is this a pile of old tat that will at best go in the attic, or a good idea for a teacher's pressie?

[Greensleeves]

we are stony broke at the moment and we are supposed to be going on holiday next week (booked ages ago)

I always like to get nice presents for my dc's teachers/TAs, and have a couple of times chanced it with home-made sweets etc

so how does this sound:

TAs get homemade carrot cake with little marzipan/icing carrots on top, which we will make with the dc

teachers get a portrait of themselves done by the dc (using my grown-up paints and watercolour paper etc), in a frame decorated by the dc with tissue/glitter/gems etc

and home-made cards

I'm always surprised at how many people see wine as a suitable gift for a teacher. I would totally not buy it as a gift for a teacher and would be v surprised if a pupil bought some in for me.

Why do you think of wine as being unsuitable?

Why do you think of wine as being unsuitable?

The gifts sound lovely, both the cake and the pictures of the teacher in a nice frame. If I were a teacher, I would definitely treasure them.

J - Why do you think wine is unsuitable? It's not like it's expected to be shared with the class?

ok the teachers are getting presents because the children insisted on doing them

they loved the idea

and I have to say ds2's pic does look uncannily like his teacher

so will just have to hope they don't think we are bonkers

will try to make enough carrot cake to give teachers as well as TAs

getting pictures, not presents

When my dc were at primary school we used to take in stuff if wed had a baking session and the teacher actually said to ds2 'do you still do lots of baking with your Mum? cos I havent had cake for ages' - this was a teacher with a v sweet tooth who actually ate the xmas truffles wed made her, before morning register!! (despite the fact id warned her they were laced with tia maria ).

Cake is a great option.

I would love to receive a picture of me by one of my pupils, if they had chosen to do it- and you say that yours insisted! It's nice to have something that takes effort from the children not just the parents, because it shows that they have (presumably) enjoyed being in your class.

However, I wouldn't guarantee that I would keep the pictures for ever- it would depend how flattering they were and how much effort had gone in! I have lost count of the amount of 'scrap paper' pictures I have been presented after wet playtimes, would need another garage to store them.

But I think most teachers would appreciate the gesture and the thought behind it at the very least.

I have a picture drawn by one of my children pupils,its lovely,its all in pink and im hugely round with a baby in my tummy and im holding hands with lots of children and theres lots of love hearts around.

Its a really lovely picture done by a 4 year old boy in 1992 and I still have it.

well we did the pics

dh took them in this morning but apparently ds1's teacher nearly cried

I hope it wasn't out of disgust!

and the carrot cakes were well received too

I combed the tops into furrows, dusted with nutmeg and put little icing carrots round the edge, they did look rather fetching

phew, that's it for another year

Janeite;
we need to know why you think wine is unsuitable, it may mean I have to drink four bottles very quickly.

choccy - I can help you out

My mum's got a picture hanging in her house which was painted for her circa 1972 by an 8 year old pupil.

It's gone through 4 house moves and been one of the first things put on the wall each time. It's part of my childhood (was given to her when she went on mat leave with me).

Just think of the pictures still treasured almost 40 years down the line, hell yeah they might end up in a drawer or in the recycling but they might just end up as part of someone's family history.

today I got given a photo frame with "No 1 teacher" and mini blackboard/chalks decorating it, and a phot of me with the little girl I have been working with in it (she is leaving tomorrow)

I cried

I will treasure it - but I know not everybody wants that sort of thing

Glad you did the pictures. I'm a secondary school teacher so we don't really get presents, but I'd far prefer the pics to the cake. (30 pics per year however might be hard to store).

i too would love the pic.....its so nice (or not sometimes!!) to see how your (classroom) kids view you!!!

glad they were well received!