Teacher’s Gifts - Not another mug 😫

[Jessprimarytutor]

With the end of term approaching, the adverts for "Teacher's Gifts" seem to be doing the rounds on social media.

As an ex teacher, I never expected to get any presents and was always grateful when I did. However, if you are considering buying a gift for your child's teacher, please consider what you choose. It's unlikely they need another "Best Teacher" or personalised: mug, notebook, keyring, plaque, bag etc etc.

The best gifts I got (that were also well received by my colleagues) were when a few parents or a class of parents had got together and gave us a voucher e.g. for an experience (spa, massage, local pub to put towards a meal) or so we could chose something we wanted/needed (e.g. book token, John Lewis). Vouchers for the frozen meal company Cook, M&S, Waitrose would be great to help them to buy easy to cook meals once term restarts.

Or if you have more time/energy, try and find out what the teacher enjoys doing in their free time - you could get a keen gardener a voucher for a local garden centre etc if you wanted to make it more personal.

If every parent who spends say £2 on a box of chocolates/mug, came together - that would be a lovely £60 voucher (in a class of 30) for a teacher and would make their day.

There’s enough Teachers Tat in the world already! Please don’t add to it.

think the OP perhaps reads a bit like a wish list and it doesn't sit well with everyone, however, there is a valid point there. We need, as a whole population, stop buying novelty tat just for the sake of buying it. It's destroying our planet and nobody actually have the space or a need for 40 best teacher mugs. A smaller contribution to a group present, which the person actually would appreciate and use, is surely a better option, if you do want to/can buy anything at all.

Ok just ban end of term gifts. You can't write a list of acceptable presents as these are chosen by children.

DH is a teacher - on the back of this threat I've got him a mug that says "BEST TEACHER" to passive-aggressively drink out of during meetings.

A few years ago I got him one that said "I'll be doing it dreckly" (he's Cornish). During lockdown I wanted to get him one that said "Another meeting that could have been an email" but he said he'd get in trouble

our primary school sent a message to say that no gifts were expected or required, but teachers really appreciate messages. Especially this year, when the gifts go into quarantine!

My son (8years) wanted to get a wee gift for his lovely teacher, so yes, I let him choose some teacher tat. It was a thought from him and I'm sure his teacher will appreciate the sentiment.

I find the expectation that all the parents should club together to get a 'better' present, is pretty awful to be honest. I'd like a £100 gift voucher from John Lewis as well, but I'm not getting it.

Keep the mugs, use over the years, pen pots, plant holders - surely it's not so bad?!

A personal message/thank you from a child and/or parent is the best 'gift'.

I once worked in a school where there was a sort of competitive boastathon amongst form staff about the best presents. It was very distasteful.

I will admit to eating any chocolates though!

@Jessprimarytutor

I’m a Primary Teacher and I can’t believe you feel so entitled to suggest a list like you gave - spa vouchers, meal vouchers??? Unbelievable.

I don’t expect anything and if I did receive anything would much prefer a card with a note in it from a child or a parents than anything else. I keep all those and look back on them with fond memories.

Dh loves a mug one of his students got him. It says STOP! You are under a rest and has a picture of a stick man underneath a music rest sign #

Seriously 😣
I thought teachers were paid to do their job, why the need for gifts, particularly cash equivalent gifts 😳

If a teacher / TA went above their call of duty & helped my DD with a tricky situation that I felt warranted an specific thank you, I'd happily pop in with some flowers as a thank you. But end of term / year teacher gifts, NO.

I think this is quite helpful actually if it stops more landfill being bought. Most of this stuff is a massive environmental waste. If it's the thought /children's feelings that count, making a card is a 100 times better.

I work in a school and I think you make a valid point, OP.

@iamtheoneandonlyyy

Ah I remember when people just appreciated a thought

Yes I quite agree. Why do you feel the need to buy a gift?

@NinetyNineRedBalloonsGoBy

I'm a teacher and I'm so grateful to get anything, particularly home made cards from the children. FWIW I don't contribute to my own kids' end of term teacher collections - we are very well paid as a profession with good holidays, and many parents are really struggling atm. A hand written card is wonderful.

You sound utterly entitled OP.

Well said

I got a mug today (TA) just because a parent appreciated what we were doing and in her words "if we were still in Ghana this would have cost us loads".

The thought and the appreciation have made my day. I've kept all of the cards over the years from nursery and school work. Mugs get used. Pens get used. Just pleased we're not being bashed for not being able to 1:1 every child etc.

You're being grabby and ridiculous.

Personally I think all schools should ban this and it should be a card from the kid only

I’m a teacher and the nicest present I have ever received was a cardboard box with one celebration chocolate and a lollipop inside. The look on the child’s face when she gave it to me was the best part of it all. She had put so much thought, time and effort into decorating the box I still have it years later.
I wish parents wouldn’t spend money on gifts, I find it awkward being given a gift for just doing my job.

I get where you are coming from @Jessprimarytutor, but agree its more because the child wants to give their teacher something. I had 6 to buy for at primary school, with 2 children, a teacher each and a couple of TAs. I did organise collections a couple of times but my goodness were they a pain in the backside! Chasing around the playground with an envelope and card, trying to get money out of people and different opinions of what to buy was a nightmare. I always got little scented candles, wine or chocolate. Last day I got flowers for the head and book tokens for the teacher and TA.
I feel sad that senior school teachers don't get recognition, so I'll make sure the children take chocolate for their form tutors on the last day of the year.

Hubby is a teacher. I agree. He sends alot of teacher tat to the charity shop each year. Ge keeps hand made stuff and all the cards.....but please no more mugs!

Lol. Thanks for the reminder. Can’t wait for our class rep to set up the online collection with ‘suggested contribution’ of £20, using a site that doesn’t allow an anonymous post. And yes, the class rep is a teacher at the school.
Sigh.

@Chloemol

Personally I think all schools should ban this and it should be a card from the kid only

Here here!

@campion

A personal message/thank you from a child and/or parent is the best 'gift'.

I once worked in a school where there was a sort of competitive boastathon amongst form staff about the best presents. It was very distasteful.

I will admit to eating any chocolates though!

When I was a teacher, a colleague once said to me that she much preferred teaching in schools in wealthy areas because she got better presents. I was so shocked and disgusted by that comment and it still sticks in my mind now. Funnily enough she is now a headteacher in a wealthy area.

I find with these things, you are going through the motions a bit as in we only have a chief parent organising this stuff so it's always a contribution to a PayPal account but we buy stuff quite frequently. Recently, my youngest teacher's bike got stolen from the school and we clubbed together and bought him a new one, it was about £300! Now we have the end of term gift. It is a state primary but I think there's pressure to contribute quite a bit more than some chocolates and it's more affordable for some than others.

Seriously? I’m a primary teacher and came home with a huge array of gifts last week when we closed for summer. I’m grateful for every single one of them, whether they are a duplicate mug or a voucher. I’m glad that the parents on my class have been happy with the way their child’s year went, especially as we have had two long periods of lockdown/ closure. I never paid into a class collection for my own daughter’s teachers. She has always chosen something she wanted to gift to them. Buy your own bloody spa voucher

Not a teacher but work in schools

Nearly cringed myself inside out at the grabby entitled op. And every teacher I know would feel same. Horrible OPand glad so many teachers on here feel the same way.
A homemade card is something to be treasured.

I was with you on the best teacher tat
You lost me on clubbing together to get you a £60 voucher.

Our school have said they have a very restricted budget for next year and I know that a lot of the teachers use their own funds to buy pencils etc so I asked the teachers what they needed and am going to buy some glue stick/pencils/white board pens or something that will be useful instead of maltesers

I'm a mds at a school. When my DP was diagnosed and later died of cancer the headmistress was very supportive. She left at the end of that school year. I bought a Willow Tree Angel Of Learning.