Gifts for Teachers

cookiemonster25

ant31 wrote:

As a teacher myself, gotta point out that the better the pressie, the better the end of term report in my opinion

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: like your style

amanda40

It is nice to be nice - You don't have to spend a fortune and if your chid has done well and enjoyed school over the course of the year and liked their teacher - what is the harm in a wee 'Thank You' I know i don't get present from taxpayers for giving them refunds etc, but I don;t know them on a personal basis. It is more than just doing your job being a teacher - they are vasty underpaid for the amount of work and effort most of them put in. The kids and the teachers all need the holidays to recarge in my opinion. If my kids had a teacher that I didn;t think very much of, or child didn't take to, I wouldn't think twice about not buying them a gift - I don't feel under any pressure.

rdwarr

The_Bargain_Hunters wrote:

Grrrrrrrrr! This makes me realy angry!

Teachers be they good or bad actually GET PAID TO DO THEIR JOB! Just like everyone else! They also get about 13 weeks holiday and then have the cheek to moan, (I do have several friends who are teachers) that they have to pay more for their holidays as the price goes up during school holiday time!- As do mere working parents who have to use their very limited 5 week allowance, also in peak holiday times, as schools don't like you to take your child out of school!

Why should we be made to feel like cheap skates if we (and in my case begrudgingly) buy them something for a pound or less (MY LIMIT!). When my daughter went to school she did a painting or made a dough dolly of her teacher and I am sure it meant more than "another box of choc's I'll never be slim - or - another plant to kill at home!"

It must be the only job where you get presents twice a year from about 30 people who don't really know you!

:mad: Sorry if this is a bit of a rant but it really P's me off!:mad:

That came across as really nasty. Surely if a kid wants to give his teacher a present he ought to be able to do so without the Spanish Inquisition.

When my Mum was in hospital I bought flowers for the nurses who looked after her in her final days. Obviously they get paid as well; I just thought it might be nice.

shays_mum

Sorry to jump in, but what would you suggest for a few teachers,as my little one as 1 teacher in the morning & one in the afternoon? Thanks in advance!

pink_phantom

Minxz wrote:

I think £10 per child is disgusting!!



One other point, where I worked we all gave gifts to the kids at the end of each term, especially christmas. the teachers were given £20 per class, and often added to that so they could buy something decent per child. the TAs were never gicven anything like this, and yet we always bought sweets, pens, rubbers etc for the kids, and when you work with more than one clas, this really adds up!

I think something homemade- a flower, a cake, some sweets or a card is much nicer than vouchers

In my sons school (infants), the PTA buy all the children a present at xmas exactly the same but something practical aswell. Last year it was a school bag with the schools name on for their homework and a variety box. The kids were chuffed and it helps to smarten the school a bit without leaving anybody out or asking parents to contribute (other than fundrasing during the year of course which is optional).

Mind you, my sons school has a strict policy that lack of money means you won't loose out. They never ask for money for a trip, meerely a suggested donation then if someone can't afford it it doesn't matter because as long as they sign the consent form the kid can go even if they don't bring money in.

I think a donation box located in the hall or somewhere would be better as parents can give a bit if they want to wthout embarassment if it isn't much or none at all even. Then the class could make the teacher a nice card and all sign it and that way it would be from everybody.

It is disguting that a child should be almost "named and shamed" in this way because that's what it is even if it is done by omission. Kids can be really sensative at that age and it could scar them for life.:mad:

tightus_wad

Blimey - I'm 3 years into teaching having spent 14 years as an IT consultant. I can honestly say - hand on heart - teaching is MUCH harder than anyone thinks - you are "on show" 6 hours a day - then you mark and plan lessons, you are mentaly and physicaly exahusted - plus I get told to f**K off twice a week, have to repair split heads, gashed legs, sort out children who are physically and mentally scarred and have to take it and laugh it off or lend a sympathetic ear. I do love it though! Days FLY by! I know we get paid for the job - However, I now get paid 1/3 of what I did in IT for a longer day, more red tape (and I used to be IT QA manager for a Nuclear Firm - i know my red tape) and abuse. Believe me, most people I know - strong professionals, say they wouldn't last 2 minutes teaching.
Anyway - ANY prezzie is good to get - but wine or beer works best -

Techno

I agree with rdwarr I used to nurse and often grateful patients would bring us choccies (even tights and on one occasion we all got a little teddie with a hand knitted hat) - but in fairness, as hard as I worked on the ward, at the end of the shift that was it - I was 'off duty'. My husband is a teacher - he starts at 8am, most days doesn't get a lunch break as he is giving extra help to pupils who need it and often won't finish in school until after 6pm if there are after school activities,then most nights and weekends he will have 2 - 3 hours of marking. Those long holidays are spent marking course work and preparing lessons etc for the next term.
He doesn't expect gifts - what he really appreciates is a card made by or bought by the pupil with their thanks expressed - that makes his day

milk

The_Bargain_Hunters wrote:

Grrrrrrrrr! This makes me realy angry!

Teachers be they good or bad actually GET PAID TO DO THEIR JOB! Just like everyone else! They also get about 13 weeks holiday and then have the cheek to moan, (I do have several friends who are teachers) that they have to pay more for their holidays as the price goes up during school holiday time!- As do mere working parents who have to use their very limited 5 week allowance, also in peak holiday times, as schools don't like you to take your child out of school!

Why should we be made to feel like cheap skates if we (and in my case begrudgingly) buy them something for a pound or less (MY LIMIT!). When my daughter went to school she did a painting or made a dough dolly of her teacher and I am sure it meant more than "another box of choc's I'll never be slim - or - another plant to kill at home!"

It must be the only job where you get presents twice a year from about 30 people who don't really know you!

:mad: Sorry if this is a bit of a rant but it really P's me off!:mad:

I totally agree with you at my sons school present giving has got a bit of keeping up with the jones's and it really p*****s me off that people with little or no money feel obliged to give expensive gifts twice a year to teachers.

meggie-lizzie

Goodness why get up in arms about giving gifts. Surely this is something you do if you want to and don't if you don't want to! I would think most teachers would appreciate a small token but wouldn't want to accept anything that was given with a bad heart. Just out of interest I wonder how many kids come home with gifts at christmas from teachers? As a secondary teacher myself I always bought for my form group at end of term, normally just sweets, but buying for 30 does get expensive when it comes out of your own pocket. Being secondary age kids it isn't cool to but for teachers so I got few gifts (or perhaps the kids just hated me, lol). Once got a bottle of wine for filling in a passport form, and I have filled in loads of them (teachers don't charge £10 like doctors do). Does it bother me, not in the least, I came into the profession to teach, not have long holidays (I wish) or get gifts from kids. I always bought my kids female primary teachers hand cream, very welcome after an art lesson! Try to remember the only compulsory part of education is your child's attendance not gift buying for staff!

profpatpending

Don't set me off about teachers! I'm a school administrator and I see just how pampered they actually are and they still have the cheek to moan. They complain that they are low paid, but they actually only work part time hours 32.5 hours a week for only 39 weeks a year. They get over an hour for lunch and a morning and afternoon break when they aren't doing a playground duty. They also get to sit in the staff room stuffing their faces during assembly. On top of this they get half a day a week out of the classroom for planning an preparation. If anybody should moan it's the office staff who work much longer hours for much less pay (but we don't moan 'cos we're lovely!!). Most of them have never had a job in the 'real' world having never really left school (school, uni, then back to school). When I was a lass (many moons ago) teachers worked much harder and were more prepared to partake in clubs out of school hours (football, netball, cricket etc). Save your money on pressies - you pay enought out of your taxes for them! Anyway, rant over.