So when did we start giving teachers presents?

[MummyDoIt]

Certainly didn't do it when I was at school (some considerable time ago as I'm in my early 40s). I was a bit taken aback last year by the stacks of presents handed over to DS1s nursery teachers. I'm a little more prepared this year but just curious as to when this tradition began.

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[Hulababy]

It happened amongst some, but not all, children/parents hwhen I was at primary school in the late 70s. Giving a thank you card, normally home made, was very much the norm too.

I recieved a fair few presents when I was teaching (secondary so not as wide spread) - started 1996.

[overthemill]

yes i have no idea about this stuff (see my post about shirt signing). In my day (yes i am old) nothing like this happened. we gave our form teacher a bunch of flowers when she went on maternity leave (in 1973??). i do now give xmas pressies but limit to a £5 voucher for the cinema although did participate in a whip round for a beloved teacher who was leaving the school.
i was shocked when we moved last year and gave a leaving party for the class (it was a sudden move and wanted to mark it) and all the kids who came gave a present or a £5. was so shocked and a bit embarassed tbh. hadn't expected them to spend money on her. touching though too

[MummyDoIt]

It was your shirt-signing post that inspired me to start this one, Overthemill!

[MummyToOneForNow]

I was at school in the late 70s and 80s and never saw presents being given. I have received the odd one as a secondary teacher in the last 4 years but not many.

[SpirallingOutOfControl]

My mum gave a very lovely teacher of mine a retirement present but I dont think anyone else did (circa 1976)

[MummyDoIt]

Concensus seems to be that it started in the 90s then. Wonder whose idea it was and if they realised just how far it would go? It must the the bane of many parents' lives at this time of year.

[cazzybabs]

When I was at school we did give presents...but maybe it is to do with economical climate....thus as fuel and food prices go up people have less disposable income and therefore no presemts.

[cazzybabs]

ohh I was at school before the 1990s

[Tigerschick]

I don't remember giving presents to teachers in my early schooling - 1982-5 - except a retirement one that we all contributed to. But then I moved schools and it was quite the thing to do.
During the late 80s my mum was a teacher at a very posh school (children arriving in Rolls Royces driven by chauffeurs etc) and she used to get cashmire jumpers and £50 restaurant vouchers - for Christmas, birthday and end of term from some parents!!

[Mercy]

I only remember this happening when we left primary school - about 1974.

Other than that it was only if a teacher got married, had a baby or was leaving.

[Mercy]

Mummydoit, it's a bit a pain tbh. I've bought 5 (very small) presents this year.

2 teachers, 1 TA and 2 Nursery Nurses.

[susiecutiebananas]

my mum was a primary school teacher, and she had pressies at christmas and summer every year, a huge stack of them, for as long as I can remember, so at least back to early 80's.

It happened to each teacher in the school, every end of Christmas term and summer term. We LOVED it, as she didn't like most of the chocs, she always had a few boxes of Ferrero Rocher... & hated them with a passion. Funny how father christmas always stuck a box in our stockings too, amazing coincidence

Oh, I can still feel the excitement me ad my brother felt as we sifted through her box of pressies! My sister was never interested...

[fircone]

I was at primary school in 1970s and I always gave the teacher a Christmas present. I can still remember wrapping up the Coty gift set - Tweed or something equally horrendous!

[Ledodgy]

I was at primary school in the late seventies, early eighties and we gave presents then.

[PeaMcLean]

I vaguely remember giving presents leaving the third year juniors (1979?) Didn't do it in fourth year juniors though - male teacher.

[Smithagain]

I gave presents - certainly to teachers I liked! Don't think we spent much on them. I probably made things (would love to know if any of them are still treasured! My nursery school teacher keeps accosting my mum in the street and asking after me! )

[admylin]

We never gave presents years ago - my dad always said just after the war you took an apple for the teacher but it was just to suck up to them

My dc go to a Portugese-German school and we have alot of Brazilian pupils too and they transform the school into one big flower shop on the last day, nearly every child brings in big bunches of flowers or plants all wrapped in glittery paper and massive bows and ribbons on. It was so funny watching these little 1st years carrying bouquets nearly as big as themselves!

[wheresthehamster]

I gave my primary teachers a present at Christmas (usually hankies) and a thank-you letter at the end of the summer term. That was early 60s. I wasn't the only one but it wasn't a gift fest like it is now.

I still have the letter from my teacher in 1964 who said "Thank-you for my hankerchiefs, you must have noticed what a big nose I have!!" I was mortified. As a child I didn't realise that teachers had a sense of humour and thought he was telling me off!

[twinsetandpearls]

It is bonkers at dd school every child in her class brings in a gift, it is quite cute to see them all bringing them in though.

As a secondary teacher I get a few presents every year.

Have just told my year group I am leaving and I am collecting quite an odd selection of gifts from a photo frame to a china chicken!

[MummyDoIt]

I wonder if it's a geographic thing then, that started in one area and spread. I was brought up in the north-east and that was present-free up to the 80s as far as I know.

[paolosgirl]

I'm 40 and we gave presents back then in the 70's and 80's - and that was both in a Kent and Aberdeenshire primary.

I think it's a mad custom which should be banned by law personally, but I'm also aware that this is an extreme view

[DuffyMoon]

I have never done it...

[BellaDonna79]

Im 28 and most pupils gave presents when I was at school, mind you it was quite a posh school and there was an air of oneupmanship (is that a word?)as to who could give the most expensive/thoughtful/unusual gift...
In the 6th form we all got together and wrote our crazy but lovely headmistress a thank-you letter and stuck them all into a spare excercise book, she cried (in itself quite amazing as she was rather stern) and said it was the nicest present she had ever recieved (and one pretentious father once presented her with a car! Mind you he was supposedly trying to get a place for his second child who had been expelled from about 4 schools previously and wasn't the sharpest tool in the box)
I normally buy a small white company gift box for DCs teachers at christmas and a handwritten thank you card + flowers in the summer