Class Rep Thank Yous

[Earlybird]

Is it common/expected to officially thank the class rep for her work during the school year with some sort of card, gift, etc? Should it come from each family, or from the class as a whole?

Definitely not looking for yet another thing to collect money for, but also don't want to be remiss. Am aware that if we don't think about/organise this now, it won't get done.

What's the norm? Do you?

[Bink]

Eek. No, never have, despite suddenly now realising just how much they do - not even a card. Will now do a card, but I don't think material things quite right, somehow - something to do with how much part of their role is extracting dosh from us for teachers' voucher gifts etc. Seems a slight muddying of waters to give the rep things to? Does that make sense? Or am I justifying my meanness?

[Hallgerda]

We don't have class reps, but if I were you I'd check out the local expectations rather than asking here. I would take the "mean" approach and do nothing unless it's clearly expected. After all, where does it end? The class rep organises the present for the teacher, someone organises a present for the class rep, does someone then have to buy a present for the person who organised the present for the class rep? 30 years ago nobody even bought a present for the teacher!

[Earlybird]

Gosh Bink....hadn't occured to me either until yesterday when I called the rep (who is also my good friend), and heard the sewing machine whirring in the background. She and her au pair were making the costumes for the class summer term theatre production! She has just finished organising our class activities/booth at the summer fete, and is forever going off to school meetings - so it's alot of voluntary work that would be nice to acknowledge in some way.

Don't think it needs to be anything major really, but thinking it might be nice for the class to get her an orchid (or other type plant) and card, or maybe we could get one of the mums who makes jewelry to make a necklace that could come from all of us....so we'd probably be taking a fiver from each mum at most.

[Anchovy]

Oh bugger - I'm going to be class rep next year and I was hoping it involved virtually no work at all - don't like the sound of this!

I saw myself more as "ordering people around in a charming but steely manner" (ie sort of like in the office but with more emphasis on the charm) rather than "making the costumes for everyone for everything". Eeek!

[Bink]

Anchovy, I do think (dearly hope) it's what you make it, so efficient delegation is every bit as good as total-own-shouldering [bit like work - the really good ones don't end up doing all their own drafting, do they?]

I'm pretty awed that you would think of doing it, though - I couldn't possibly - domestic admin + fulltime work fills my plate completely.

[Weatherwax]

Anchovy I've been a class rep for 2 years now and it doesn't mean running up costumes. I did volunteer to do strawberries and cream at the sports day this year which was hard work but I did put myself forward and I do think it was worthwhile. I've spent most of my 2 year stint sitting in on long evening meetings listening to the heads of the school chat about things and finding out I can go try the school lunches out (excellent).We do raise a certain amount of money and we let the heads know about the rumours going round. The meetings length is the worst part of it.

[Weatherwax]

Oh I ment to say if anybody thanked me I would hate it!