End of year gifts for teachers: Your best money saving ideas

bsuije

monnagran wrote: »

Though I must say that on one occasion I had a child in my class whose parents were.........shall we say filthy rich. Her mother presented me with a sort of papier mache misshapen egg cup saying that she knew that I preferred to receive something the children had made themselves.
But not from you, darling, I thought. Diamonds are the least I expect for coping with your offspring for a year.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::T

PasturesNew

This should've been nipped in the bud.

Teachers don't want to be inundated with what's mostly cack.
It puts pressure on adults.
Kids can get bullied as bullies mock their gift.

Stop it.

rach_k

It's not money saving but we give a gift card that can be spent on something for the teacher personally or something for the classroom. I'd rather spend a bit more on something I know won't be wasted.

I don't feel like it's a new tradition at all. I'm not exactly young and we always gave the teacher a present at the end of the year. I'm pretty sure my parents did as children too.

Most children spend more time (awake!) with their class teacher than they do with their parents during term-time. They build up relationships and I think it's nice to celebrate that, as well as a good way to show children that you value their teachers.

Gem-gem

I was a teacher for over fifteen years.
It was always lovely to receive one card which all the children had signed.
I still have the letters of thanks that I received from grateful parents. Every now and then I look at them and it reminds me of the children that I was very fortunate to teach. I will always value these.
I received many presents over the years. I found it very touching but also embarrassing. I remember as a child my parents not having the money to buy a present for my teacher and I took them in a small bottle of scent that had been mine. As a teacher I always gracefully receive the presents but also did so without making those who didn't give feel uncomfortable.
If parents are going to give a gift, it was always better when they did a small collection that was put from all, so to prevent that awkwardness.
A small thoughtful gift was always appreciated more rather than lots of 'Teacher tat' that you see in the shops. One year I received a Japanese Maple Leaf tree, this I still treasure. Another year I received a pen that had been engraved with my name, this I still use. Vouchers were also received. Homemade gifts such as jam, knitted scarf or a piece of artwork that a parent had created was always nice to receive.
Finally, another year the parents clubbed together, they bought me a nice box of chocolates and spent the rest of the money buying some school dinners for children in Africa.

Spendless

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

I'm going to assume that when you're paying nearly £8k per child per term then...
A) the school can afford to pay the teachers properly.
!!!!!!!

Another nasty American import??

Eh?? Who is spending £8K per child per term? You or someone else?

American import? It's been going on for years, though it only happens at Primary school.(afaik)

Teachers do not need 30 small gifts per year (or even twice a year as sometimes christmas presents are also bought). My mum was a hairdresser, my Dad a bus driver for a special needs school. Each Christmas they got umpteen chocolates and alcohol. Much of which was off-loaded onto family members or sometimes binned (Mum hates ferrero rocher). As much as I liked the bottles of wine etc that came my way. The gifter hadn't bought for me.

The only good way I have ever heard of for the teacher to receive a gift if that is what is wanted was when a Mum collected a £1 off all the kids parents and then gave a £30 voucher. That way teacher got something they wanted, and it only cost each family £1. She then bought a big card all the kids signed

trailingspouse

1) There's no need. If you can't afford to buy a gift for the teacher, please don't. The teacher will understand and won't mind.

2) There's a limit to how many 'Best Teacher' fridge magnets anyone needs.

3) If you're going to buy gifts, don't forget the other people in your child's school life. When I had a Nursery Nurse or Classroom Assistant working with me, they rarely received anything. I always insisted on splitting my gifts with them, but not all teachers do.

amycool

This year we have bought a charity gift of school dinners and a card. Last year I wrote a letter to the teacher and she said it was her favourite gift.

There's a group of parents who make a huge fuss about collecting money then present the gift (usually a huge £50 bouquet of flowers, chocolate and wine) as if it was just from them. I've never felt the need to compete.

Pensionerkbm

I retired from teaching 13 years ago and was always happy to receive a thank you card from parents.
Quietly embarrassed by gifts as I loved my work and the children and families.
No gift required is my message.

teeb

As a teacher in a Secondary school, the best present you can give is a handwritten letter (from child or parent, depending on age and stage) saying thank you. These are the things that we keep in our desk drawers to cheer us up for years - wine and chocolates will vanish quickly.

Or if you want to thank your Secondary / High school teachers - your kid could have 20 different teachers and gifts really aren't expected. Some of our parents have handed in a plate of homemade biscuits or a cake for the staffroom. This goes down really well...

IrishRose12

Too late for N.Ireland also lol but still.

As a classroom assistant any gifts are appreciated. I've been working for 15 years as a CA now and have received gifts at both Christmas and End of year. Not from every child but that does not bother me at all.
Me personally the best gifts I receive are cards. Handwritten by the children and some parents also sign their names too. I have every Christmas card and End of year card I have received. I have very few gifts that I have received but the few I do have are very much treasured. I have a tote bag that I still use for my lunch bag every year, an Olaf build a bear that a few parents clubbed together and bought for me, as the kids told them I loved Olaf lol. Another class clubbed together and bought me a lovely nomination charm for my bracelet - again the children and parents had noticed I always wear my bracelet.
3 year ago I was given a Boots voucher and I was able to buy myself a pair of sunglasses for my holidays, I still use them now.
And one year parents clubbed together and gave me a voucher for Specsavers for the next time I had my eyes tested:T
This year a few parents clubbed together and have gotten me a water bottle , lunch bag, diary and stationary for September.
I will admit, all the Best teacher/Assistant mugs etc get donated to a charity shop, chocolates/biscuits I donate to my local food bank or local pensioners club my mum and aunts go to and I don't drink so any alcohol gets shared out among the family and friends, or gets donated to any ballots that I know are coming up in the pensioners center.
It's not because I'm ungrateful, I am far from that but I don't need most of it.

Christmas I get inundated with soap sets so I very rarely have to buy shower gel etc throughout the year which is great.

Schools these days are so much more than schools, they are what I call glorified baby sitters. I work and live in a so called disadvantaged area, but those parents are usually the ones who send in lovely thought of different gifts.
Then you have the parents who expect things to be done for them, from feeding their children - to giving them their medication, because they won't give it to them at home. I know quite a lot of these parents from going to school with them myself etc. They sit in the houses, doing god knows what, yet they won't provide an emergency contact number, or won't answer the phone, as in one parents words - the child is our problem until 3pm.
Some children in my school are in the school from 7.30am to 4pm. Some as young as 4 years old. So we near enough raise some of those children, we give them the love, care and attention that they crave and need, we feed them - sometimes out of our own lunches/break - and we clothe them at times too. Some we even medicate as their parents claim they can't do it at home.

So yes, a lot of people say we get paid for what we do, yes we get paid to teach the children - we don't get paid to mother them, and basically rear them. We don't get paid for worrying about them when we are home at night, we don't get paid for buying extra fruit in our shopping to bring into work for the children who don't have any, or we don't get paid for buying and providing new underwear of they have an accident, fall and rip their trousers/tights etc, and we don't get paid for missing out of our own time with our families because we are doing things to help children in the class, But these days that what we do in schools now.

So as much as anyone working in a school will tell you gifts or even a card are not required or needed, anything we are given is very much appreciated as shows that we are appreciated for all the work we do that we are not paid for or required to do, but we do it anyway.
A simple thank you and have a lovely summer with your family from a parent face to face with us is even more appreciated.