Spill the beans... on end-of-term gifts for teachers

sneezyboots

As yet another primary teacher I will also echo the others to say that gifts are never expected.

i am always amazed at how many I get as see each and everyone (no mater the value) as a symbol that the child has enjoyed their time in my class and the parents appreciate what I have done for the child.

The most touching gift for me was when a child brought in a bag of smarties and a bag of malteasers as they remembered me saying they were my favourite when they were doing data collection in maths and the survey they designed was favourite type of chocolate

And to add to what someone else said, my children do expect sweets from me at the end of the year and one cheeky so and so has already asked me what sweets i am giving them on the last day!

JC9297

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

We do a class collection to buy vouchers. Most parents contribute, £10 seems to be the norm, so we have £300 to split between the teacher & classroom assistant.

In addition, many children all give individual presents. This year my youngest is giving a rugby ball to one & Kindle gift card to the other.

I assumed the point of a collection was so that the teacher got one substantial present rather than lots of smaller gifts.
What about the parents who can't afford £10 (x number of children), do they ending up giving more than they can afford to save face?

jellyhead

mrcow wrote: »

I'm a secondary school teacher and am not expecting anything. I'd be stunned if any of my form remembered me as they crashed out of the school gates next week.

My son has just finished secondary school and the children did a collection in year 11 as a goodbye to the tutor they'd had for 5 years.

He used to give a gift every year but in year 5 he wanted to stop, and he wouldn't have dreamed of it in secondary school. The year 11 thing is socially acceptable, apparently.

jellyhead

snowyz81 wrote: »

I am i horrid, in thinking that i wouldnt by the teacher anything ??

DD starts school this year, and i may consider buying a present for the nursery as she is leaving and doing a card. But when she is in School, i dont see why we should have to ?? I appricate its a nice thought. If your having the same teacher the next year, its seems pointless.

I dont get presents for doing a good job at work.

Not horrid at all - I bet the teacher won 't notice who gives a gift and who doesn't. In our school the children have a different teacher every year so it's more of a goodbye than a thankyou.

jellyhead

MidLifeCrisis wrote: »

DD's teacher has told the class that they should get her chocolate for an end of term gift, as she loves chocolate, especially Maltesers. I feel this expectation that a child should buy a gift is a step too far.

How old are these children?

It's nice that the children know that a gift that can be bought from poundland will be okay, but the gift giving should be voluntary! I can't imagine the teachers in my son's school ever talking about end of term gifts - they don't expect them, and if it were talked about in class then the children whose parents didn't buy a gift would feel bad.

pollypenny

I bought all my tutor groups individual presents as they left in Y11 - key rings with their names, mugs with names and ,latterly, a framed photo of the whole group.

At that stage they usually collected and brought a present for me, a tiny gold locket is one I particularly valued.

£20 gifts from single pupils are far too much, going beyond a token.

Lunar_Eclipse

JC9297 wrote: »

I assumed the point of a collection was so that the teacher got one substantial present rather than lots of smaller gifts.
What about the parents who can't afford £10 (x number of children), do they ending up giving more than they can afford to save face?

The reality, in my limited experience of three schools, is that both collective vouchers & smaller individual gifts are given. Never by all pupils & some parents disagree with teacher gifts completely. I usually do my own gifts, but the past 2 years have done both (for different reasons.)

Parents decide how much to contribute, IF ANYTHING, anonymously if they like. I mentioned £10 being common; this year it ranged from £7-20/person (I received money.)

I really doubt anyone contributes money they shouldn't. There is no 'saving face' because money is sent in to school, in sealed envelopes for the class rep and isn't normally checked off against names of people in the class, so is typically done so anonymously. We simply have a class collection that people can opt in or out of and to a level they choose. If anything, it's the opposite that occurs: people don't contribute at all.

I think people might feel under more pressure (& face saving) when collections are done in person and so it's obvious. I've experienced this too, at a pub one evening.

bambinaUK

I never expect to receive anything, even a simple thank you is gratefully received these days!

This year though one of my leavers who also studies art has painted me a lovely local scene, which I will treasure forever.

ladymarmalade

As a secondary school teacher, we don't really get anything (except when our form groups reach year eleven) and I certainly don't expect anything. Anything I do receive puts a smile on my face, but I would rather have a note or a card, as has been previously mentionned as I keep them all in a box.

I do agree with parent comments that you should only get the teacher something if your child has progressed with them over the year/enjoyed being in the class/learned something!

Taadaa

Well perhaps I am in the minority here but I have never bought the teachers a gift at the end of term. But having said that, my son was collected by relatives or went to after school club, so I rarely saw the teacher, although I tried to get out of work every now and then, particularly if DS wasn't having an easy time with a subject or another pupil.

There are ( I presume ) systems in place for rewarding well peforming teachers - PRP or recognition schemes - so think it would be better to give feedback to the head teacher and send a note to the teacher concerned they did more than expected for your child, handled a situation particularly well etc.