To expect a "thank you?"

[Penygirl]

I'm a teacher and I've just returned from a three night residential trip with pupils from my school. I enjoyed the trip and the children had a fantastic time doing the various activities. They were well behaved and settled to sleep well, although one group were wide awake just after 5.45 one morning! As arranged, I dispensed medication to two pupils, and comforted a few who became homesick on the first night. However, when we returned on the bus today not one parent uttered the words "Thank you" to me or my colleagues. Is it just expected that teachers should give up time with their own families to care for other peoples' children or is it just my school?

NUR at all! I always thank teachers and scout leaders for anything like that and i make my DC go and say thank you as well.

Well, you get paid for it, don't you.

Perhaps the parents wanted to get their kids home and hear all about the trip. I hope a thanks will come very soon.

Don't hold your breath Penygirl - I found thanks from parents to be extremely rare.

YANBU, some people are rude bastards.

YABU to 'expect' one but NBU to hope for one

"Temporarilyjerry" we don't get anything extra, if that is what you mean. Some teachers never go on residential trips and they get the same pay as those who do. I might well be joining the ones who don't in future, but it is the children who will miss out!

Jerry I very much doubt the OP will have been paid for the extra hours. I never have been paid for a residential in 16 years of teaching.

Agreed Jakadaal. Expect was the wrong word to use.

I think you should have been thanked. Teaching is a tough profession and a lot of people don't realise how much of your own time you need to give up for the profession. I'd have definitely thanked you if you were my child's teacher.

YANBU, and to the poster who said you were paid for it, not you were not paid for working 24 hours a day for 3 days. I would expect to be thanking a teacher profusely and with for this. Hope that your day goes well tomorrow, and that parents and pupils remember their manners

Basic manners in my opinion but unfortunately some parents just don't think.

I always met my children from residentials with a present for the teacher (at our school it was a 5 day trip, class teacher was there all week, other teachers did a night/day each, so I bought present for class teacher)

Wine for male teacher, bath stuff for female teacher.

Errrr, I think Jerry was joking... Did nobody see the wink?

It's always a bit hectic when the coach arrives and getting luggage etc, so I send an email with thanks the next day.

DSs try and thank the teachers as they leave.

Yanbu. How rude of them!

I read the poster saying, "Well, you are paid," as being tongue in cheek - repeating the usual tired arguments in order to pre-empt them - hence the wink.

And, even if you are paid (which we are not) that doesn't mean no thanks. My Dr is paid 3x what I am but I still thank her, as do my DCs.

I'd thank a teacher for doing it, they volunteered their time after all. I wouldn't buy them anything though. Mind you, I don't remember ever buying a teacher anything when I was growing up? See!s a new thing?

YANBU. And I disagree with those you thought you shouldn't 'expect' a thank you but should get one- I think you should expect one as extremely rude not to bother.
I think our DCs teachers deserve thanks even at the end of each day in case they've been exhausting mind you so often say it

When I taught I certainly wouldn't have expected a gift but I did find it dispiriting if I gave up hours of time and there wasn't any expression of thanks.

Thanks for comments everyone. No I didn't spot the wink - feeling knackered which was what made me so grumpy in the first place! I'm not angling after gifts but I'm beginning to realise why we have to constantly remind our children to use good manners.

Wine for male teacher, bath stuff for female teacher

Well that hardly seems fair

Depends on the wine miaow

YANBU

Nishky No offence but I think most would prefer the wine.