Teachers. What are you buying the kids in your class for Christmas?

[OhioOhioOhio]

Especially if you have a very good bargain basement idea?

I've just finished being a class teacher at primary and bought my class a Christmas and end-of-year present every year, usually a book each from a set. One year in Year 6 I bought all the girls a glittery scarf from Poundland and they really loved them. Sometimes it was a poem I wrote about them all with my favourite photo of each child on the back of theirs.

I didn't realise so many parents didn't want me to!

Anything more than a sticker sounds nuts to me, but if you are going to do it (and have school budget for it!) then you might want to know that stocking-fillers.co.uk have a bulk clearance section where they are doing 75% off some stuff if you order in multiples of 12 - so you could generate the everlasting love of your class and the loathing of their parents by getting them slime for less than £1 each.

Well, I was the cruel uncaring teacher who never gave the children any Christmas presents. I usually took in a tub of Heroes or something on the last day of the summer term for them. But it never occurred to me to do anything more than that. It is absolutely crazy.

'School budget for it.'

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!

You can barely get pencils.

Not. Joking.

Stickers, stationery or a lollipop. At my last school some got nothing for christmas and they were so grateful.

I've been teaching for 20 years. It's not a new thing.

We gave each child a book at Christmas, this was in a school nursery. It was one of those bumper packs. I think it is nice and if you're working in a deprived area the child and parent may be very grateful for the gift! Though the idea of summer gifts for the children is beyond me!

Wtf?! Hahahaha hahahaha ROFL.... you must be joking?!😝

What is your Aibu?

I give each child a book (and the same in the summer). I usually get a pack from The Book People and split it so it doesn't cost more than £1-£2 per child. It feels as though I spend more time with the children in my class than with my own DC sometimes - of course I want to get them a little present! And in the area where I teach I know that several of the children don't have books at home.

Aibu, as a single mum with 3 young kids, to need help finding gifts for 34 kids as cheaply as possible? And whether IABU or not can you please help me?

Amanduh

Yes. There's that too.

I bought them a friendship bracelet. You can buy in bulk cheaply from ebay.

I did friendship bracelets last time...

And some of you sound bloody horrible .. if you hate giving your time to kids so much then why teach at all?!

Our time is so limited that we'd rather spend time on tasks that actually benefit the children and their learning than messing around laminating bookmarks or whatever for them to take home. @FizzyIce

Most children have far too much stuff. There are so many ways to show that you like and value them than giving them tat.

@Bluewavescrashing I don’t mean about the gift giving ,that’s fine .
But complaining about have to listen to them and pay attention to them everyday

Last year my child's teacher took individual photos of all the kids on Christmas jumper day. She then printed them off and cut them out and stuck them stood up in a clear bauble with some fake snow inside at the bottom. My daughter loved it!

I'd assume you can buy the baubles quite cheaply and a small bag of snow.

The Christmas jumper photo thing sounds exactly what I'd have done, 20 years ago.

So. So time consuming. But yes a budget idea.

I work with someone who gets positively offended if her kids’ teachers don’t get them “decent” gifts. Any hint that teacher might have got a bulk buy for their gifts rather than something specifically tailored to her children, and she loses her mind. The rest of us just sit there like

I used to always get my class a gift at Christmas and in the summer. It was expected but most of us did it and I did it because I wanted to. I used to keep my eye on the book people and the works and bulk buy books for the children. Worked out to be about 90p per child.

Sorry that should say it WASN’T expected

As PP have said, please don't get them anything. The gift giving thing at schools has gone mad.
If it's expected then buy a box of celebrations or choc coins and put one in a card. Even cards are stupidly extravagant for a class of 30.

My mum was a teacher and she always gave a cheap book. Costco does 10 books for £10 and have things like Winnie the witch for younger kids. One a little girl cried she was so happy to have a gift because she hadn't had one before. It's a lovely gesture OP.