...to think that mass gift-giving to teachers at end of year is tacky?

[MuddlingThrough]

Do teachers really want 30 packets of Cadbury's Roses, bought because the high-street shops have sented out yet another way to turn genuine sentiment into a tacky marketing opportunity? Or should we just say thanks instead?

lolololol at the action figure of Oscar Wilde. Where do they sell these? Would only get pressie for teacher who had gone the extra mile and dealt with some issue dc had. Otherwise, they are professionals. Wouldn't tip my GP, wouldn't tip teachers. But no gripe with those who choose to.

My mum retired this year so it was end of term x 100. Anyone who came within 10 yards of the house a couple of weeks ago was given a box of Roses and a bunch of flowers to take away with them.

Best presents were an old battered tin with some toy cars in it, a half used bottle of perfume and a box of Thorntons with most of the bottom layer missing . My mum always used to like the presents that the kids had obviously made or thought of themselves, even if they were occasionally a bit bizarre.

I'll miss the chocolate though.

I don't see it as tipping, I hadn't come across that analogy before and I find it rather distasteful.

I can only go on my own experience, but when I decide what to give ds1's nursery teacher I won't be thinking of it as a 'tip'. It's a gift to express our heartfelt appreciation and respect for the lovely positive year she has given him. Perhaps we have just been lucky so far!

Shakespeare action figure
Wilde action figure
DD got hers in a shop called 'But is it Art?' in Reading

Well pressies are always nice but certainly not expected. A hand-made card always means a lot to me and I've kept every one I've ever been given by a child (about 20 in 12yrs of teaching). A parent taking me aside and making a point of thanking me is again, always very much appreciated.

I think if you feel a teacher has done their best to help your child gain in confidence and learn new life skills then it's a nice gesture. I agree with Hula's tipping analogy. If you feel you've only had minimum, basic service then you really shouldn't.

As for teaching assistants. Most of them work their socks off for a pittance and give many unpaid hours for Christmas plays etc. I always appreciate the work they do and get mine a nice expensive gift at Christmas and at the end of the year. I couldn't do my job without them.

When did the gift giving to teachers at the end of term start? (I mean what era, not which day this month)
We used to say thankyou and anjoy your holiday to teachers we liked.
I remember going in to my 'A' level teachers to say thankyou at the beginning of September after the results.
But that was it! No presents.

yorkshirepudding:

Do you realise what 'extra time' us teachers and trainee teachers have to put in, just to look like we are doing the 'bare minimum'? Having said that, I agree some teachers are pretty sour-faced and would be better suited to secondary education where children are not so upset by the lack of a smile for them in the mornings. I am training... well I start training in September, for a year, but currently I do some work in a school, and also work as a nanny; I would love to think I'm one of the happy, smiley, enthusiastic ones. I just hope that means I can do all the other stuff that makes me a good teacher, as well, like reems of paperwork, stacks of reports and marking, and of course educating the children.

Saying all that, I wouldn't expect presents from children as I would be paid to do my job and the thanks would be children knowing something more when they finish the year than they did when they started the year. Maybe a thanks from the parents would be nice, but what do you do with 15 teddybears, 10 boxes of chocolates and 6 bottles of cheap white wine (when you drink red!)? I'm not good at receiving either, it just embarrasses me. I would probably buy my class something small each, though.

Tiredfedup - the 'extra' time is part of a teacher's job and always has been!

Exactly cornsilk. But why should teachers have to work til 10 or 11 at night, often later - and my mum has to as a secondary teacher. Yes they get holidays - did we ever see her in the holidays? Did we buggery. She was always working. Granted she is an exceptional teacher. But I don't know a single teacher that gets to work at 8.30, leaves at 3.30 and that's it. The majority of the time my mother stays at school very late and then brings work home and has, in fact, been off with stress.

My response was to yorkshire pudding who said that some teachers seem to get by on the bare minimum. The bare minimum is actually quite a lot. I admire those who go the extra mile and think I do, but just doing the bare minimum expected of us by the government, actually is hard work.

If someone's working till 10 or 11 at night then something's very wrong somewhere. I think what makes the difference is the teacher's attitude towards the children. Yes you need to be prepared but some of the best prepared teachers are not neccessarily the nicest.

Oscar Wilde action figure: "Poseable limbs allow figure to recline languidly (chaise longue sold separately)" . Thanks attilathemum.

It depends what age-group you work in. My mum is known as an excellent teacher and her pupils all adore her, but she is a secondary teacher who works full time, has to write reports across 2 key stategs and 6 form, mark endless amounts of books/exam papers, complete form after form for various reasons. None of that can be done when she is actually in the classroom teaching. And it is a requirement to fill in these planning forms as well, where she has to state exactly what will be done at exactly what time, why it will be done, who it will benefit, learning outcomes. And as I say, I know many teachers, good teachers, that are in the same position.

Oh and as a nanny and in the classroom, though not as a teacher yet, I've always put my relationship with children to the top of my priorities. How will a children learn if they can't have fun and be comfortable in the environment in which they are placed?

will a child*

Exactly.

But that does require extra extra time. LOL. Even if we take kids out of the classroom or use other methods for learning, it still all has to be planned to the Nth degree. There still have to be learning objectives. When we say extra time, are we talking parent meetings? PTA evenings? Open evenings? Putting up new displays at weekends and in holidays? Residentials during your holiday? If so, she definitely does all that as well!

I think we agree on one thing at least, and that is that a miserable person cannot be a good teacher, not to a child anyway.

I'm not having a go tiredfedup!

Am a teacher myself so I know the score!

Just wanted to say.

I am a complete newbie to all of this. My son has recently started pre-school, the nursery part of the main school, and it was his last day on friday (end of term).

When I dropped him off I thought my god what is going on. Presents and cards were being given to the teachers left, right and centre.

No I do NOT agree with it. It looked completely bloody ridiculous.

They get paid enough as it is.

Hmmm, they don't always get paid that much actually- my Sis manages a well known Nursery and gets paid 40p per hour above the minimum wage (is qualified, NNEB plus a decade of experience); her staff get minimum wage, where we come from this is the norm. She works 7 - 7 5, sometimes 6 days a week if there's any training on, and has to fit a small child and a Dh who usually works in Asia around that as well.

As for teachers- I am not a Teacher )hoping to do my PGCE Secondary though still mid-degree), but someone I know did a timesheet of teachers real hours / earnings and found that when all the extra stuff was factored in, many don't make the minimum wage either. And they are necessarily landed with X thousands of student loan when they qualify these days.

I remember feeling a bit embarrassed when ds came to the end of Reception year and all the other parents were giving cards and presents and I hadn't. On the contrary, I was on the receiving end of a present from the teacher because I had helped her in the year!

Teachers start on around 20-21k a year outside of London and that goes up quite generously each year. Nursery nurses get significantly less than that. Even nursery managers. I am not saying teachers get paid too little or too much. We do get long holidays, or I will when I am one! But we don't lie on a beach in Barbados for all of them. As I say, I never saw my mum during holidays. But she does teach Maths and ICT and coordinates KS3... It certainly isn't a poor wage, but spread over the hours teachers actually put in, I wonder if it works out much more than I get as a nanny; I doubt it, really!

I have been told around £19000 to start outside London. I will ahve £16000 loans tp pay off.

I've weighed up teaching with other jobs and as a parent it's ideal. You don't have to worry about childcare during the holidays which can be a real expense. I am always the first mum to collect my chn from the childminder after school also.

Does this sound ok? DS1 has raided my cardmaking stash and made two beautiful personalised bookmarks, for his Reception teacher and TA. [alpha mummy] LOL
I really can't bring myself to buy anything, lovely though the teachers are.