Oh no, it's started!

[phantomnamechanger]

Self elected mummy emailing other parents in the class to tell people she will organise a collection for the teacher & TA for Christmas presents. No thanks. I will source my own. My child will have an input. I will spend what I like without anyone else knowing how much I "put in". The teachers will know my child thought about them and chose something specially for them. I would rather not be made to feel like "small gifts are rubbish, one big one is better". Bah! It is not what other classes do! we only do joint collection when someone had retired/left/had a baby - and then it is offered as a voluntary thing and done through the school office, not a parent. what are your views, and how do you deal with these bossy "helpful" mummies? or do you think its a great idea are you that mummy ?

I teach at a school where the average income is over a million a year, if that makes a difference.

Odd that some people think presents for teachers are a recent thing. Both my parents were teachers and they used to come home with huge hauls every year at least 35 years ago. However everyone should give what they can afford and I've never known a teacher give a passing thought to not receiving a gift from any child.

Another class rep here!

I organise a collection, suggested contribution £7 (£5 for the teacher and £2 for the TA). I make it clear that this is completely voluntary and you're welcome to do your own thing. I thought I was helping people out not annoying them

I work for the NHS and on Xmas day we get a free Greggs sausage roll. I kid you not. Someone comes round with a trolley

I don't think the pressure necessarily comes from the class rep, but from other parents, or indeed from thin air.

Don't really know why so many people get worked up about these things. Surely, all you have to say is that you'd rather do your own thing, and leave it at that? As others have said, some parents prefer to contribute to a combined present- each to their own.

We do this at DDs school (and no, I'm not the class rep), it means the teacher gets something nice and less effort for the parents. Nobody cares how much you put in, or if you'd rather not- and I don't have a clue what the "going rate is" as nobody pays much attention. DD does a home made card to give to the teacher though.

Ubik

It never occurred to me to buy a gift for any of the teachers at primary, although I always handed out cards to teacher, head and t.a. Also the the lovely school secretary we had for about half the time the girls were there, and the lovely dinner lady also for about half the time. Always through the Christmas letterbox in main reception, so the right cow dinner lady, the even more of a cow secretary, and the truly dreadful lunch supervisor would not be deliberately missed out in full view of the children. I'm a vindictive bitch who bears grudges, but not an unprofessional one!

I like vouchers.

My mum is a primary teacher and each year she'd come home with a big bag of presents from the children. It was fun helping her open them and she was usually very, very touched. For a while she taught in a deprived area where the families had very little and the standard present was a little cotton handkerchief - she kept them all and uses them still (it was the late '70's).

She always wrote a thank you card to each one of the children and, as someone else said on here, viewed it as the giving and receiving of Christmas gifts, not a thank you present for teaching them. My mum would buy and individually wrap a little gift for each child (they all got the same, she didn't differentiate between girls and boys).

She loved homemade presents and she still has things people gave her around the house. But there was a lot of absolute crap too - nasty smelling glitter bath foam sticks in my mind.

But I think putting someone coordinating a whip round is great. So much easier than buying something and, say, £2 per child is surely enough in most areas. That's £50 of vouchers, a card and bottle of wine assuming 30 kids and everyone puts in. Can't see the objection to the concept, only the amount.

I once did some voluntary work at a school. There was a staffroom box with eatables from Christmas, mugs,pens etc. All the staff had put in gifts and they were there for anyone to use in case of 'emergency'.

There was no rivalary about who was given what.

You cant please all parents, some will like the collection idea whilst others like to shop for their own.

We do teachers gifts at christmas and end of term, his teacher and TA have an enourmous influence in his daily life so its nice to show appreciation. I also send in for support staff, head etc as its a small school and they all work very hard over and above whats expected.

Yes we had one of these doing an organised whip round, it was left us to up to put in or not, but we were new to it and there was confusion over what amount, PLUS we were not even doing xmas presents for each other that year...

Anyway we had got it confused they did want close to £10 each. DH went to put a £2 coin and was told it wasn't enough.

So we withdrew it and didn't contribute further and did our own thing. I wanted to personally thank the teacher anyway and write my own message in the card.
Its nice to have a whip round but do not put pressure on people or ridicule them if they hand over a small amount.

Sigh. Bored tonight, alma? Two Weeks' Notice has not long started, if you don't want to watch children in need. Or there might be some people who need judging over in Style & Beauty?

We do individual gifts here (and I include the TAs and the Dinner Ladies) but they are tokens and often consumerables. I am only half-joking when I say that, for the year all four of my children are in Primary, I shall be making a three-tiered cake to share in the staffroom, rather than small gifts for 2/3 staff ......

We don't have class reps. I organised a collection recently for a mother getting married and no one was obliged to contribute, no one else knew what had been put in and, when asked, I said "Most people are putting in between £1 and £5" (we had one person give £1, several give £2, most give £3 or £5 and two give £10). I added the name to the card of two mothers I couldn't get hold of as virtually everyone else was involved (bar one mother actually invited to the very small wedding, whose name I put on, and a mother I've seen twice!).

I'm 28..

eh??

I'll ignore alma...
Someone organises a whip round for DS's class, going rate is a fiver. If someone doesn't want to be in it, then no drama. I think it's a great idea, it isn't worded in a way that IMHO could cause offense, and I'm just grateful that I don't have to think of what to buy. I am not very neat and I hate getting lots of small things - so I always imagine that other people feel the same way.

Am wondering now if I should give something to the afterschool ladies, they are very nice.

£21 per child here, just for Christmas, suggested minimum.

Another collection at the end of term.

Dont do presents for teachers. They generally do a good job with my Dcs but so do the doctors and nurses and opticians and dentists and swimming instructors and everyone else who interacts with my Dcs. Where does it end?

If you don't want to contribute - don't.

I do buy xmas/ end of year gifts - finances dictate what usually!

TBH xmas gifts are usually something handmade from DS - chocolate based. Previously we've bought the tins of chocolates when on 2 for £8, some celophane and ribbon and made 15 gifts. Last year I bought 15 mugs - cheapy 4 for £1 ones. Candy canes, the packets of biscuits (6 pks for £1), sachets of hot chocolate and put it in the mugs.

£21 holy cow.

It's totally inappropriate and unprofessional. The whole thing. The people getting most out of it are the shareholders of Tescos et al.

Teachers have a relatively high status job and get paid, if not as much as they deserve, relatively well in the scheme of things. Appreciate their efforts with a card with a sincere message.

Individual teacher presents are banned at the school my dgc go to unless a teacher is leaving when there is a collection. At Christmas the PFA gives a box of biscuits and a tin of chocs to the staffroom.

£21it is and some parents like to give more and have been know to give individual gifts £100 each to several staff members.