Teachers presents - class gift

Yep, the capitalise machine is good at churning out new occasions to buy stuff for.

I guess some folk are waiting for payday to make their contribution? Times are tight and just because it's an "affluent area" doesn't mean folk aren't struggling behind closed doors with rising costs.

Where has this idea of gifts for teachers come from? I remember once giving a teacher who was leaving some sweets and when I was six, taking my very elderly woman teacher flowers from the garden on Monday mornings. (She was delighted with them.) Clubbing together and buying gifts? Never.

We have a collection for non teaching support staff (this includes all non teaching staff from lunch time supervisors to SENCO) and the link for this is circulated school wide and usually wracks up over £1k. Everyone got £70 of vouchers last year.

Way too early.

I am on 3 class groups and only one has started their collection (and there has been zero donation and the person running it has it set to end really early too)

My other class groups haven't got their's done yet.

I am in favour of the class present and it usually works well (have a child in Y6 and it's been done for their teacher every year for Xmas and end of school year)

And by giving only to the teacher it ignores everyone else who supports the school - cleaners, catering, office, maintenance etc

We didn’t have class collections or WhatsApp groups at DT’s school but have seen the problems from both where I have been a governor. Thankfully the head stopped both after a year of no end of problems surrounding the different WhatsApp groups and every time there was a collection

@Parker231 how does the school put a stop to WhatsApp groups? At my DD's school (or maybe it's just her specific class) we don't have one so maybe I'm just not aware of how they're organised - are they normally set up by the school? I assumed they were just parents getting each other's numbers and setting them up?

It’s end November most people haven’t been paid yet so chill out. You may find from next week the contributions start coming in. But regardless of amount you out from everyone

Wait a bit longer, remind after payday
Just put names of those that have paid in the card...

By the way if you are buying some kind of handmade gift from the class like a picture that includes the names of the kids in the class it would be really petty to just include the ones that have paid in on the actual memento...
That's whats happening this year in our class group - they are creating a picture present of tree with the names of the kids in the class, but if you don't pay in the child's name is not on the tree...

Hell would freeze over before I donated money for someone doing their job.

That's a bizarre view - do you think the school decides whose names are on the card?

The consensus round here is that only the kids who've contributed sign the card.

Just hang around the gates and get those kids to sign it.

You don’t know what reasons people may have for not wanting contribute. One year I didn’t contribute because the teacher had pissed me off. I didn’t want to make the obligatory donation to Children in Need so didn’t send in the £2. The teacher pressured my son so much, reminding him of the donation every day, that he brought the money in out of his own money box (age 8).
I was really annoyed about this so when it came to the Christmas donation I just gave £5 to my son instead to make up for it!
The Mum who was doing the collection texted me about 5 times as well, which I just ignored as I didn’t feel I had to discuss my reasons with anyone.

I wonder if these schools who only allow the names of children whose PARENTS have donated to the gift are as vigilant when it comes to the end of term school parties. “ No I am sorry Child X, you are not allowed party ring biscuits, carrot sticks, quavers, a fondant fancy, cheese cubes a mini Mars bar and lemonade to drink because on myParty Entitlement Spreadsheet I see your parents only sent in a single packet of supermarket crisps. A plain digestive biscuit and a cup of water for you my dear. Happy Christmas.”

Most sensible solution to this dilemma! Let everyone sort their own gift out if they wish to give one.

But you don’t know the individual financial circumstances of each child’s family so it’s incredibly presumptuous to just assume people can afford a fiver.

This! Especially with the col crisis this seems harsh

Absolutely ridiculous. With the col crisis many people are cutting back on family presents so why on earth would you give money/presents to a teacher.

OMG this is everything thats wrong with this collection bullshit.

Teachers don't need Xmas gifts, if someone wants to give one they should bother their own ass to do it but NO ONE should be harassed into stuff they don't want to or can't do and then shamed for it.

I think we have to give teachers some credit - I can’t ever imagine a teacher (even ones I am not keen on) treating a child differently because their parent didn’t buy a Christmas present or put in for one. I doubt very much teachers show kids their Christmas cards with the lists of names who contributed - just as I doubt they go around thanking the kids who contributed infront of other kids who didn’t.
I just find it weird to say a present is from the whole class when it’s not. Sometimes I have deliberately not contributed to teachers presents who have been horrible to my child. I would not want my child’s name on their card in these instances because some well meaning person thinks I haven’t contributed due to lack of funds.

Personally would return the money given to the 10 families and let them know only a small % of families wanted to be involved and it would be best to sort things out solo.

Never did class presents, my mum was a teacher and never had them either it was always individual a nice card and a pack of biscuits done.

Do you know what you're getting? I refuse to put into the class gifts as it's always complete tat.

Totally agree with hating the collection. The whole purpose of gifting is making it personal. I would love DD to make something or have a small budget and decide herself what she wanted to buy. At the start of the year she wanted to give the teacher a paper rose because if she did that “then the teacher would remember my name”. They say the funniest things and would be nice for them to express their creativity. Everything is so computerised and transactional now.

I agree with waiting a little longer. I haven’t been asked yet for DD. Wasn’t this time last year either. Another reminder this weekend.

We didn’t have class collections or WhatsApp groups at DT’s school but have seen the problems from both where I have been a governor. Thankfully the head stopped both after a year of no end of problems surrounding the different WhatsApp groups and every time there was a collection

Definitely.
The things I cherished most were hand-made cards or things that the children had made. I had a flowerpot decorated a ribbon and baubles that I used every year at Christmas (until my cat broke it!)