Collection for teacher!

[Booie09]

We do a end of year class collection any way it was decided that you could give between £5 and £10, one of the mums doing the collection is moaning that most people are only putting in £5 And it's not enough for the gift she wants to get, I've not given yet but it's put me off putting in aibu to just buy my own present! Also I was going to spend more on the TA because she looks after my daughters health needs daily.

I’m a teacher and I absolutely hate this sort of thing.

Don’t contribute. There’s no need.

It wouldn't be unreasonable even if you chose not to give anything at all. Teachers are wonderful and so important, but they are doing a job like the rest of us at the end of the day. Some people are really strapped for cash and I would like to think that mosh teachers would much rather someone saved their money than spend a fiver they really don't have on them!

*most

Blimey - what does she want to buy? That's a lot of fivers.

I had a collection from my class's parents last year but they included little bits and pieces and a bottle of something alcoholic that they'd found out I liked (a parent worked with my sister) and it was very welcome.

The gift should be decided from the amount you get in donation - not the other way round!! YANBU

Our class rep organises a collection. There are no expectations about how much anyone should give and if you don't want to contribute, that is absolutely fine. We buy vouchers from John Lewis so the teacher is not foisted with something they don't want. Doing it any other way is nuts IMO.

Shit need to sort class collection!

But doesn't everyone just get either M&S or John Lewis vouchers with the collection?

What does she want to buy @OP ?

She wanted to buy Spa Vouchers!! It's just annoyed me because if I give a £5 then 8 know secretly she's thinking tight arse.

So what if she is!

Tell her spa vouchers are inappropriate in your view as it's dictating what the teacher does in her free time, and you will arrange an alternative collection for John Lewis vouchers as everyone can find something they want in John Lewis (and if all else fails, she can just buy all her tights for next year in there)

PS I've read so many threads like this where teachers comment how awkward they feel receiving extravagant or OTT gifts

It was decided you should give at least £5. Who decided this? Cheeky fuckery at its best. People should give what they can and this includes nothing.

I'm only doing cards this year because I haven't got any money. But between two schools, that ends up at almost £20. That's enough for me. I hate these collections. They don't take people's personal circumstances into account at all and then you end up feeling shamed for not contributing.

I could proberbly afford a tenner! I'm friends with the mum collecting...it was her mum who was saying that her daughter was pissed off because only a couple of people had given tenner and the rest only a fiver...just think she should of waited to see how much money she collected before deciding on a present. Think they have collected about £130 so far....

I can categorically say, and I think most teachers will agree with me, that BY FAR the best present a teacher can receive is a letter. Just a short one, expressing genuine recognition and appreciation for their work. And a couple of personal sentences from the child to finish, if appropriate.
Honestly, I still treasure these YEARS after I stopped teaching, long after the wine, chocolate and vouchers etc have all been fogotten. And it costs nothing!

That's crazy. I don't remember ever taking my any of my teachers a gift. Surely £130 is insane already never mind expecting more! Assuming it's an average size class she's aiming to reach £200-300.

I wonder if there are many teachers who do some version of a 'no presents for my wedding' poem, as in please don't buy me wine or chocolates, if you want to say thanks a heartfelt card or a donation to the class fund for next year would be gratefully received. I think that would be much better than a spa day. The teacher is working hard, but part of that is working hard within a tight budget. Having a little more money to spend on resources next year would be great.

Astonished this is a thing, never heard of it before. When I was at school nobody even bought teachers gifts so I was a bit taken aback by it when my DC started school. I just get them flowers and a card. Everyone putting money in for a big gift? How odd.

I’m doing the class colllection and I’ve not stipulated at all how much people put in as I’d actively not give if someone dictated to me. We split between teacher and TA and do vouchers

Retired teacher here - I'd hate this. Thankfully it never happened in the schools where I worked, I would hate parents to be put under pressure to contribute and would be embarrassed to receive such expensive gifts. A card written by the child is lovely, flowers or bottle of wine are also nice but I wouldn't actually expect anything.

I think most teachers would rather have something for the classroom anyways. Teachers will buy pencils, pens, Whiteboard markers, glue sticks and loads more out of their own money just because they don't want their children suffering the effects of budget cuts. A box of 50 hb pencils goes a lot further towards helping that teacher save her own money AND helps support your child's education.

@CSISaraSidle absolutely seconded! I spend a bloody fortune every year on textbooks, pens, pencils, paper, display posters for my classroom for the kids to use. I would far rather be given vouchers to use to buy stuff for classroom than a spa day.
Secondary teacher btw and textbooks are really really expensive.

As a teacher, I would be mortified if this ever happened to me.
Teachers DO NOT want parents to be forced into putting a load of money into a collection. It is just embarrassing and it also takes away any nice feeling about someone actually wanting to take the trouble to write a nice card or letter.

If you are doing a collection for any gift, it is always down to the individual what they choose to put in anyway. You can suggest what might be a nice amount, but you cannot dictate.

I have never, ever heard of a teacher who did not appreciate a gift, pretty much any gift, even cheap wine. That being said, I have also never, ever heard of a teacher who did not appreciate an expensive gift. Never heard of them feeling uncomfortable at all. I have had champagne, flowers, chocolate, scarfs, students written poems, weird photos/pictures. Everything has been received with gratitude. One of my favourites was a mug with a poem by my student. The poem wasn't in all honesty very good, but it was personal, well thought out and clearly came from the heart. DH's friend was gifted a land-rover in Kuwait from a happy parent!

Maybe you don't have a wide circle of teacher that you know then dadshere, or maybe they've all only ever taught the dc of well off parents ? Staff I've worked with in all 4 schools I've worked at, would be mortified at parents feeling pressured to contribute to an expensive gift.