Teacher gifts in secondary

[lonelyweather]

Is this normal? I used to organise the class gift every year in primary but now dc is in y7 and I wouldn’t know where to start,

do students/ parents still give Xmas gifts to teachers in secondary?

No not where I live..it’s unheard of

No not really

Not in my 20 years experience. I've had the odd box of chocolates here and there, which was lovely.

Ok great. Maybe a card from the child?

Yes, and no 'best teacher' mugs either, only the good stuff. M&S biscuits, those Lindt chocolate balls etc.

Never my experience as a teacher at a comprehensive school. Individual girls gave m ecards and small gifts. They have many different subject teachers unlike at primary.

I usually get some individual gifts (small chocs, mug, gift voucher, bottle of wine etc). Always appreciated but by no means expected.
Some kids bring in a box of biscuits or chocolates and ask for it to be put in the staffroom for all teachers to share which is nice.
Some just give me a card.

Form tutor might get a Christmas gift
I love the kids that bring you a Christmas card

No.

I taught in secondary for 40 yrs and told pupils and parents not to give gifts.

Wow, have times have changed. I would have got slated if I'd given teachers gifts at secondary school. Would have been ruddy expensive too. Off the top of my head we had seventeen or eighteen different teachers a year in earlier years, imagine if you had more than one child at secondary school 😬

Most definitely not.

Really? I've never heard this.

In my experience,it's a bit cringe to give your secondary teacher gifts and cards :(

Don’t think I’ve ever had a Christmas gift. Used to occasionally get a card but the school I’m in now, the kids don’t bother at all.

DH gets Xmas presents but at private school so not sure if that makes a difference!

Teacher here. No to Christmas gifts generally. On occasion a pupil might buy one for form tutor. Out of a class of 30 I might get 3 or 4, usually from parents who feel I have gone the extra mile. Nothing expensive needed , a box of chocolates or biscuits suffices. They will be appreciated

Over the years, my dds have given favourite teachers Christmas cards and on leaving gcse, sometimes thank-you or goodbye cards. Teachers sometimes give children cards if the leave also (to the whole class). Sometimes they give Christmas cards to whole class also (and Christianity is not the dominant religion at the school!). Chocs from teachers at Eid ok occasion also.

when dd’s support TA left y12 least year, they gave each other a gift!

Likewise, I have given chics to the office (dd poorly with anorexia at time). Where dc have been well supported, I email head to give thanks. State school.

I've had a handful of presents and usually they're from a sixth form class who've chipped in together for some flowers when leaving, I think I've maybe had 2 Christmas presents over 10 years? But cards are always lovely especially if there's a personal message of thanks, I love those the most.

No!

No.
But youngest DS has SEND and the team have been amazing so DS has bought them some chocolates and is writing them a card.

No, my DC told me it would be the most embarrassing ever to give the teacher a gift. On the other hand they start to give gifts to their friends, some that seem quite random, like the girl they sit next to in the bus.

I would just drop the teacher you would have bought a gift for an email of thanks, and wish them a restful Christmas break.

Secondary teacher here - No it's not the done thing. I get a couple of thank you gifts a year at the end of the year from year 11 students that are leaving and I got a couple when I went on maternity leave from students that I'd worked very closely with for many years. Parents sometimes sent a box of biscuits/chocolate in for the staff room but it's like 1/2 out of a school of 700 students.

I might get a couple of Christmas cards from years 7s.

No not general teachers unless you are a year 11 leaving in the summer and it's a teacher you particularly love!
However I do get gifts from some parents where I have worked really closely with them and put a lot of time in for a particular pupil (work in SEN) but these always come via the office never brought in by a pupil.

I always took a gift in (there was no way ds would be seen taking it!) for his form teachers - usually wine and chocs. One teacher rang me up and said it had made her Christmas as she'd never received a gift before as no one ever bothered with high school teacher gifts.

I used to receive cards and the occasional gift and I received a few when I left, generally organised by the students themselves. Boxes of chocolates, a house plant, a wax melt set, one mum ran the local bakery and used to send in boxes of beautifully iced cupcakes, students generally found me after school or at break/ lunch to give them to me rather than hand them out Infront of everyone.

I never ate them but quite often on the run up to Christmas I might get a half melted Quality Street from their pocket on my desk as they left the room. Which was very sweet of them.