Would this bother you - teacher gift?

[GlummyMcGlummerson]

At my DC's school I have a friend whose child is in year 1 (different classes to my kids). She's told me that there's been a bit of controversy and complaints because one parent is very good friends with the teacher and took the lead in organising a class teacher present. She asked the teacher what she wanted if she got a tenner off each parent (so £150). Teacher picked out a pair of designer shoes. And the friend asked all the parents for a tenner. A couple of parents have complained and the designer shoe plan had to be put to a stop.

I'm torn about how I feel about this. On the one hand I'd usually spend a tenner on my DC's teacher and I always welcome the opportunity for someone else to sort shit like this and why shouldn't the teacher get what she actually wants rather than 10 "best teacher mugs".

On the other hand I can see why it's kinda cheeky.

I teach secondary so rarely get presents from parents but I wouldn't mind a pair of designer shoes if this is the present standard now

[Oreservoir]

A gift from a pupil should be just that imo.
If parents are collecting and buying the gift then the pupils are not really involved are they?
My dn gets lots of gifts of varying degrees and treasures them all as chosen by the dc.
The point of the gift is to show individual appreciation. Not every parent and child will have the same experience.
There's a couple of teachers my dc had that wouldn't have got the time of day let alone a gift!

[MistletoeandGin]

@Oreservoir

A gift from a pupil should be just that imo.
If parents are collecting and buying the gift then the pupils are not really involved are they?
My dn gets lots of gifts of varying degrees and treasures them all as chosen by the dc.
The point of the gift is to show individual appreciation. Not every parent and child will have the same experience.
There's a couple of teachers my dc had that wouldn't have got the time of day let alone a gift!

The gift to the teachers is a gift from me, not my DC. It’s a token of my appreciation for everything they do for my children.
Mine are young and make them a card and bauble, but the gift I bought was from me (and DH).

[Supermansleftnipple]

I really don't see what the issue is at all. She was given a budget, asked what she wanted and she told them. £150 is hardly designer shoes, it's a pair of boots in a decent shoe shop and if someone asked me what I wanted that's exactly what I'd say, it makes much more sense to me than getting her vouchers for somewhere she doesn't want anything. I bet the mum is a typical PTA mum and would have been organising it either way, as you'd have to be that type to take on organisation of something like that and I'm really not sure why everyone is blaming the teacher for the amount, if anything it's the friend's fault unless they cooked up the scheme together which seems unlikely given that the OP has said that £10 is the norm.

[Nohomemadecandles]

@Supermansleftnipple so you think it's fine but had a dig at the PTA anyway. Nice. Merry Christmas

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

I’d have given cash TBH
We had a row in the Xmas WhatsApp when I said cash is far better than vouchers

[Supermansleftnipple]

@Nohomemadecandles not a dig at all. Reading through the comments people seem to think the friend has done it to get the teacher some free shoes. I merely meant that you have to be a certain type of (extremely organised) person to take on organising a collection for a full class so it's likely they would have done it regardless of who the teacher is. Any disparagement of the PTA was added entirely by your reading. Merry Christmas to you too

[Lucyccfc68]

Think yourselves lucky you don’t live in the Middle East. The class parent ‘organiser’ did a collection for a teacher I know and presented her with a Louis Vitton handbag.

She was incredibly embarrassed, but expensive, showy presents seem to be the thing over there. She received an iPad Air from one parent a few years ago.

This is despite the school requesting no presents.

[Liverbird77]

@MistletoeandGin I would have loved a homemade bauble. That's lovely and thoughtful.

[surreygirl1987]

I'm a teacher in an independent school and have been given a collective gift voucher for £100+ from my form group in multiple previous years. It's lovely and makes a real difference to me as I never get myself anything 'luxury' otherwise. However, I think the issue was that it was the teacher's friend organising it and that the teacher was, it seems, party to it. I've always been pleasantly surprised and had nothing to do with it - a parent has always organised a collection without my knowledge. But I never 'expect' a present. I'm also touched by the pupils who bake me Christmas cookies or write me a card. I don't think the fact that she wanted to buy shoes with the money is the issue but they it seems like she backed the collection and came across as having planned what to get before the collection had even taken place... That sounds like expectation rather than a genuine gift.

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

What’s mean is people
Give money anyway
So who cares ? Do people
Want to donate but ONLY for something they approve of

[GQKP]

Ha, this made the Manchester news 😄