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.

My dd was given a framed photograph of her form signed by all of them.
She loves it.

It’s a big jump from a mug to a £60 voucher OP.

@ILoveAllRainbowsx

Wow, all these people who would rather get a teacher something that the don't want!

If you are going to buy a present, then get something the recipient will appreciate, otherwise don't bother.

When the thing they'll "appreciate" is a spa day... No.

Neither would I tell my child not to hand over their carefully chosen "tat" because Teacher will just toss it straight in the bin

I have all the cards,letters and even thank you emails I have ever received in my 20 years of teaching. Once in a while I get them out and look through them. I love reading those messages. Chocolates, mugs etc were always lovely to get but I never ever expected anything more than that and I don't know why any teacher would.

I think most kids will be far more excited about lovingly picking out a piece of 'Best Teacher' tat and gifting it, than they would be about their mum contributing £2 to a fund organised by some other mum on WhatsApp.

One year, I bought the teacher, the trainee teacher and the TA a twenty quid Pizza Express gift card each. The retiring teacher wrote my a lovely card to thank me. The other two barely managed to acknowledge my giving them the envelope so I shouldn't have to been surprised not to get a 'thank you' from either of them on the many, many occasions our paths crossed over the next few weeks and months. After that, I dob twenty sponds to 'Holiday Hunger' every year on the grounds that the decent teachers would probably be supportive and the ingrates, infuriated.

I mean, you can chuck it in the bin if you choose, I don't give a shite what happens to it after the child has handed it over; once you receive it with good grace and don't hurt the feelings of a little kid who's just spent their pocket money on you.

As a primary school teacher I can reassure parents that I’m always thrilled to bits to receive any gift. A £1 box of maltesers is always incredibly gratefully received! We don’t ever expect anything as a gift, we’re just doing our jobs after all.
I know in some schools the gift giving has become a bit of a keeping up with the Joneses affair. I hate to think of any family struggling or feeling bad that they can’t afford a present.
I wish schools would ban the clubbing together for vouchers. It’s just not fair on those who can’t afford it or don’t want to contribute. I’d much rather have the card or the maltesers!

We're still not allowed to send anything into school so I assume that includes cards, vouchers and tat. I'll thank the DC's teachers in person at the end of term, from 2m away, instead.

It all started to sit really badly with me a couple of years ago when I offered to do a collection for a primary teacher, suggested a fiver if anyone wanted to contribute. We got about £60 in vouchers which I thought was nice, but other parents grumbled to me that it wasn't enough, it was embarrassing and they would have got more and done better. I won't offer again - lots of parents at the school earn significantly less than teachers, have 2 children or more in the school, why should they be badgered into handing over cash every year for fecking spa days that teachers could pay for themselves? I'm kind of hoping the covid rules break the tradition a bit, it doesn't make any sense to me.

We always made chocolates etc. When my dd left her teacher said it was the best gift because we made them. Op, you are a bit entitled! I've never given tat, not ever given a voucher in my life! Not every teacher wants a spa day either

I've bought a mug this year ha ha! It had something on it that teacher likes. I think it was very nice of me and I don't care if you agree.

@GreyhoundG1rl

It's only supposed to be a little token from the child, you know? Parents clubbing together to get you a spa day Get a fucking grip!

THIS THIS THIS

It's the joy of the giving for the child- not a weird soulless large class present

I just immediately think of the families that can't contribute

Horrible

@ILoveAllRainbowsx

Wow, all these people who would rather get a teacher something that the don't want!

If you are going to buy a present, then get something the recipient will appreciate, otherwise don't bother.

Jeez you know that teachers are often the first non family member a child gets to choose for don't you? It's menat to be fun!

It is heart warming (and not unexpected) to hear the majority of teachers on this thread still appreciate and prefer the individual token gift directly from an excited child.

I fear op, who doesn't sound like any teacher I know, may not be in the right job.

Hope you all have a brilliant holiday break when it comes (we have already started in Scotland!)

@GreyhoundG1rl

I mean, you can chuck it in the bin if you choose, I don't give a shite what happens to it after the child has handed it over; once you receive it with good grace and don't hurt the feelings of a little kid who's just spent their pocket money on you.

YES!!!!!

Also, I personally like the twee stuff like when Kids wrap a dairymilk in red paper and make it into a Santa with a pom pom or something

This is what I organise for our teachers every year!

I agree with OP at least on the tat, some of the teacher gifts I've seen being sold are just awful and I couldn't imagine any teachers actually wanting most of them.

This year my DD (y1) has made her teacher and 2 TAs book marks, they are very sweet and she chose them because she loves reading and they have been very supportive of her voracious appetite for books. DD and her class teacher share a favourite author (who writes adult and young reader books, DD isn't a genius reading adult novels). We'll add a little card or note from DD to go with them and I might stick a £5 Costa voucher or something in.

Sorry but this gift giving malarkey sounds like it’s gone absolutely nuts since I was at school. What a hassle!

We used to give nice M&S bubble bath in the fancy bottles when I was in primary. It was always well received. My OH is a teacher and gets absolutely shedloads of presents twice a year, some families I’m sure have issues affording them. Alcohol and chocolates go down the best but every gift is appreciated. It’s a gift, not an entitlement.

Not read the whole thread, but the OP was enough. I always taught in inner city, secondary schools and certainly expected nothing, but was pleased with a final ‘thank you’ and perhaps a card.
However, a memorial present from a pupil was a collection of small Avon perfume samples.
I’m amazed at the suggested end of term presents and their value. If I’d been given several mugs, I’d have made a little collection as small houseplant containers and remember each student that way.

My most treasured teacher possession from teaching was a boy in my form who HATED English and would do anything not to write- he and his lovely mum had nothing at all financially- so my school arranged his suit rental etc for the prom. I came to work one day to a handwritten letter posted to school telling me how he was so sorry but he wasn't going to be able to accept as he'd been offered work with his uncle for the summer and wanted to accept it. He had clearly sat down and taken a really big effort to check all the spelling, and looked at how to write a formal letter properly. In it, he thanked me for all my support of him and how he would come back and show me he was successful. (he did- he is now 30 and owns several local businesses all built form learning with his uncle)
It makes me tear up just thinking of it as he was such a lovely kid and with me for 5 years. THAT is what teaching is about.

Memorable *

@Time2b33

This is what I organise for our teachers every year!

The Dairy milk santa???

I love them! I also have had reindeers and penguins

Yes, teachers work hard. But you are paid for it. You are not entitled to anything at all as a gift. A small gift is lovely gesture. To suggest that isn't good enough is terrible. My son enjoys choosing a small gift for his teacher. It is no more than £3 because that is all I can afford. He wraps it up himself and loves giving to his teacher at the end of term. To think that teachers think nothing of that and instead want Spa vouchers or 'tat' is quite insulting. Do not accept gifts/tat if they offend you so much.