Are you buying teachers and TAs christmas presents?

[Merryoldgoat]

I like to usually donate to the collection but there isn't one this year.

So as a Teacher/TA would you like a gift or is it just tat/another fucking candle you could do without? The reality is how can I possibly know what they'd like? I suppose I could just do a bottle of Prosecco?

YABU - guy a gift
YANBU - no gifts required

TA here. Although I really appreciate every present, the cards with a personal message are the best. I keep every one! I have them all in a folder in my cupboard at school and look through them when it's feeling difficult. Even better if you email the head to say nice things too!

@Ilovetocrochet

I’m a pretty good baker so this is a great idea! Thank you.

I personally don’t think the head should be asking parents not to buy gifts.

I actually think the opposite. It’s really important for the head to say to parents not to buy gifts.

I admire heads who show leadership in stating clear expectations that reflect the situation so many parents find themselves in. To drift on as ‘business as normal’ is wrong. If you want to do something, write a nice card, or buy extra raffle tickets at the Christmas fair or support the next fundraising event that will raise money to benefit all classrooms and therefore sll teachers.

There's a whole school collection at our current private school - so far over £9000!!
But in primary school my children and I would make fudge or peppermint creams dipped in chocolate and bagged those up for the teachers. A bottle of something for the head. One year I had a bumper crop of apples so they all got homemade Christmas chutney.
Im sure teachers do NOT want another mug or box of smellies!

There have been many threads on here which say many staff will bin any homemade cakes, sweets etc.

We choose some books for the class with a merry Christmas message in the front. Maybe not personal but the kids choose them and it's not going to be wasted

Banned in our school, thank god.

My DC school has asked for no presents, make a card or if you really want to make a donation to a particular local charity. I always make cards with the kids anyway and honestly I’m relieved because otherwise it would have been 7 staff to buy for!

Lol. It doesn't help with the cost of living for the family buying it though.

Unnecessary.

Teacher here - as others have said, card, thank you note, email to head is plenty. However if you want to get something, consumables or vouchers are best. Candles are very marmite - Our class collection wanted to spend £30 on a Jo Malone candle I would rather the teacher choose the smell if she wants one!

Stationery would go down well with most teachers - lots of us have an obsession with the stuff and you can do a nice bundle of cute bits for not much from places like The Works etc.

I'm getting ours a tiny present each, just a token mini candle and some chocolates. Dd wanted to so I let her choose, I think it's good for her to want to give in some ways so am happy to encourage it a bit. They also do a Christmas foodbank collection at school, which I think is good.

In the past I used to give Starbucks certificates. Even if you don’t drink coffee they have so many other things to drink and eat. This year I have so many TA’s, teachers and therapists to give to that Starbucks certificate’s would put me over my budget. My severely autistic son made scented wax melts with me and we are going to be gifting those. He can’t write or draw so this is as good as it gets

We had a parent who used to buy those coffee sachets, some biscuits, maybe a cake and made a hamper. So well received and lasted a while. Could be shared by us all

My MIL is a retired (secondary) teacher and said that the gifts she appreciated most were nice teabags//coffee and a tin of biscuits that could be shared in the staff room. Because the school stuff was always horrid and Jan/Feb is just a blah time of year.

Any local cafes / pubs close to the school you could buy a voucher for. A lunch out and support a small local business too.

I’m a TA and have appreciated any gift I have received.

@Willowswood Yes, you're right of course. I just mean if they insist on giving something.

A £10 voucher is infinitely better than an unwanted gift. Every year teachers tell us that they don’t want gifts, yet we still insist on buying them.

I don’t think we should be buying teachers gifts. A card as a thank you and if you must spend money, a donation to the food bank or similar in place of a gift. Whilst you may be able to afford to buy a gift other parents may not and might feel huge present to keep up and also buy a gift with money that they just don’t have.
Not only that, I imagine a lot of gifts are wasted.

Costa etc do vouchers that are just enough for a cup of coffee and a bun - I buy those so they can treat themselves over the holidays, and they're not expensive (somehow it looks wrong to give a voucher for £5, but when it's a specific "treat yourself to this" voucher it looks fine, even if it's less than £5).

But I know teachers don't expect anything - I've family and friends who are teachers and they hate to see families who are struggling bringing in gifts for them. They also really really do not need any more "best teacher" stuff, though they'd never say that out loud.

We do a collection amongst the parents £10 each means the teacher and TA get quite a large voucher or cash each.

As a teacher I would never expect a gift. We are always overjoyed and very honoured by them, but there is no expectation.
Families are struggling, teachers want to see children fed and warm and happy,
As someone else said, a card telling them something nice they have done for your child, or that email to their boss saying that they are doing a great job.

If you insist on buying something, again as someone else said, the wee boxes of malteasers go down a treat!!
Please don't stress about it.

£10 each is a huge amount of money for some families. Remember some will have multiple children so this could really add up. And with a group collection there’s nowhere to hide. People will end up going without food in order to contribute to some of these collections.

I much prefer a collection and surely it is too early to say there isn't one? It just hasn't started yet because this is November.

We used to do a Prosecco for teacher and ta, Youngest has 3 class teachers doing a job share +ta. Seems excessive, not sure what to do really!