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.

• instead of this 'tat'

I'm embarrassed for you op.

Please don't speak on behalf of teachers. I don't feel the same as you.

Do you take umbrage when people deviate from your Christmas and birthday list too?

It's not for you to dictate what presents people can and can't give. If someone had started a thread asking for ideas then crack on but no one asked and there is nothing more irritating than unsolicited advice.

@DuchessSilver @MonicaGellerBin @MonicaGellerBing
OP specifically said she doesn't expect gifts. It's unenviornmental, wasteful and just plai silly to buy pointless gifts someone clearly won't want. Just have your child write a nice card. If you insist on buying a gift just do a voucher they might like.

@Miniestelle Why didn't you just read the OP and try to comprehend the words OP was writing? Don't buy a load of tatt for people. 99% of teachers won't want hoards of stupid tat. Present buying isn't necessary just get nothing or a nice card.

I suspect the parents children who club together to get Cook, M&S, Waitrose vouchers or spa days contribute more towards the destruction of the environment (fancier and more cars, foreign holidays, more frequently replacing electronics, coffee pods) than those who nip down to Poundland and get a Best Teacher mug.

I’m a secondary school teacher so don’t experience this much but I do have a couple still in primary school mode who buy me chocs which I love! But it makes me a bit uncomfortable to have them spend money on me so I just say if you do want to get me something then a handmade card would be the best gift ever. And I genuinely mean it as it’s something personal that I can keep but doesn’t take up much room.

@crochetmonkey74 what a lovely post.

Really ! That's really rude telling people what to buy and what not to buy. How about be grateful for anything you get....Jesus

We've got a class WhatsApp group so the class reps organise PayPal donations and with this the teacher gets a voucher and a little something personalised. We also get something for the TA too.

I think OP is saying that if 30+ kids all get the teacher a mug then it’s not possible to store them all so they’ll end up in the bin, so don’t waste your money type thing.

I do wish they would ban any gift giving though or have a rule to spend a max. £2 either on a gift or club together for vouchers as i used to really struggle to afford all of the things the parents at my school wanted us to put in for and I truly appreciated the teachers and TAs so didn’t want to say no incase they thought I didn’t care.

@earthyfire

We've got a class WhatsApp group so the class reps organise PayPal donations and with this the teacher gets a voucher and a little something personalised. We also get something for the TA too.

and which part of that process is from the children? None of it, that's what. It's a gift from the parents.

Well if there was ever a post to stop the madness of teacher gifts @Jessprimarytutor has nailed it.

I think OP is saying that if 30+ kids all get the teacher a mug then it’s not possible to store them all so they’ll end up in the bin, so don’t waste your money type thing.
Yeah, I don't think that's quite what op was saying at all...

@majesticallyawkward

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.

Waterstones voucher.

I’ve never understood as a local authority employee I couldn’t accept anything and teachers could accept armfuls of gifts.

DD went to a school in a deprived area and on the last day of term parents would turn up with gigantic baskets of gifts. These were people struggling to make ends meet. It’s sickening and I know there was a lot of competitiveness going on. The school did little to discourage it before covid. The culture needs to change.

39SaltAndVinegarSandwiches

@Miniestelle Why didn't you just read the OP and try to comprehend the words OP was writing? Don't buy a load of tatt for people. 99% of teachers won't want hoards of stupid tat. Present buying isn't necessary just get nothing or a nice card.

Ok, fine by me

Or if you have more time/energy, try and find out what the teacher enjoys doing in their free time

I should imagine that if any parent of a primary school child suddenly developed "more time and energy", playing detective to find out what their child's teacher's interests were would probably be pretty low on the list of things to squander said time and energy on.

Godsake.

@TheOrigRights - I didn't say it was an obligation and in fact many of the children make cards...does that make you feel better?

Well I'm not a teacher but I agree with you OP. Some of the tat being discussed on my DCs class WhatsApp group is making me cringe. But at least they are having a whip round and not buying 30 mugs!

I feel OP's pain! My eldest is a teacher and gets so many mugs/ornaments etc. It's all got to go somewhere, but where?
I think the point is, if you must get the teacher something, why not get something that won't immediately need to be binned, with all the guilt that goes with it?
Nobody needs 150 mugs. It all adds up over the years. The way I see it @Jessprimarytutor is just offering up a few other options so she and other teachers don't get totally overwhelmed with things they can't possibly use.
Eldest always appreciates cards, as it's purely a thought that counts thing.

I remember a lovely music/languages teacher at DS's school. DS said we had to buy Mr # chocolates as that was his favourite thing to eat.

He would make a point of eating the chocolates in class so the DC had the pleasure of seeing him appreciate the gifts. He would say how they were his favourite ones and how spoiled he was to receive them etc etc. He literally had 20 boxes on his piano. He was a fantastic teacher in every respect.

Ffs it's the thought that counts.

Good God give her head back. Where can you voice your opinions anonymously if not on here. She can hardly put it on facebook or write in the School News letter, can she. Yes it is the thought that counts but if parents are going to kindly spend their money. It might as well be on something the a Teacher wants or needs. I always used to ask my DDs Teachers what they wanted.

I always used to ask my DDs Teachers what they wanted.
God almighty, really?! What used they ask for?

I think it's got a bit out of control at my kids school. I've just handed over £60 to various class reps to buy teachers gifts. That is a lot of money, and way more than I want to spend, but we are told what to give and chased up for it. The teachers end up with voucher for £100s, at both xmas and end of year. It's too much, and leaves some parents short.