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.

I'm interested to know what the 'it's the thought that counts' brigade suggest the teachers do with endless supplies of mugs and best teacher ornaments 🤔

That's appalling @Willowbanks

Are you serious?

I’m secondary and have never received a personal gift from parents, but I do have to deal with supply agencies. The amount of branded tat...however if they ever ask what I’d like it’s a jar of coffee or big box of teabags, schools run on caffeine and at least there’s no calories in them. Honestly if your school doesn’t supply them, it’s a good bet.

@Fnib

I'm interested to know what the 'it's the thought that counts' brigade suggest the teachers do with endless supplies of mugs and best teacher ornaments 🤔

Not everybody gives mugs . Where did the "what will I do with 30 mugs??" thing come from? Wine and chocolate is far more usual.

My two absolute favourite gifts have been a stone which one of my pupils painted for me & a homemade card from a little boy who really struggled with writing (only 5) and had obviously spent ages writing it carefully in his best writing. If parents want to give something that’s obviously appreciated but it is the ones that come from the children that mean the most.

On the flip side my son is autistic and making something for his teacher (often biscuits or fudge) is part of his closure for the end of the school year and saying goodbye to someone his life has revolved around for a while year before moving on. Sticking some money in a collection just doesn’t fill that need in him.

@GreyhoundG1rl. Usually wine or chocolates. Come to think of it they never asked for mug or a key ring.

I work in a very deprived area. My favourite gifts have been the handmade ones where the child has put real thought and effort in. I imagine it could get awkward for a class collection if some don’t want to/can’t afford to donate. Is the label signed “from all of Yellow Class except child A and child B”? Handmade cards with depictions of me are the best

@Fnib

I'm interested to know what the 'it's the thought that counts' brigade suggest the teachers do with endless supplies of mugs and best teacher ornaments 🤔

we use them for a bit then they go in staffroom cupboards for others to use- working in a school is strange- mugs seem to vanish!

@GreyhoundG1rl as I said in an earlier post, a family member is a teacher. Of course he appreciates the thought, but as he's been teaching for 6 years now, that's a lots of year end presents, and yes, there have been quite a lot of mugs. As a family we tend to get quite a lot of wine and chocolates too, as he simply can't cope with it all.
Whatever OPs intentions, it's not a bad thing to point out just how much stuff teachers receive. If it really is the thought that counts, it's worth giving some thought to the level of waste produced. And fwiw, it's the cards that get kept and re-appreciated every now and again.

How about you just feel grateful for the thought.

When my daughter left primary, all the children in year 6 gave the teacher a big envelope and each child wrote a little message on a postcard about what they liked about him and his lessons, their favourite memory and what they would miss. The teacher was in tears reading them and he said it was the best present he had ever received as it was all the children's thoughts and memories.

When my daughter left primary, all the children in year 6 gave the teacher a big envelope and each child wrote a little message on a postcard about what they liked about him and his lessons, their favourite memory and what they would miss. The teacher was in tears reading them and he said it was the best present he had ever received as it was all the children's thoughts and memories.

What a lovely thing to do!
Any teacher would love to get that!

As an ex teacher, why don't you post to suggest that teachers ask for no presents at all this year. Just cards or letters from the children . No waste, no dreaded mugs or tat. Problem solved.

@crochetmonkey74

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.

Oh God. Welling up over here.

@Xiaoxiong

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

My DH bought me the 'survived another meeting that should've been an email' mug and I would drink from it like pass agg Pat during Teams meetings

Our school puts out a teachers favorite things list with favorite snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic), sports teams, and where they tend to buy school supplies.

I love it. You can wrap up a candy bar or a snack bag of crisps and contribute to the teacher’s pick-me-up stash. You could also give a gift card that the teacher is free to spend on personal items, but since it’s been purchased at a store that they also buy things for the classroom, it feels less like handing the teacher a wad of money.

I'm sure lots of nurses would appreciate patients clubbing together for a spa visit too.

This has to be a wind up.

Judging by things being advertised by local small businesses around here the whole gift for teachers idea is getting absolutely out of hand.

I've got a colleague who runs a Brownie pack, her husband runs a BB company. They never get so much as a thank you card. I'd far rather give gifts to people like them who give up so much of their spare time for nothing than to a teacher who.is being well paid for the work they do

@DuchessSilver

Is getting teachers nothing at all an acceptable alternative?

Yep. I’ve seen a fair few ungrateful and grabby comments from teachers on here over the years. I don’t get gifts for teachers just because and if we do something it comes from DC (ie they make it).

I’m going to get piled on, but I don’t understand gifts for teachers at all.

I'm sure lots of nurses would appreciate patients clubbing together for a spa visit too.

I’ve brought things for nurses too! Only a box of biscuits or something I thought a lot of people did if they’ve known the nurses for a while
If I’d seen them every day for a year or more then I might buy them something bigger/get vouchers but fortunately I never have.

Judging by things being advertised by local small businesses around here the whole gift for teachers idea is getting absolutely out of hand.

That’s what annoys me the most! The business’ started selling them months ago and every year in places like ASDA the shelves get bigger and bigger causing parents to feel guilty if they don’t go all out.

LobotomisedIceSkatingFan
I know it's my favourite thing- that and a card from some flowers sent to me many years ago from another student whose father had died suddenly and very traumatically when she was in Year 8- at the end of Year 11, she brought me flowers and the card said -'Miss CrochetMonkey- you are the best, I will never forget you'
It's still in my purse.

I don't get the asking teachers what they would like either- when this happens me and all my colleagues always say 'you do not have to get me anything, please keep your money'

I am in a state school that is high on inclusion though with a fairly deprived demographic- but even just as a human being I cannot imagine answering that question with a list of my wants (apart form family Christmas lists etc)

We do a class contribution. The suggested amount is £2 (to stop people feeling pressured to put in £10) and it’s all anonymous to the bulk of the parents who contributed what.

We buy a small box of sweets (ones we know they like) for the teacher and the TA and then the rest is used in whatever suggestion they’ve made for something needed.

At the end of term this year the teacher is getting scissors and glue sticks. At Christmas it was pencils, whiteboard markers and glue sticks.

It’s not the most personal gift and I know some parents don’t like it, but it means the teacher can spend her own money on whatever she wants rather than essential supplies.