Teacher presents. End of term.

[rackhampearl]

Aibu to ask you teachers what your best and worst present experiences have been from --parents students. Also has anyone got any ideas? I'm thinking of miniature bottles of Hendricks gin and a small can of fever tree in a gift bag for the teachers heavily involved in my DDs school life and some loaf cakes for the staff room. Is that abit naff?

We did class collections too, usually getting gift vouchers (John Lewis, Next, garden centre, Amazon - depending on the teacher). My best friend is a teacher, and always appreciates wine but has passed flowers on to me before - due to hay fever, kittens or going away on holiday. I like the coffee shop gift card idea too. When one much loved teacher was leaving, we made her a ‘yearbook’ with messages from all the children and some parents plus photos - which I think she really did love.

We don’t always do teacher presents because at our school all the class reps arrange a collection were we all sign a card and give £5-10 per head and then they can buy flower and vouchers to give the teacher and assistant and all the parents gather round to give them a clap and present them. However occasionally their is a teacher or admin member or just a member of staff that does more than their job requires of them. The ones that really shine. For those teachers I try to find something specifically for them. This year my son who is in year 5 has a teacher who has been absolutely amazing. The difference in my sons learning from September to now is mind blowing and the extra effort she puts in at home in the evenings adjusting her lesson plans for a select 3 children in her class that struggle is amazing and the fact that she is always asking and caring about all her students and even the ones not in her class. She is amazing. For her I have spoken to my son about things that she likes and planned to do a card made by my son where he can write a nice personal message inside and a little gift bag with a few small non particularly expensive things that are things she specifically likes. I’m shocked at the number of people who just say they’re paid to do a

I don’t really like doing teacher presents. It doesn’t sit well with me. We do a home made card and we always aim to raise money for the school / pre school by getting the kids to be sponsored for fun challenges over the summer

Mine are past the presents for teachers stage but I always used to give a couple of books I thought they might enjoy (with the receipt tucked into the front in case they needed to exchange it). Often got feedback about how thoughtful it was and had a chat about the books.

Our school has banned all gifts. It’s fab. Some people privately give supplies as a roundabout gift. This teacher gifts thing is out of hand. A homemade card from a child should be enough.

I don't understand the 'it should be banned' camp. No-one is making anyone else buy a present. All the teachers on here have made it abundantly clear that they don't expect a present. Nobody is telling you to buy a gift. But it's ok to tell me not to buy one? Nah mate. I want to, so I will.

I always got a nice card that the kids would write in. The message depended on the teacher. Some got paragraphs. I also got a nice notebook that I would out a message inside the cover thanking them. Again message depending on the teacher but I was always pleasant.

I liked to take a couple of trays of nice muffans or cakes in for the staff room as well on the last day.

I think it's really nice to acknowledge the bond a teacher has formed with your child, I know I'm quite sad when mine move on and a thoughtful card is lovely (I have saved them ALL over the years!) Presents are nice too though, haha. My "best" was a MK purse (a class collection) but I also once got a homemade cherry jam from the child's grandma's cherry trees. I loved it!

I don’t understand the banning either, what’s so wrong with giving a small card/gift if you’d like to?
As a teacher, it really touches me and means a great deal..it’s not the gift itself..as the risk of sounding cheesy, it really is the thought. As bad as it sounds, if I haven’t received a card or even a thank you from a parent, I do question if they were happy throughout the year (the vast majority always gave some acknowledgement, bar one or two)
As a parent now, it’s something I’ll definitely be doing, I have our part time nanny flowers and perfume when she finished a temporary job with us as I liked to acknowledge all her hard work with our Dd and could see that she really cared about her.

Buy, don’t buy, I’ve been a teacher 30 years and I appreciate a present/card but don’t think less of anyone who doesn’t get one. This, however is bollocks, riceuten I file "teacher presents" under those abysmal Americanisms like "Prom Night" - completely unknown in the UK 40 to 50 years ago. I’m 54 and my parents were both teachers. I remember them getting loads of presents when I was a child between 40 and 54 years ago.

I like to get a gift to show my appreciation, DD was heading for a breakdown 2 years ago, starting 3rd class, p5 she has SEN, she couldn't cope with school, between her teacher and resource teacher she is a different child after 2 years with Ms. They've been amazing.

I like to give as part of class collections (or personal gifts) m&s vouchers as they can always be spent on food/wine/regifted. But then my children have had fantastic teachers and I can afford and really want to thank them for making school such a positive experience.

p.s. not a teacher but lots of teacher friends and this was their personal recommendation!

John Lewis vouchers here, for similar reasons!

I hope that if you notice a child is regularly dirty or shows signs of neglect that you handle it sensitively and not in a judgemental way. I hope that you pass any concerns your safeguarding lead in case there is a bigger picture or issue that you are not aware of.
Finally I hope you help that child by tactfully cleaning their lunchbox or dirty spoon and not make them feel inferior.

Well, I would imagine all teachers would pass on concerns regarding the potential neglect of a child in their care, and would be helping a child they know comes from a 'dirty' home as far as they could.

This doesn't mean they should eat home made cake that has been brought from that home though. But there are ways and means of not ever letting the child or their parents know you aren't eating them though.

I got some chocolate orange cheesecake from one of my kids today. It was delicious!! She made it herself and I was so touched.

Something like wine, chocs is always nice. Or that lovely fruit cider, little flavoured gin etc

No mugs or hanging things or key rings please!

A card is enough tho.

All those grudging the teacher a tiny gift, do they also object to the fact their kid's primary teacher has probably spent at least £20-30 on Christmas/end of term presents for the children in his/her class and probably hundreds of pounds of his/her own money on resources for the class during the course of the year? Or is that just part of 'being paid for it'?

So true @LJdorothy, you put your everything into being a teacher, in all respects (well I did) 💜

I've thought about baking some rocky road or a Victoria sponge for the kids teachers, but will they want to eat it? I'm worried they will think my kids dirty hands have been in there or my kitchen is a hovel!

Neither is true, my kids wouldn't help and I have a clean kitchen!

I hate class collections. Far too much pressure so a few pushy parents can get the glory. It is usually teacher mums that suggest it too...

It'd get hoovered up here, @boneshere we'd be delighted someone had taken the time to bake for us!

We do a class collection, fiver a head, the mum who organises it usually gets a bottle of Prosecco, and vouchers for John Lewis or something.

I volunteer in a charity shop and just after the end of term we see a LOT of "best teacher" stuff donated. On the other hand, that means we have a lot of those things out on sale for display right now.

One of the problems with class collections is that it’s normally the children of the organiser who hand over the gifts. My children like to give the gift, not just write a label.
As to teachers purchasing stationery/ gifts, their choice. Don’t be martyrs about it, if no money for extra things, our school is honest and asks for parent contributions if possible- always worded so people wouldn’t feel bad if unable. Same for trips and some parents overpay to help with parents who can’t.

My friend who is a teacher would much rather people pay the voluntary contribution of £10 for the year (currently 5% paying it!) so that she can have the materials to teach properly than have gifts. WTF don't people pay the contribution? I only found this out recently and I don't live in an area where people can't afford it.

Giving a teacher a present or a card is also a good opportunity for children to learn to give gracefully.

It can be an awkward sort of thing, and it takes practice for a child to know how it do it politely and to know what to say.

I've had a lot of children - even as old as 16 - who hand me a card saying something like 'oh, my mum said I should get you a card'. Or younger children with a present "here. Mum said to give you this". Or "mum got you something". It's quite a useful skill for children to be able to say 'I got you a card to say thank you'. Or to hand a present to someone and say 'Happy Christmas' or 'thank you for teaching me' or "Here is something we got for you; I hope you like it", or "this is for you; have a good summer". Sometimes they just need to be told what kind of words to use, as they might well be feeling the right sentiment, but just never told how to say it. Giving a present at a birthday party or Christmas isn't quite the same, and I expect that some parents assume that their children already know what to say.