter in year 4 achieved all 4's in her last exams when the highest grade on the paper was 3a so again i'm really happy with her:T . And my youngest has just started reception and his teacher and TA have been really wonderful with him:j .

I think you are on a safe bet with a bottle of wine and from the excited looks on their faces when i gave them the bottles , i'm thinking there were a few sore heads the next morning :rotfl:

Lady_E

DS1 teacher got a bottle of good red wine and a photo in a frame of her class whilst on camp. She has been a real inspiration to DS1 and has got more out of him than I ever thought was possible. DS1 was little upset on leaving her class but excited that he was going up a year in September. We got the TA smellies from M&S again she was worth it. DS2 has just left nursery and we got his teacher some posh soaps from M&S and the TA some smellies.We couldnt be more happy with the school as the sense of belonging and community is really high , that even when they are poorly they would rather struggle in than to miss their school. Obvoiusly I have to draw the line ,chicken pox would not be welcome in a class of 5 yr olds

needtoearnmoremoney

I started teaching in 1979 and have found that this practice has spread in part promoted by the card industry - it's only in recent years that manufactured "thank you teacher" cards, mugs etc. have been available.

As a parent I never bought presents for teachers. They/we are doing their/our job in exactly the same way that every single one of you does your job. Do you expect to get presents from your customers each year?

Yes a thank you card can mean a lot but it should be for a reason not just as an expectation.

Don't mean to sound curmudgeonly it's just that to me this is becoming as commercialised as mothers day, fathers day etc. with any real meaning being subsumed by consumerism and driven by commercial gain.

VickyA_2

I imagine that the OP's term has ended, just like mine did yesterday (hence why I am sitting on the sofa attempting to relax!).

I am a Year 2 teacher in an infants school and I can assure you that the gifts that I received were not expected, yet much appreciated. I got some lovely boxes of chocolate (my class know me too well ), mugs, flowers (which are now brightening up my house - DH doesn't buy them for me!) and some "thank you" bears and ornaments. The latter two will be kept in my classroom next year to remind me of the children who have moved on.

The most special presents were when the children or parents had either written in a card or came to me and said thank you. In fact, one child gave me a box of chocolates and her mum was standing behind me with a bunch of flowers and said "these are from me to thank you for all your help and support with ***** this year". I would be lying if I said that there wasn't a tear in my eye.