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?

I normally buy treats for the staff room about 2/3 weeks before end of term and then if i and the kida want/feel teacher/staff member should get an extra they will. My 6 yo has had over 8 members of staff working with her this year, her class teachers are soso but the other teachers have been great so she wans to get them a gift. Have some hand creams and will get a wee aomething else to go in with them.

I work with asn so rarely get gifts but cards or a follow up as to how they are doing means so much as i never forget them.

I love receiving thoughtful cards from the children.

Don't buy alcohol if you don't know preferences, people always seem to give me Prosecco and I can't stand it.

A home made 'best teacher' keyring made by a little girl and her mum means the world to me. I still have it on my school laptop bag. I would be mortified to receive £150 in vouchers or similar.

Teacher here and another immensely grateful for any gift - I’m always touched by the thought. I love candles so I’m a rare one who would be delighted with them! I also love getting alcohol to enjoy over the summer. Nice pens or stationery are always a winner too. The cards with personal messages from parents and/or kids are treasured.

But NEVER feel under any pressure to buy anything! It’s not obligatory .

I do a little gift bag and fill it with funky post it notes, pens, highlighters, stickers, mechanical pencils etc
You can pick up packs of things quite cheaply and I divide between the 3 kids teachers. Also means TAs etc can take something from it too.
Will do lots of nice cheap stuff - pack of 3 patterned pens for £1, heart shaped post it notes for 35p etc

When I’ve been skint I’ve just done a card and a patterned pen for each member of staff. Always seems to go down well, what teacher doesn’t need a pen!!

Meant to say wilko not will do!

Stationery supplies so they don't have to spend their own money on stuff for the coming year (pencils, different coloured pens, markers, post its etc) and a card from the child.

I avoid alcohol unless I know they actually drink it. I want them to enjoy the gift, not have to register it.

We've done a huge variety of things depending on the teacher and their likes and always gift at Christmas and end of year,

I echo the comments about thoughtful cards etc. Generally, the best presents I've had are where the kids really have thought about what I'd like - Starbucks vouchers/reusable cups as I always have a coffee in my hand, a Love Island water bottle as I let slip I watched it (my 13 year old girls never got over that one), whiteboard pens as I used to complain at my form on a near daily basis about using mine up with their 'Happy Birthday' messages on my whiteboard before I arrived for form time. Where they grouped together I've had some really lovely, more expensive gifts (Pandora charms, gift cards etc) and I do appreciate flowers and candles too.

I am less of a fan of body/skincare sets (not to be too snobby but I have particular tastes here) and the Baylis and Harding/Nivea etc sets I've accumulated over the years won't ever get used. Probably the worst - albeit funniest - present I got was a pair of very used, very obviously fake 'Tiffany' earrings. But it was from a child whose background was very difficult and again, it genuinely is the thought that counts and the fact she wanted to give me something was touching nevertheless.

Don't give presents. Look up Pens4kids on Facebook. Through then you can donate school supplies, mostly pens and pencils to children in developing countries whose schools lack even these basic supplies.
We do this, then enclose pictures and a letter explaining what we've done in a card to my kids teachers instead.
All the teachers so far LOVE this idea. And appreciate helping other childrenin their education far more than another mug/flowers/wine.

I was arranging something in ds school once and finding blue tac or pritt sticks was like finding gold dust! When I mentioned it, a few of the teachers said how they are always running out and due to constant budget cuts they are putting their hands in their own pockets for certain supplies. I jokingly said I would get them their own and they said it would be the best gift ever. So this year when ds goes to high school I think I will get some glue sticks, blue tac and board markers because for some reason they are the hardest to keep track of lol then just a little card expressing how amazing and awesome his teacher has been for his transition etc

Ask your child, they may know what they teacher likes.

One year my DD told me her teacher 'really, really likes wine'. It was safe to get him a bottle. (I wouldn't usually as many don't drink for a variety of reasons)

Hate alcohol and end up with bottles every year, I leave it in the staff room for anyone to take.
£5 Costa voucher or a voucher for the local cafe, perfect. Club together in the class for a Prezzo voucher or so I can have a meal out over the holidays would be amazing.

Please dont give things like pritt stick, it's disgusting that we aren't being properly funded and schools can't afford things like this but until people start complaining to local MPs about the lack of funding rather than individuals bridging the gaps nothing will change. I'd love my parents to all write a letter of complaint about the reduction in funding in real terms in education and the crisis in Sen funding than get me an end of term present.

Why give a gift, they are doing a job that they are paid for?

I was given a thank you card by a quiet year 11 student this week saying how, in one year, I had transformed their life. Made me tear up, best present ever. I also kept a tiny piece of paper torn out of a book by a poor year 7 student who told me he loved my lessons upon hearing I was leaving the school. 10 years on and I still have it. No need for gifts, these thoughts are worth so much more.

God I'd be overwhelmed at a wodge of vouchers too but I would love it, not be mortified. What an amazing thank you. I taught in secondary though, so it never happened!

Agree with a pp about school supplies though. In my last couple of years of teaching I refused to buy stock from my own pocket. The intention is good on an individual level but the impact of so many teachers doing that is propping up the outrageous lack of funding of education by the government. I don't want it propped up, I want it exposed and I want it to be changed!

I’m a secondary school teacher and we don’t tend to get many presents which is understandable as kids have so many different teachers at secondary.

I love a really thoughtful thank you message/card. I have had some lovely gifts over the years (my favourite was just a bottle of wine with a giant slab of dairy milk!)
Most of the candles and bath stuff I just regift.

I did get a fab jokey Maths T-shirt from a bunch of my year 9s once, which I love!

Costa gift vouchers yes yes yes!!

But also yes to staff room cakes as they'll definitely get eaten!! It also means admin, cleaning, librarian, site staff etc get included in the thanks and they deserve it too (well ours do, I appreciate not all staff go above and beyond!)

@Pipandmum I want to be your kids favourite secondary teacher! I'd love a homemade preserve!

I'm a teacher and a card or letter is always the best present!

In our school, all the parents from the class club together at Christmas and end of term and give a joint present to the teacher and classroom assistants. 30 kids = £300 and it's usually split £150 for the teacher and £75 each for each assistant.
It means we can get something really worthwhile and the teacher doesn't fill her car with 30 Yankee candles at the end of the year.

Absolutely ridiculous. What sort of nonsense is this!

A card with the child's favourite activity of the year said in their words sounds great.

I bought my DS’s class teacher, teaching assistant and the student services manager a Costa coffee card at Xmas so they could go and “have a cuppa and relax” . They had all three been brilliant with my son who had a very challenging Autumn term (autistic and at a special school) we popped the cards in a letter to all three with a Xmas card each to thank them and sent a further letter to the HT to say how brilliant they had been.

If a teacher/teaching assistant or other member of staff has gone above and beyond for your child then a letter to the HT telling them how brilliant that member of staff has been is always good.

orangeballon often teacher or other staff go above and beyond the job they are paid for. It’s nice to say thank you and acknowledge their efforts.

I have bought a multipack of gluesticks for my son's teacher. Given the lack of money in education and that she has probably forked out her own money for supplies this yr I thought something useful for her to use next yr would be better than yet another bottle of wine or box of chocolates.