Not to do end of term teachers gifts this term?

[AmIBeingStingy]

My child is year 3 primary and won’t be returning to school again this year. I’d normally get a little something for all his class teachers (couple of £ each) but it all feels a bit complicated this year and there is no pool being organised. Teachers are not in school / I guess I’d have to find a way to get the gift to them at home and I gave them all a nice gift at Christmas. If you are /were a teacher of a class that have not yet returned but were working from home and didn’t get any end of term thank you cards or gifts this term, would you be hurt or would you not be expecting anything? Do you think it’s more important than ever for teachers to be appreciated? I’m on the fence atm and wondering what everyone else is doing?

Will they be allowed to accept gifts this year?

I’d give it a miss. It’s just too complicated

But I would send an email and cc the head teacher that was really specific about how much I appreciated what they had done for my child this year

I don’t think teachers ever ‘expect’ anything, and certainly this year they wouldn’t expect you to go to the bother.
Also, seeing as some on here were accusing a girl and her mum of trying to kill people when they left a plate of brownies on a friends doorstep during the lockdown, not everyone appreciates gifts at this time. Most people said they would have binned them due to the ‘risk’, and were offended people were giving things, so probably best to avoid.

I'm just going to get DC to make a "card" on the computer to email in.

My DD is leaving primary. I'm letting the school keep the money in the dinner money and after school account that I topped up long before lockdown. It can go towards the PTA / hand sanitizer / biscuit fund.
I'll email nice thank you's too.

We've not heard from our DCs teachers since schools closed. I'll get them to make a card (if that's allowed, better check) but that's it.

I’m not doing gifts but dd wants to make a card for her teacher so we’ll do that and post it to the school I think. I don’t imagine the school will want parents turning up to the office with presents in the current situation.

I feel the same as you except I'm the teacher and wondering if I should get my class a gift this year as I usually do and how I would go about it I'm teaching Year 1 at the moment whilst my Year 4 class are at home (still trying to teach them too) and would not expect any presents and would not be offended if I didn't get any. I think if you want to show your appreciation, send a nice email of thanks. That would be the best present!

I'd be very surprised if your child's teacher is not in school unless they are shielding.

All the teachers in our local primaries are working at school now regardless of the year group they normally teach. Who do you think is teaching all the extra bubbles of kids?

You aren’t obligated to buy one in any year. There are consistently threads started by teachers at this time of year saying how they don’t want the piles of gifts/ toot that arrives each year.

Save your money (and the environment) and just say thank you next time you are able to meet them.

Of course YANBU. Teachers don't expect gifts. Appreciation for teachers is in short supply though. I'm pretty sure a nice email to thank them for their efforts would be just as welcome as a gift.

I never expect anything, teaching is my job. A verbal thank you is really nice, a message to leadership about how I’ve helped their child is amazing. My parents have sent me lovely messages throughout lockdown, thanking me for my support/ help / resources and checking I’m okay. I don’t need or expect anything else - particularly when I’ve worried about some of them having enough food to eat, I certainly wouldn’t want them spending money on me.

As an aside, all staff at my school are now in, due to low ratio bubbles needing everyone to work on site, it’s the same at my kid’s school.

Am in Ireland. Schools closed since March 12th and the teachers have been very good. Contact every day through see saw app, correcting work over the app and keeping children motivated!
We still did the collection and got an online voucher which was then forward to the teachers email .

Our class WhatsApp group is organising vouchers and a collective e-card. But a good portion of us do that at the end of every year so it’s only the logistics changing. But you shouldn’t ever feel you have to!

Good, it might be the end of this ridiculous practice. (And I’m a school support worker) An email, letter or card should be more than enough.

A nice email message, or possibly a card, would most likely to be appreciated right now - especially as schools and specifically teaching staff (teachers mainly but also TAs) are getting a lot of bad press right now despite many (most?) still working ft and doing their best regardless of ineffectual government guidance.

FWIW the teacher is likely to be in school unless vulnerable.

We now only have 1 teacher, 1 HLTA, 3 LSAs and one member of SLT at home - all due to being vulnerable. Everyone else (1 SLT, 10 teachers, 10 LSAs plus all office and maintenance staff) are in for their full hours each week and have been for a while.

I like the idea of an email, saying thanks for all the support during this difficult time would say have a restful summer break but Boris and the gang will be giving you some sort of stupid plan to magic up and you’ll spend 6 weeks planning for re-opening, not re-opening, partial opening, lessons in class, lessons at home, so basically enjoy what you’ve been doing all along but with added stress of government not knowing it’s arse from its elbow, see you in September maybe maybe not.

An email would be just as appreciated as any gift. A card from a child is always wonderful.

Thanks everyone - a card / grateful email seems the best way to go. I hadn’t even thought about gifts and the germ factor but of course that could possibly be a bit disconcerting (especially home made food gifts atm).