to feel pressured to buy all my dd teachers amazing end of term presents?

[DiscoFever]

I dont object to box of chocs, flowers even but feel really under pressure this week to find a really amazing gift that will be opened in front of everyone. I know i shouldnt worry, but am getting stressed! I am also pretty skint as have been saving for holiday. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARHGHGHGHGHGH!

I don't understand when and where this started. When i was at school (many years ago) we didn't buy gifts for the teachers, if anything we got a small gift (lolly) from them.

I also wonder if they report them as a taxable benifit (sorry accountant in me).

I will not be joining in this custom.

My mum once brought a gift for me to give to my secondary school form teacher. I was sooooooo embrarrased, as non of the other kids had taken a present in. Anyway, they were theses sugared jelly things, and so I ate them LOL.

i have let my dd decide at the shops this afternoon and guess what? she picked:

forero roches! ha!

who was it n nutty

I teach inner city secondary - usually quite deprived areas. In my whole career I have had:

1 bottle wine from extremely embarrassed boy whose parents had sent him in with it regardless of the fact that he couldn't stand me

1 box roses

3 pictures drawn by Y7 children

1 box ferrero rocher

Best thing I ever got was a leaving card signed by entire class of bottom set (climbing the walls crazy) year 9 boys; made me realise what an awful time they must have as I'd thought all I ever did was shout at them, but apparently my lessons were pretty pleasant compared with what they experienced in an average day.

my DS made an exploding box card (well I made the box & he decorated it)
it was empty though
just thought she didnt need another box of chocs so thought the card idea was ok - she can bin it if she wants

tesco doing buy one get one free on Terrys choc oranges which isnt bad at £1.93 - two presents then at less than a quid each!

well, my dd (not quite 5) wrote on a big bit of paper "FANG YU MISIS X FO BEIN MI TISH" = "Thank you Mrs X for being my teacher" and it had a little picture of dd and Mrs X. And personally if I was her teacher I would have been thrilled with that.

My dp is a teacher and his best 'gifts' have always been the homemade cards, or cards with nice messages from the student rather than actual presents.

Glad I stumbled across this thread, DD has left preschool today and I have seen quite a few mums bearing lost of gifts !
We just sent a simple card with a really nice message in it - thanks to the last few replies for making me feel better as I did feel a bit of a scrooge !!