what are you buying\making teachers for xmas

jeningers

My son goes to a playgroup and there are 7 teachers!

I have made memo pegs and plan to make little handbags in the same paper as the pegs have bee covered in with a few chocolates inside

Putting them in the ikea brown bags (with santa on front) with handmade brown luggage tag type labels

Does that sound ok or naff? would consider something else other than chocs (as long as chep to make!);)

Prudent

I love a home made card too:)

My favourite gifts have always been pointsettias because they are one of the things I really love about Christmas. That is very personal though.

We had a discussion about this in the staffroom last year and the general concensus was that the best gift is tea and coffee. We drink lots as a staff over the year. Either normal or fancy is great. This could be ideal for the people who like to be creative with wrapping presents.

liz-paul

I worked in a preschool last year and was genuinely grateful for anything I got! However my favourite things were the bottles of wine 'cos it saved me buying it myself! Another great thing we got given was a couple of parents clubbed together and got us a voucher for a local cafe so we could go out to lunch together.

I have bought wine for most teachers this year (on offer!) and chocs for a couple as I'm not sure how old the kids gymnastics coaches are . I pretty much always buy wine, chocs or toiletries because they can always be regifted by the teachers..... I don't know any of them well enough to buy things like jewellery and my budget is under £5 a head.

sillyinthepast

Can I ask the teachers out there a question please. My 3 children are in the same primary school. Instead of individual gifts this year I was going to give a gift between them which is a charity gift to either train a teacher or support a child at school for a year in Africa. Hubby said this wasn't a very good gift. As a teacher would you be happy with this?

lindsaygalaxy

I'm a teacher and think there are some lovely ideas on here! Sillyinthepast I think that is a lovely idea and I'm sure all the teachers at my school would think so.

Have to say, One of my favourites is a bottle of wine:) though a good bar of cadburys also goes down well-nothing fancy. The best present I got at the end of the summer term was a handwritten letter by a parent saying she thought I was a great teacher who truely cared about the children in the class and made a big difference to her sons life.

Bella73

Sorry to hijack your thread but can I ask why do parents feel the need to buy or make gifts? Is it just not yet another area for one upmanship for the parents??

I am really interested or do all you parents buy for everyone you see such as your postman, your hairdresser, the lady who you see every week in the supermarket etc etc?? Just wondering why you pick out teachers out of all the people you see regularly who are doing their jobs?

2monkeys

Bella73 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread but can I ask why do parents feel the need to buy or make gifts? Is it just not yet another area for one upmanship for the parents??

I am really interested or do all you parents buy for everyone you see such as your postman, your hairdresser, the lady who you see every week in the supermarket etc etc?? Just wondering why you pick out teachers out of all the people you see regularly who are doing their jobs?

I completely agree with the principle behind your post, two points to consider though:

- It's hard for your child to line on the last day of term while all those around them are laden with gifts and yours are empty handed.

- There are a few professions that are completely thankless, teaching and nursing are two I think especially so. Yes people choose to do a job but in these days when everyone is so quick to complain it's nice also to take the time to say thank you.

I think most people here are trying to find a small, inexpensive way to let teachers know we appreciate the effort they put in.

Bella73

2monkeys wrote: »

I completely agree with the principle behind your post, two points to consider though:

- It's hard for your child to line on the last day of term while all those around them are laden with gifts and yours are empty handed.

- There are a few professions that are completely thankless, teaching and nursing are two I think especially so. Yes people choose to do a job but in these days when everyone is so quick to complain it's nice also to take the time to say thank you.

I think most people here are trying to find a small, inexpensive way to let teachers know we appreciate the effort they put in.

I get your thanking them part but surely a homemade card would do that and from lots (not all) posts on this site a lot of the gift are thrown away! But I do get your point about your child being the only one being empty handed but it still gets to me when so many parents are saying they are finding it hard to put food on the table and buy their children gifts for Christmas that these days it is kind of expected to buy a teacher a gift as well and to be fair I think most jobs where you deal with the public are pretty thankless and just wondered why teachers appear to get the most thanks if you see what I mean.

I'm honestly not saying they don't deserve the gifts but feel it is a bit harsh on poorer families and they are sort of expected to do it these days.

liz-paul

I buy gifts for my kids teachers/coaches because they are having a huge impact on my kids now and forever in the future (for better or worse) & I want to thank them and have them realise that I recognise that. I don't give a gift to the postman (just as an example) as pretty much whatever he does he's no having a massive impact on my life in the same way (obv I do like to receive my post though!) and nobody in my family is spending muc time with him (the way the kids do with their teachers. In a similar vein I usually give my hairdresser a bottle of wine at xmas (not this year because I can't afford a cut/colour). I would also buy gifts for medical staff if either of my kids were long term sick and we were seeing the same nurses/doctors a lot & I would buy gifts for staff if I had elderly relatives in a care home. Again I think for me it is do with the amount of time I/my family spend with a person and/or the impact they have on our lives.

Does that make sense? Also, if I was unhappy with a teacher then I wouldn't buy anything as I wouldn't have any appreciation to show.

vikki_louise

My nan died in the summer, she was a school dinner lady when my dad was little. Wen she left her pupils did a big picture of flowers in a pot and the flowers were flaps with messages under from the pupils. Her whole life she kept it on the wall and I remember her telling me about it several times when I was a child. I saved it as it was so special to her