No respect for teachers or nursery staff

[Lostmummy5]

I can't understand why people just being rude and have zero bloody respect for teachers and nursery staff?
First, we live in quite deprived area in London (lots of families with problems, lots of single parents, problems at nursery /school, etc).
My son goes to school nursery and staff is AMAZING - caring, very friendly, very professional. My son is super sensitive and he comes home super happy after nursery. He learned a lot, he is talking every day about funny activities, about nice teachers, etc.
I'm feeling very grateful and always want to say "thank you" before holidays.
I tried to organise something at December. I understand that it's hard time financially, so my husband got some free boxes of chocolates from his workplace and I suggested to gift them for nursery teachers on parents what's up group. I just asked them to sign a card. They all started to moan that it's their job and we shouldn't feel we need to gift them something (I clearly said that we got these chocolates for free and I don't need any money from other parents).
This week I tried to do something similar. Got some free chocolates again and suggested for parents to sign a card. The same story. So I simply gifted these chocolates for nursery staff today.
I was shocked by some of the comments - "they didn't deserve", "why you give them chocolates if they are always striking", etc.
What's wrong with that? Am I really an idiot thinking that people who spend all day with our kids, teach and support them, deserved at least "thank you" and chocolate?

My kids school and nursery class don’t allow gifts to school staff at all, they take the view that they are paid to do their job, the school is in a very mixed catchment and the senior leadership team don’t want families to feel they need to give a gift that some families can ill afford.

I’d rather send a heartfelt thank you to the teachers who have made a huge difference to my children, in the form of a card or note. I appreciate them enormously but won’t be giving a gift.

I meant to say, not giving a gift doesn’t mean having no respect.

If you want to say thank you, just do it yourself. Don’t try and force others into being appreciative in the same way.

I’ve lost a lot of respect for teachers because most teachers I know just moan about their jobs non stop. It’s like, if you don’t like it then get a job elsewhere if you think you can and the grass is really greener.

What I think would actually happen is that for a lot of them, they’d get eaten up for breakfast in the private sector and not know what to do with minimal holiday allowance, lack of job security and the expectation of regular unpaid overtime.

Op why did you mention single parents at the start of your post like that's some kind of a troubled group????

If you want to thank them, just give them a present yourself.

I sure that if other parents want to as well, they will give them a gift or a card themselves.

You can’t force people to join in, everyone has their own options.

And you are going to offend a lot of single parents the way you phrased that!

This exactly

I especially love the part about regular unpaid overtime! 🤣🤣🤣

I‘M a TA and I honestly don’t give a fuck about gifts.
However so many parents are rude, some barely look at you at pick up don’t say a single word. I’ve had parents go off on me when I’ve pointed out that they can’t bring in a child who was sick the previous day, parents leave rude notes about books not being changed (even through they haven’t written in the Reading long to show the book has been read) grandparents mortally offended that I’ve asked for a password before handing a child over.

They don’t seem to behave quite as badly to the teacher but see us TAs as beneath them.

I used to be a teacher and have now climbed the corporate ladder in a top 4 consulting firm working 50 + hours a week. My job is miles easier than that when I was teaching with a lot of extra benefits.

Teaching was miles harder and I’d cry every day whilst in the classroom from the pressures and expectations.

By your mentality there won’t be any teachers left in the UK soon.

@Dreamer20

I worked private sector for years before teaching, it was a doddle in comparison. Much prefer teaching though. Less soulless 😜.

I replied to this quote and not the original post!

I know because teachers have to work later than 3.30 on a regular basis and during holidays don’t they? It doesn’t change the fact that so does everyone else but the difference is other people don’t get weeks on end of holiday. Teachers do not work every single day of the holidays. So it’s just a farce.

I’ve spent nearly 20 years in the corporate sector in the conditions you describe. I’m also now an independent school governor with no teaching background but volunteer my time.

At that school teachers are being cut from September as the budget doesn’t balance; any support staff will be fixed term contract only so they don’t have to pay redundancy; massive levels of stress, unpaid overtime and job insecurity. Teachers cleaning classrooms to keep the school open as they can’t recruit cleaners in such low wages. I could go on and on.

So unless you’re going to tell me you have insight beyond reading media headlines and MN, I respectfully call bullshit on most of those statements.

There are good and bad staff wherever you work, wherever you go. If you want to thank someone, do that. But your experience may not be the same as other people's. I've worked in the public sector for 25 years. I have some great colleagues and some god awful ones.

Well if the holidays make up for everything and its all a farce there won’t be any problem replacing the teachers resigning in droves will there....oh wait....

It’s not bullshit… what you’re describing isn’t unique to teachers I’m afraid, it’s pretty standard across the board. Yet again though, here we are, moaning about how hard it is for teachers not realising that many people in other sectors are facing this and worse. This is exactly why people are losing sympathy.

I have to say that this was my first thought on reading the OP

its pretty pathetic to brand someone a troll, naive or thick for having a different opinion to you.

How about we all go back to the OP, rather than feeding the teacher hating trolls?

I know what you mean, OP. Yes, it's better to just give your own gifts. But even so, it's dispiriting hearing a whole bunch of people simply not care or appreciate the people who love and care for their small children, when you know what a good job they're doing.

But they don't get paid anything close to what the private sector gets paid! I have worked corporate as a trainer and am now a Teacher. The benefits were alot better as a trainer!

Thats rich coming from you

Anyway i didnt call you a troll, that was a pp