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?

Agree.. £10 a head is far too much. I'd be embarrassed and uncomfortable and would be worried I should be declaring it to the tax man. A gIn miniature, stationery item, costa gift voucher!!!, plant, candle. Something the child can carry in and be pleased when I tell them it's my favourite. Please no 'Best Teacher' keyring unless your child is super keen to buy one. But it's the personal notes/letters/messages which I treasure and have held on to for 20 years.

The amount of £10 was agreed by all parents, as it was probably what you would spend on wine, chocolates a card and a gift bag.
Not suggesting anyone else copies the amount, but the principle of a combined gift works well for us.

Jo Malone vouchers. (Not given by me but a colleague at school received them and was absolutely thrilled).

Got one of DCs teachers theatre tokens. Also went down well.

I volunteer in a class at my DC’s school and I think the teacher is brilliant. I really look forward to my day with her and her class. She mentioned a while ago about loving Enid Blyton as a child and I’ve just bought her a gorgeous vintage book called The Teacher’s Treasury. I know she’s going to love it and it was a bargain!

If all the parents are happy then that's splendid.My sister is a teacher too and her school does a collection and she loves her voucher gift! I'd just be worried some parents had felt pressurised and I wouldn't feel comfortable receiving such a substantial gift. Happy to stick with my chocs and candles!

@MissClare that is so thoughtful and the way you talk about her is just wonderful. Theres nothing quite like the gift of a book if it means something to the recipient. My Dad once told me the first book he ever read was The Otterbury Incident and I found it for a couple of quid on Amazon. His face when opening it up on Christmas morning was priceless. Like he had gone back in time to his childhood.

was it a prince of whales :)

As a teacher, I would have loved the gin gift bags! Otherwise, wine always welcome. But I have to agree with PP, a card/letter will make me well up more than a bottle of wine ever will!

The only advice I have ever remembered about teacher gifts is - think about whether YOU would want 30 of these things given to you each year.
If the answer is yes you are probably fine but no home/staffroom can sustain 30 best teacher mugs or coasters each year.

A lot of teachers seem to spend their holidays in the sun. I like to offer something useful like beach towels.

Teacher and parent here. Wine is always a winner

No it isn't. Plenty of people don't drink. I HATE being given alcohol, I think it's a gross present to get someone who teaches children.

@SupermassiveBlackHo why so?

Yes, god forbid people who teach children have lives and - the horror! - consume alcohol.

We give things from the garden/kitchen. This year box of eggs from our chickens and rhubarb and vanilla jam. The DCs collect the eggs and pick the rhubarb and design the labels. They love doing it and the teachers seem to like the presents

@rackampearl she’s lovely. I was once chatting to her about a particular school trip they take the year 3s on. It’s a visit to a living history site and the children take part in site staff-led workshops. The Lovely Teacher told me she particularly liked this trip because she could relax a bit whilst the site staff ‘ taught’ the children and just sit back and “really enjoy our children”. 🤩 Isn’t that just the bestest, most reassuring thing to hear from a teacher?! “Enjoy” the children they are teaching. Just fab. 😌

I usually give a voucher at Christmas, gift in the summer.
DD has 2 teachers, DS in preschool he has lots, some have gone above and beyond for him.
I done the preschool a basket of coffee teas hot chocolate, with them finishing for the summer I've no idea.
Plus I don't have lots of cash to spare.

I'm a teacher and I'm teetotal. I've been given a few bottles of wine and they are always appreciated but I just sort of recirculate them.

The best things I ever receive are cards. Always. Especially with a lovely message written in them, and I never ever need anything else.
However, as you're looking for ideas, the best gifts I've had have been book or theatre tokens. As you can add them together, then you really can never have too many of them.
❤️

Wine is a totally acceptable gift. If you don't drink you can easily regift it and why on earth is it a gross present for someone who teaches children? That doesn't make any sense.

I think it's a gross present to get someone who teaches children.

What? Why? What is it about being in daily contact with your PFB that means teachers can't consume alcohol? Are they meant to lead pure lives, untainted by the evil that is alcohol? Do you feel the same way about sex? Teachers are not meant to indulge in such carnal pleasures?

Don't be so fucking ridiculous.

When dd left her school (age 14 admittedly) she made chocolate truffles for her teachers, we got notes back thanking her (she had taken note over the preceding months what flavours they liked, but she did at the time want to be a chef)

Emerald Shamrock, if you're short of cash, give a homemade card from your child. Please keep your money for more important stuff.

I'm always grateful of anything that parents give me, it's nice to know that the work I have done with/for their children has been appreciated. Cards with messages about the child's year are always fab to get. I don't drink alcohol so whilst I appreciate the thought of the gift of a bottle of wine, I also tend to regift it on!

Very much like a PPs view of 'would you like 30 in your house?' - it's so true, 'Best Teacher' gifts, whilst lovely, lose their meaning after a few years! Book tokens are always a winner for me!

I teach in a college so rarely get gifts but my cousins teach primary, my DGM also did until she retired. They all strongly dislike ‘best teacher’ merch, they just have nowhere to put it! Last year one of my cousins ended up with ten best teacher mugs . I remember my DGM had an array of best teacher teddies in a cupboard as well. Steer clear of that, a lot of it winds up in the charity shop by August...

I usually just get a nice card and some flowers for my DC’s teachers.

I bought the tutors at my youngest’s (SN) college a box of Hotel Chocolate chocolates. There are tutors and a classroom assistant and I spent the same on all four as the assistant is so good with the young adults and works the same hours as the tutors. The assistant is gluten intolerant, though not to the point of needing hospitalised, so I made sure hers had no gluten in the ingredients. I don’t mind if they recycle them, as I still hope that’s a help.

In my child's class a certain clique of mums all put in £10 to buy lavish (and unnecessary in my opinion) gifts. It makes my toes curl. I don't have spare £10 notes lying around to give teachers but feel like I'm being judged for not contributing. Anyway my child loves to choose something (small) for his teacher himself.

Pinkmouse6, you should start teaching the young adults with SNs. Those tutors are coming down with gifts. 😁