To spend less than a quid on teachers presents?!

[CheeseAndBeans]

Help! My DD is in reception so am new to this. Obviously with Christmas coming up people are starting to talk about what they are buying for the teacher and TA for Christmas. I have heard people saying they have got wine, vouchers, personalised gifts, even a bloody hamper!

All seems very competitive to me. We are skint at the moment with the lead up to Christmas and I thought I was done with the present buying. Totally forgot about teacher gifts!

WIBU to give them both chocolate reindeers? They are 79p in Aldi. They look nice, cheap versions of the lindt ones. Is that really bad?
Will put them in little gift bags I already have and get DD to make them both a nice card.

I'm a secondary teacher and would LOVE a chocolate reindeer!!

Sounds lovely.

DMIL is a TA she always gets sweets (she doesn’t do sugar), wine (doesn’t drink) and smellies (only uses posh stuff). Every year there’s s pile of stuff in her house that she can’t use, on this basis I don’t worry too much about gifts.

My friend is a reception teacher and as a PP said finds the gifts awkward. She really doesn't want a mug with the face of your DC on it, even if they are a complete delight lol.

Handmade card and choc reindeer perfect!

A teacher, can’t remember where sorry, has asked parents to donate to a food bank instead of buying her a present.

I think that’s the best thing, get DC to make a card for their teacher and tell them that for environmental reasons, or because you cannot afford to, you prefer to support X food bank.

Staff rooms are heaving with chocolate this time of year. The teachers don’t take them home. They open the gifts for all to share.

If you’ve got the time and the stuff at home, you could actually make the gifts. Dd and I made individual cakes one year, plaster of Paris fridge magnets from a crafting kit she’d been given another. The teacher will probably much prefer something homemade. You could for example get a big stone and colour it in as a paper weight.

When dd was yr2 the teacher told me the best presents she got were the personalised ones. Dd gave her a note made out of a bit of paper she’d ripped out of her book. It had pride of place on the teachers fridge. I didn’t know about the note, it was the teacher, who told me.

Of course yanbu! No teacher would want a parent to feel obligated to spend money on them.

I think most teachers would prefer a card saying what you appreciate about their teaching.
But also reindeer sound great.

As a teacher, you don't need to get them anything. I wouldn't set a precedent now. No teacher will hold it against your child if you don't get them anything. If you feel the need, a card or a small box of chocolates is more than enough.

I was teacher for many years in secondary school and used to get a lot of gifts at end of year less so at Xmas. I once got given a bottle of champagne by grateful parents as i had given their child a lot of after school tuition to catch up after he had been ill in hospital for a month and was behind on GCSE work. At end of year they sent me in chocs and I was very happy. He passed with a B and parents were so grateful they brought him in to collect results and then went off and bought me champagne and presented it to me in front of several parents. Great he got result but . White Chocolate or Malteasers is my favourite.

If your skint get dd to make a card. Write nice message inside.

A christmas gift for a teacher is not a must have. You only get them something if you truly want to. I don't believe people buy items to outdo each other, it is up to them how much they spend. I do believe though that it is a nice way to introduce being thankful to children so a nice handwritten christmas card from your little one would be perfect. Don't ever compare your gift/card to anyone else's x

You don’t have to give a gift!
My mum was a teacher. She much preferred receiving a nice card, made by the child with a nice message form the child than anything else tbh.

And fwiw, a nice message from yourself as the parent about how you really appreciate the way said teacher is teaching/looking after your child etc... will also be hugely appreciated.

We do a class collection which is totally non-obligatory and not all have contributed. However, it's Reception, so the little ones won't know who has and who hasn't and we've arranged things so that they children will handover the present. It means the teachers get a decent sized voucher which I hope will come in handy, and the children get to see them receive it.

Mine will also do handmade cards but that's just because they like doing it. We're big on colouring on our house! Also this year, they both adore their teachers (who are both genuinely fab - we've hit pay dirt this year).

What you are suggesting is absolutely fine! My child is in reception and a lot of the parents are clubbing together to get vouchers - £10 each is the suggested amount!!! They have even been canvassing in the playground to get parents to cough up. How ridiculous.

That's £300 if everyone chips in. I myself will not be contributing. Don't feel pressurised to do anything if you don't want to.

YANBU, that sounds lovely as a handmade personal card always goes down well here. I have a collection of child made cards which I won't part with.

My SIL used to work in a well known public school. She used to get designer bags ( LV I saw once) Hermes scarves, fancy champagne, Fortnum’s Choc- the works. I was 😮 as I work in the NHS and we are not allowed to accept anything personal.

I'm a secondary teacher. The things that mean the most to me are the cards and emails from students and their parents. Teachers don't go into teaching for the presents at the end of the year. We do it because we love helping children to learn and reach their potential. A card with something written in from your children (or beautiful colouring from non-writers) would mean more than anything else.

That sounds lovely, and I'm sure the teacher will be touched by any gift, however small.

Some parents are competitive, yes... I used to teach in a private school. I'd go home on the last day absolutely laden!

I just got my DD to write a card for her teacher.

I think that's lovely, you can't go wrong with cute chocolate.

My son is in reception and he's decorating a Christmas decoration and writing a card for them each.

I suspect that a 79p chocolate from a skint person will mean much more that a box of chocolates from someone better off. I also suspect a teacher would a) hate you to feel obligated and b) not want you to get into financial strife or divert needed money away from your family in order to buy a teacher gift.
Happy Christmas 🎄

I have 3 children, 2 are now older teenagers, youngest DD is 7. I have never bought a present, xmas or end of year, for any teacher. My DD chooses sometimes to make a card or present for a teacher, that's down to her. I don't think my oldest 2 ever did.

I'm glad you decided to go with chocolate and a personalised card op.

I used to be a TA and the nicest thing I was given was a card that a child made for me ,he wrote a beautiful message inside which mentioned the things he remembered me helping him with. I still have it from 10 years ago and I'm not the sentimental type

I was a teacher for many years and got many gifts, most of which I have long forgotten, and the children who gave them (sorry!) but I do remember one, from one of my first years.

As were all the best presents then it was from woolworths ( still had the sticker on) and was a bottle of bubble bath in the shape of a knight in armour. I remember it because the little lad who avidly watched me unwrap it had clearly chosen it himself and it was something he would obviously have loved to get for himself! I was so moved that he liked me enough to give me what to him was the ultimate gift. So for those parents in a quandary about gifts can I suggest you give your children a pound or two and let them loose somewhere like Tiger or Wilkinson. If nothing else you will bring a smile to a teachers face and possibly a memory to enjoy.