Help with gifts for teachers please

iantomp

I have read this post with interest. I am a male teacher (not one of the old miserable ones!) in a primary school (rare bread!) and here are my thoughts for what they are worth:

1. I love my job, love my class, care for all of the children in my class and get on superbly with the parents (I like to think we work in partnership!). Alot of the parents of children in my class can see this and therefore choose to give me a gift of some description to say thank you.
2. I am well paid, as mentioned in an earlier post, and don't expect to be showered with expensive gifts. I certainly, as mentioned in an earlier post, do not favour specific children more than others because they have given me a gift. They are treated all the same regardless.
3. Just as every child is different, every teacher is different. Just as 'good' teachers know there children, the children often know there teachers. So ask the children what interests the teacher may have!! My children know that I'm passionate about both music and football. Therefore some of the gifts I have recieved in the past reflect this. It is not uncomom for me to have music blaring at lunchtimes and be playing football with the kids before school!!
4. What types of gifts? This was the original question. Personally, I prefer gifts that can be useful. Gifts that can be drunk over the festive period always go down well with me or gits assocaited with personal interests. I'm not one for collecting things or hording things and my children know this. I have no desk to place 'nic-nacs' on (modern teaching - sit with the children!) and would prefer a small, inexpensive jesture of thanks from those parents who wish to give.
5. I certainly do not expect gifts but do, as with most other people, do enjoy receiving them....
6. Lastly, I have 3 children who are primary school aged children. They all work with teaching assistants but we only buy gifts for the class teachers. This year we have bought some 'alcopops and coffee' for the youngish teacher in one of the girls class (purchased form Netto!). One of our other daughters is in a class with a job share so we decided to buy a couple of packets of shortbread biscuits, display them in a small basket, covered in some of that clear through plastic material flowers are usually wrapped in. The last daughter is taught by a bloke and for him I raided my old mans wine collection for a bottle of wine!

Hope this helps

kscour

Got to say this and if I ramble on I'm sorry!
I'm self employed trying to do a full time job, run the house more or less single handed (OH my partner in heart & business is much busier work wise than me) & I've got 2 DD's to cater for - so I thought I was badly done to until as a school governor I was explained to all about planning & preperation, lesson plans, term plans, and all the rest and to be honest if I was a teacher for a month in our school I would single handedly grind the system to a halt! I don't know how they cope & how they can be that efficient - they certainly don't do it by working 9 - 3.30 during term times only. And I suppose the holidays are long - even taking into account the days work they put into them but there is absolutely no flexibility - wedding on weekday during term time not going to happen, cheap weeks holiday during term time not going to happen, christmas shopping on weekday so it's relatively quiet not going to happen. To all you teachers/assistants out there :T :T :T :T
But back to the point
presents!
1st year I bought cheap at book people a pack of books (one big book six read along books) for teacher, cheap book of seasons for assistant - I felt perhaps it wouldn't be appreciated because it was work related but was I wrong! personally thanked, more than once, by both for my thoughtfulness and some 6 years on I still see both presents being used in the classroom.
next year - gave duplicate books from book people's lucky dip packs I'd ordered for DD's - further shine to halo!
next year - xmas - grow your own xmas tree kit (teacher does the "green" issues with kids) summer book people again with fun maths & science books - only comment was would I be offended if he passed science books onto science co-ordinator? and many many thanks for thoughtfullness
next year - xmas (teacher is a bit of a cake addict) both dd's baked him a cake - he lived to tell the tale and was very touched by the fact that they had made the effort, summer - as he's the science co-ordinator & he'd given a fantastic lesson (according to DD's!) on parachutes they emptied their money boxes & bought him a parachuting teddy bear which he now uses to teach science
I think to be honest it's not about how much you spend - it's about the thought you put into it. A plate of homebaked cakes/biscuits will always say I cared enough about what you do to make the effort at this busy time of year. And do they deserve it? Ummm yes they do because as lovely as my 2 DD's are I think if I spent 5 day a week stuck in a room with them I might just lose the will to live!
sorry rambled on an awful lot.........:o

oliveoyl

iantomp wrote:

I have read this post with interest. I am a male teacher (not one of the old miserable ones!) in a primary school (rare bread!) and here are my thoughts for what they are worth:

1. I love my job, love my class, care for all of the children in my class and get on superbly with the parents (I like to think we work in partnership!). A(space)lot of the parents of children in my class can see this and therefore choose to give me a gift of some description to say thank you.
2. I am well paid, as mentioned in an earlier post, and don't expect to be showered with expensive gifts. I certainly, as mentioned in an earlier post, do not favour specific children more than others because they have given me a gift. They are treated all the same regardless.
3. Just as every child is different, every teacher is different. Just as 'good' teachers know there children, the children often know there teachers. So ask the children what interests the teacher may have!! My children know that I'm passionate about both music and football. Therefore some of the gifts I have recieved in the past reflect this. It is not uncomom for me to have music blaring at lunchtimes and be playing football with the kids before school!!
4. What types of gifts? This was the original question. Personally, I prefer gifts that can be useful. Gifts that can be drunk over the festive period always go down well with me or gits assocaited with personal interests. I'm not one for collecting things or hording things and my children know this. I have no desk to place 'nic-nacs' on (modern teaching - sit with the children!) and would prefer a small, inexpensive jesture of thanks from those parents who wish to give.
5. I certainly do not expect gifts but do, as with most other people, do enjoy receiving them....
6. Lastly, I have 3 children who are primary school aged children. They all work with teaching assistants but we only buy gifts for the class teachers. This year we have bought some 'alcopops and coffee' for the youngish teacher in one of the girls class (purchased form Netto!). One of our other daughters is in a class with a job share so we decided to buy a couple of packets of shortbread biscuits, display them in a small basket, covered in some of that clear through plastic material flowers are usually wrapped in. The last daughter is taught by a bloke and for him I raided my old man's wine collection for a bottle of wine!

Hope this helps

7/10 see me :rotfl:

oliveoyl

for the females, you could make a big fancy soap loaf cheaply & give them slices - see os boards.

floydy

:rotfl: :rotfl:

oliveoyl wrote:

7/10 see me :rotfl:

lol, brilliant:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

jap200

Thanks to all of you for all your lovely ideas.

I heard yesterday that my kids school has just been declared 'Outstanding' after the latest Ofted inspection last month. I know this is no accident, but is due largely to the extremely hard work put in by the dedicated head, teachers and support staff - as well as the children themselves of course.

The 2 boys I already have at this school have fantastic teachers (and one of them is of the rare male primary teacher breed (is it you iantomp?), who have taken the time to get to know my kids really well even after 1 term with them. I know people claim teachers are paid well, but teachers are people with higher degrees (only 3% of the population have a higher degree apparently) who could have chosen careers in industry where they would have the opportunity to earn a great deal more. Anyway, what on earth has salary got to do with it?

They spend up to 6 hours a day with my kids - more than I manage myself most days - so, in my opinion, they deserve some recognition and thanks. I for one will be using some of the ideas in this thread so that each of my children has something to give their teachers (and TAs) as a way of saying thank you - not just for 'doing their job', but for doing it outstandingly!

kscour

Jap200 - how about making them a badge saying "I'm an outstanding teacher in an outstanding school"

jap200

kscour wrote:

Jap200 - how about making them a badge saying "I'm an outstanding teacher in an outstanding school"

What a lovely idea. The school has just been given permission to use the 'Outstanding Ofted' logo on paperwork etc. so I could incorporate this into the design!

JoeyDoll

scat wrote:

Speaking as a T.A and School Librarian I would do something like this!

http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com/ProductList.aspx?CategoryID=11&BrowseType=category&CategorySelector1:BrowseByCategory=11&Page=1

It shows your appreciation, it helps out people who need it and it would be a talking point in the staff room. Other ideas would be to buy a book for the school library. I've yet to meet a teacher that expected a gift from his/her pupils at christmas, and quite frankly if they did expect a gift then I would say they don't deserve one!!!!! Don't feel you have to, a hand made card is infinitely more precious than anything money can buy.

Just wanted to say I think this is a fab idea!!!

I like to think that teachers are in the job because they get enjoyment from teaching children and watching them learn and progress from their teaching.

These gifts are ideal as there is a section 'school days' whrer you can buy 2 text books for £5 or my favourite 100 school dinners - School dinners encourage children living in poor communities to go to school and learn to read and write.

I hope my sons teacher appreciates this gift - and the thought that her gift provides an opportunity for 100 children to learn to read and write!!! If she is in the job for the right reasons, which I think she is - then I'm sure she'll love it. She will recieve a gift card and a fridge magnet with the detail of the gift.

woohoo_postingid

Gift Ideas:

New elbow patches for the tweed jackets??

Anti-Perspirant??

Egg-Yolk from tie remover??

An instruction manual for any kind of electronic equipment (especially TV's & Videos's)??

Just a few things that my teachers could have done with!!