Teacher gifts x 10!! Ideas please

fudgecat

1 Nothing - we are paid.
2 OR -if you wish to show appreciation for a teacher who might have gone the extra mile (brings in half of her house for History, works from 6.30am to 10pm because of the school play for more than 3 days in a row, gives up break and lunchtimes for extra help, spent Sunday researching websites to help with a family problem, gets up at 5 to do marking because nothing is ever just a tick good work job,etc...) then may I make the following suggestions:

a Nothing that is commercially produced to thank the teacher (tat!):mad:
b Please, no ornaments - our income means we have small houses; our hours mean we have no time to dust.:mad:
c Communal presents, often involving vouchers on behalf of everyone (say for gardening centres, good old M&S) are always appreciated.:T
d So are charity donations!:T

Hope this does not sound presumptious!:rotfl:

tattycath

Your first post

plumpmouse wrote: »

Do you really begrudge spending a few pound (or even just an hour of your time helping child to make a card) once or twice a year for someone who makes an enoromous difference to your children?

P.s Tattycath the above isn't a rant at you. Just wondered if you tip anyone that is why I quote you

your second post.

plumpmouse wrote: »

Like I said my post wasn't a rant at you at all. It was just your post that made me curious with regards to tipping other professions.

I certainly wasn't trying to imply that you begrudge spending the time with your kids to make something!

In your first post you asked me if i really begrudge spending a few pound (or even just an hour of my time helping child to make a card) once or twice a year for someone who makes an enoromous difference to your children?
I responded to that and then in your second post you contradicted your first post. I only answered your question -no i don't begrudge spending time helping my children make cards (maybe i didn't explain very well) for their teachers
.....

plumpmouse

tattycath wrote: »

Your first post

your second post.


In your first post you asked me if i really begrudge spending a few pound (or even just an hour of my time helping child to make a card) once or twice a year for someone who makes an enoromous difference to your children?
I responded to that and then in your second post you contradicted your first post. I only answered your question -no i don't begrudge spending time helping my children make cards (maybe i didn't explain very well) for their teachers
.....

No Tattycath you have misunderstood my post and I can see why reading them back.

The first part of my post about the tipping was asked due to your previous post. The rest was just a rant hence why I put at the bottom that it wasn't a rant at you.

My use of "you" in the begrudging bit has made it seem like it was aimed at you. I probably should have used "people".

It certainly wasn't a personal attack on you!

Apologies for the badly worded post that makes it sound like it is

tattycath

plumpmouse wrote: »

No Tattycath you have misunderstood my post and I can see why reading them back.

The first part of my post about the tipping was asked due to your previous post. The rest was just a rant hence why I put at the bottom that it wasn't a rant at you.

My use of "you" in the begrudging bit has made it seem like it was aimed at you. I probably should have used "people".

It certainly wasn't a personal attack on you!

Apologies for the badly worded post that makes it sound like it is

Sorry, yes, now you put it like that, i did misunderstand your post. It did feel like a personal attack despite your protestations. thanks for clearing that up.

hayleythedaisy

A teacher friend once said to me she feels uncomfortable with homemade edibles after the staff room fell ill from eating homemade peppermint creams... much as she appreciated the thought, you don't know the kitchen it was prepared in.
She said she recieved homemade a book mark which was nice becuse it had been personalised.

DaisyFlower

You could make a little hamper up with nice coffee, hot choc and biscuits so that they have something to share and if the dates are good they have something nice to come back to in September.

Tipping binmen etc is completely different from buying school staff a gift. Teachers spend an enourmous part of the year with our children and most are worth their weight in gold. Yes they get a salary but I know ours work many hours outside their contract, purchase bits for the classroom themselves as extras for the children and generally make the school a fab place to be. The support staff are also great.

Those that dont believe in it, thats fine but dont tar those who do as only buying for showmanship.

ciderwithrosie_2

DaisyFlower wrote: »

Those that dont believe in it, thats fine but dont tar those who do as only buying for showmanship.

I showed my appreciation of the school and its teachers by joining the PTA as soon as my oldest son started in reception, I was on it for 12 years, we raised a heck of a lot of money in that time (in a very underprivileged
area) and gave the teachers support by helping out at events and on trips. I went in and helped in class when I could (not so much in later years as I was working full-time), ran a school newspaper club for a while, took minutes at meetings and did all the publicity for events for free. To me, actions speak louder than gifts! And if you think I'm a hard-hearted cow, when my youngest left primary and I had to therefore stand down from the PTA I sobbed my heart out

teasleym

My daughter attended 2 preschools up to last Friday. We made handmade keyring/mobile phone tags for each of the ladies at each, using shrinkles (or shrinkidinks as they were when I was small!). They weren't expensive, a couple of packs of the special plastic and a pack of tags, and she spent time drawing special pictures on them and then we shrunk them in the oven.

The ladies were really happy with them, especially as they were all handmade for them, and my daughter chose which picture to give to each person.

Just an idea to help, they aren't too expensive, too big, but were nice keepsakes to remind them of my daughter.

summerday

I've said it before and I'll say it again- despite receiving various teacher mugs each year (despite that I never have and never will drink hot drinks), and other 'teacher' etc gifts, I do still appreciate the effort of trying to show appreciation. However the only gifts I've really kept are personalised cards and letters detailing particular things the child has enjoyed learned about or done with me, or ways that I have helped them etc. Whether it's written by the child themself or by the parent on behalf of the child. That always touches me and I keep them in a safe place and always will.

saterkey

I have found over the years that there was a real sense of bigger and better amongst the parents, my friend who was a ta in school mentioned that the teachers had so many presents. Imagine a class of 30 odd kids all buying pressies, particularly thank you teacher on them, boxes of chocs. they ended up being regifted or given to charity. I became fed up with spending on gifts only to find that it was a waste of money.

When my kids were little i did a thank you note with handprints on and got my kids to write their name and thank you on the back to their teacher which seemed to go down well.

Now I dont do anything for secondary.