Real-life MMD: Should I pay fixed contribution for teacher's gift?

oldtrout

Funky_Bold_Ribena wrote: »

What's unacceptable? The £25 request or MSE making their MMDs up?

The £25 request.

MSE having to make some of their MMDs up is just silly really, as I'm sure there are real dilemmas they could use, which would relate to far more people.

PegasusPJ

when I was a kid the only time teachers got a gift (aside from a drawing..ie something you didn't buy) was when they retired! (and as far as I remember, it wasn't even the parents but the pupils' own pocket money that was collected by the pupils themselves).

and £25?! every year?! :eek:

florere

What a cheek, £750, If a child wants to give the teacher a gift, he should take in an apple or something similar. How long has this been going on for, it didn't happen when my children were at school 30 years ago. First of all, you do not demand a gift as if it is a right. secondly there is a very good chance that teacher earns more than the parents, and what happens if you have three or four children. How dare they. It's intimidation through the children, or to put it another way, bullying, a fine example to set.:mad:

The question, should you pay, the answer is you should not give into bullies, and you should tell your son that he shouldn't give in either, after all, she won't be his teacher next year.

babushkava

I think that, for the school (the head teacher must have sanctioned it) to take a role in asking for gifts is plain wrong. You could explain to your child -
1 The head teacher has unfortunately made a mistake by asking for this money.
2 People and organisations do not ask for presents (or money for presents), that is plain rude.
3 If we do not give the money, then we are helping the head teacher to realise that there has been a mistake make.

If it were me, I would then say to my son, I will contact the head teacher and sort this out, you should not have been put in the position of bringing home a request for a gift. I am sorry they made a mistake on this.

tenuissent

£25 is completely wrong. Any demand is wrong.

Schools can be strange, though. Long ago I was telephoned by a school my children went to (a state grammar school, and I was also a visiting music teacher there) and asked for a contribution towards a new sports hall. I answered politely that I didn't want to make one.

The caller proceeded to bully me, threatening that my name would be put on a list they were making of parents who had not contributed, and I would find it embarrassing!

I could barely believe that, and said even more firmly that if I had money to donate to a charity I could think of more worthy ones than a sports hall for a school that was already very well endowed.

This is slightly off the subject, but I hope not too far.

Brian_Steele

I have four kids and at the recommended £20 pp that's £100 and more to the point nearly £400 per teacher.

I absolutely refuse to get involved in this financial oneupmanship and get my kids to make the teachers something instead. We have made truffles, elderflower cordial, jam, chutney etc. and these always seem to go down very well.

Teachers may love a cash bonus (who wouldn't), but something thoughtful and more to the point from the child himself is way better to my mind.

HelenREMfan

This has to be a wind up. As a lifelong teacher I have known of few teachers to receive gifts anything like that! In fact the vast majority would be lucky to receive an apple !
What I value most were the many handwritten cards and messages. I neither sought gifts nor dictated what should be given if I was asked.

shlycl

Name and shame!!!!!

Satman

A lot of parents cannot afford to shop in John Lewis!
Inform the taxman and personally tell the teacher to take a long run and a jump off a short pier . . .

artichi

If this is a real MMD, then all the well thought-out advice from the people that have kindly taken the trouble to help is somewhat fruitless.

Term has ended, the boy/his parent either did or didn't pay the £25. We can all stand down and maybe someone gives this thread a bump in early July 2014.