to ask you not to buy Christmas presents for teachers.

[Crabapple99]

I have seen several threads on the topic, so want to give my point of view and experiences.

1. Many staff are not allowed to accept a gift above a certain value ( £3 in my school) so these big gifts, especially class gifts, leave staff in a very difficult situation, causing all sorts of paperwork and recording, and leaving us open to accusations of favouratitsm from families, and other allegations

1. Many staff don't want gifts, quite often the item is unwanted, even edibles, if the box is big, heavy, and we already have too much to eat over christams. It is also embarrassing to have to accept.

1. Many staff worry about the reason for the gift, especially if it seems some pupils and their parents feel pressure to keep up: I've been given gifts in the past that when I know the family can't afford even a couple of pounds, it makes me feel terrible. I've had gifts in the past which I suspected were stolen, which makes me feel worse.

1. I don't really think there is a problem with Christmas cards, but even then, as someone who could easiluy have 300 pupils on my timetable, even then that can get a bit overwelming, not to say meaningless.

1. A very small token, such as one of those tiney boxes from thornton's with just two chocolates in, is a nice way of acknoledging when a teacher has really gone above and beond, for your child, but even that is unnessesary rreally.

Hope I'm not coming across as a scrooge! I love christams, but dread this aspect of it.

Ridiculous. DS is only in preschool but I have always gotten all of his carers and teachers presents.

RockingBEYONDtheXmasTree Thu 08-Dec-11 14:57:51
"Sorry ladies, I'm all for pointing out funny inconsistencies in threads, but Crabapple does say in the other thread that she is a teacher, hence why she is annoyed with children having time off.

I would assume that she means she did her degree in Pathology and then a PGCE after that. And the spelling has been explained, she did say she is dyslexic..."

Are you seriously suggesting that someone could be a trained pathologist, with a degree in the subject and still so ignorant that they think that the stuff that comes out of the tap is pure water with no minerals in it and that this stuff does nothing to prevent dehydration? Well as long as she's not teaching my children...

If I did believe in this, I'd say that a school that throws useable stuff in the bin rather than distributing it to the local charity shop/homeless shelter would need hauling over the coals for their ghastly attitude towards the environment- definitely not a place I would want my children taught.

Ahh yes, the juice thread. That was very funny. But also very .

Gosh-I remember the juice thread!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Could n't read without a little reply. I worked for 8 years in one of the poorest boroughs, poorest schools in east london. I still have a box and i have a selection of the christmas cards my children gave me over the years and I have presents still to this day. So many of my children would say how much they wanted to buy me a present and i knew that xtra bit of money or pressure was alot to ask of those parents.

I always told them to make me a card they never had to buy me anything. Still lots of us got a gift.
I'd have more of a problem with the situation in your school to be honest but then our school never stuck to the rules sometimes ie if a child fell over we would hug them etc etc.
Gifts are meant to be given because the said child wants to give a gift. I never got expensive nonsense that some people give, parents would make a cake, I got spring rolls every year from a boy from Vietnam, bits and pieces, the point was that children spend alot of time thinking about said adults when not in their care. Ie their parents when they are with you, and us when they are with their parents. I agree it should not be a forced issue but as a teacher those cards that seem so meaningless meant everything to me when I consider the circumstances of those children.
DO NOT PATRONISE THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED

Today I gave DS2's teachers (the 5 of them) a nice tin of Fox's biscuits & a card saying thanks for all their hard work (and he is hard work!).

Yah-boo to Crabapple

I got lots of smiles today off staff at DDs nursery. It seems the chocolates have been liked.

I haven't read all 12 pages but tonight I will be wrapping small presents for DS's teacher, TA and SENCO. He is Yr 2 having big issues and they have gone the extra mile for him this year. I will write a thank you note and he will write a card (for my DS that is a big deal - it will be messy, illegible but they will all know the effort). I think teachers do an incredible job (confession, daughter of 2 teachers and granddaughter of a head ) so a thank you is not too much at all.

I've always happily bought Xmas presents for teachers & TAs. I won't be buying one for DS's teacher this year cos she's a miserable, negative old bag crap

I buy gifts for my DD to give to her teacher, or donate to the class gift, I want to, my DD wants me to. We appreciate the hard work they do over and above what they have to do.

I have recieved gifts in the past. I have never worked in any school, or have any of the teachers/TAs I know, not be allowed to accept gifts or had restrictions on what they can accept. I have always been very appreciative of any cards or gifts given, and always founds uses for them.

Sorry, but I disagree with the OP.

I will continue to do as I feel fit for my DD's teachers.

Oh - never ever heard of the gift box/bin/shelf. Certainly never applied in any school I have worked in or any schools my teacher friends have been in.

And as far as I am concerned every card I have had has been appreciated and meant something to me. The simple fact that a child and/pr parent thought to send it made me smile at the very least.

OP - your views are not in any way representative of any of the teachers or TAs I have known over the several years I have worked in education.

crabapple - which LA is this? I have never heard of any having such a policy.

Oh - and as a TA (and when I was a teacher too) I always send a card and small gift to every child in my class bith at Christmas and at the end of the year. I usually buy a class gift too - such as a book, game or puzzle - to use in class. And always take in DD's old books and games to use in the classroom once she has grown out of them.

Two days later, crabapple has disappeared, so I think we can safely say that it is a figment of her imagination.

Good morning Exotic fruit, not disappeard at all, I'm not going to be reaing or posting during the working day, am I?

I've tried to read all the responses. Some people agree with me, but more people don't so prehaps my experience isn't tyoical.

One of the schools I mentioned was in London, and one in Manchester, and you can look up council policies for what values of gift can be kept for yourselves, it is public information. I've checked, both these councils have it on the internet, just google "emplyee guigance gift", or "Christmas present"
Every acadamy of course, will have its own separate policy.

We all agree that a small, meaningful gift is nice, but we disagree about what counts as small. Some people have said £10 is small, but I wouold think that too much. I am deeply shocked that a teacher would accept a £100 voucher, totally unproffesional in my opinion.

A couple of people have said that staff don't award the GCSE and A level grades, but actually we do, we award the course work and controlled asssesssment grades, whaich in most subjects is part of the finl grade, and in many subjects is ALL of it.

The accusation of favouritism doesn't come from other teachers, it comes from other parents , if they see that a child who has given a bigger christmans present get s a higher grade for there coursework.

Anf like I saud, every year I'm given presents I beleive have been shoplifted, and a culture encourageing children to do this is very wrong.

I'm afraid I will just have to continue to disagree with you on pretty much all points. It is not my experience over the last several years in schools, it is not the thoughts or actions I ave experienced by any other teacher or TA I have known ever, nor the policy of any school or lea I have been involved with.

My DN regifts ALL the gifts given to her by her students. She works in a very affluent area and most of the gifts are very tasteful and reasonably expensive.

Don't know what the children (or the parents)would think if they knew this.

Surly you are not disagreeing that teachers award grades fro coursework, which in many cases is the whole of the qualification! And that soem, parents may believe that bribary will make a diffenrence

Well DD took her stinky shells to school yesterday, wrapped up by her own fair hands and half a roll of Sellotape. If the teacher ever gets inside she will find a small jar of not quite as stinky shells and glitter. I've got to say, once she had finished with them I was impressed at how they looked.

She also wrote a card as a gift tag - "Dear Miss Xxxx these are from my holidays. They are for you. You can have them, honest. love Dd"

I don't know why the 'honest' maybe she thought teacher would give them back.

Anyway DD is happy, and lovely teacher looked happy so all is well in the Dallas household. In fact, now that I'm in the Christmas spirit, I think it's time for a seasonal namechange!

Thanks to all for persuading me. DD is very happy now.

lteveDallas, that definatly comes under the heading of "meaninghul"!

My council only gives this advice:

You must not, either directly or indirectly, accept any gift, reward or benefit from any member of the public or organisation with whom you have been brought into contact by reason of your official duties. The only exception to this rule is isolated items of a wholly trivial character and which have no further resale value (e.g. calendars). If you receive, or are offered a gift, it should be declined or returned and the matter should be reported to your Assistant/Deputy Director.

Yes teachers give grades towards coursework but Ime - have to admit I am in primary these days though so not done coursework for a while - it is always moderated both internally and externally by several staff.nHave never worked on a course with 109% coursework.

feenie I think you're ready for your Christmas break! And chocolate. And wine. You've used more swear words on this thread than I've ever seen from you before. The calm voice of reason has gone out of the window.
Let's hope that your LA doesn't have the same sort of insane bollocks policy as crabapple's.
And I've yet to meet any parent who would seriously believe that the A* grade another student got in their GCSE was directly attributable to the box of Roses given the previous Christmas. Unless it's the same sort of parent who reckons that all the star parts in the nativity go to the kids of the PTA committee.

Well I have just spent the last couple of hours wrapping up 30 carefully selected books for my form group, they have been a great bunch this year and I always give them gifts at Christmas and the end of the year.

I never expect anything in return but always appreciate it if I do.