Teachers presents - class gift

[angsanana]

I'm organising the year 5 Xmas present for staff this year. 2 teachers, 1 LSA, 1, one-to-one. When I've done this in the past the pot is usually 250-400 (our school tend not to ask a set amount there is a real mix of affluence). I've reminded a couple of times and Im at £115 between around 10 families.

WIBU to buy the gifts and put "love from Tom, bob, Kirsty etc" rather than "love from year 5"? In the past I've put as a class gift but the majority have contributed.

What's the consensus here?

Then parents should reply to the poor sod trying to organise the class collection that they don’t want to contribute. The organiser will know not to proceed with it and people can do their own thing.
It’s not difficult.

It has.been dealt with years ago. I taught in Scotland and we are not allowed to accept expensive things. If a pupil tries to give one it has to be noted even though it was not accepted. I can hardly believe what the English system allows.

So ignore the parents wishes and give in their name anyway?

No way.

'the poor sod' lol.

The person who took it upon themselves to shake virtual strangers down for money... poor sod indeed.

Get of the Martyr high horse, you are not the victim.

I’m also not stupid enough to undertake a class collection. But I’m very grateful to the woman who does because it is much easier to put a fiver in instead of buying a gift card which would cost me a lot more.

What wishes?

No one has said to OP 'I am morally aghast at this concept, it violates my deeply held religeon... do not add Timmy to the card'. You have ENTIRELY made that shit up in your head.

Putting 'love from class 5' on a card is in no way violating beliefs.

I’m talking about the woman who does not contribute to our school collections.

Do keep up if you are going to reply to me personally.

The woman who even in your own posts never forbid anything or even remotely mentioned a moral objection she simply brushed you of with a COMMON phrasing for those who can't afford to contribute.

Also writing 'from class 5' does not violate anything, he child would not be singled out and named ffs that the whole point.

Teacher here...please don't stress it. We do really love cards made by the kids and a box of nice chocs or a bottle of wine is enough. And what ever you collect just split it equally between all the staff. We all work hard and so do our support staff.
I have truly never expected anything but donations of wine are always welcome 😁

The woman who even in your own posts never forbid anything or even remotely mentioned a moral objection she simply brushed you of with a COMMON phrasing for those who can't afford to contribute

Read again. She did.

We send home a label to each family so the parent/child can write their own message and sign. Then the labels get stuck onto a large card or piece of card.

The card is from everyone no matter whether they contributed to the present but of course if they don't want to be on the class card they can just opt out by not returning it.

DS is in Y6 and it's worked well every Christmas and end of year!

I'm of the opposite opinion. My fiver will go much further combined together with everyone else's contributions than me buying something the teacher might not even like.

I'm also fine with vouchers being bought. Far better for the money to be used helpfully than not.

I’d message the Year Group, say you didn’t think the collection through, perhaps you organised too early, perhaps not everyone wants to donate, perhaps some want do their own thing and you think it better now to return the money to those that did donate and everyone decide what to do themselves.

Or else just give what you have collected from the entire class.

I think this is what I will suggest next time - how lovely!

I think people have got collection fatigue...pre COVID in my work place if someone left you would sign a card and put some money now it's a collection for big birthdays, bereavements, leaving does, Christmas - and the amount is sometimes actually specified. So I think people are just getting a bit hacked off with more collections...

Again when parents opt out and do not wish to be included, you cannot write their child’s name on the gift.

I think there's a difference between writing all the children's names, and writing "from year 5" or "from your class" etc.
If one parent didn't want their child included, it might still be a pain in the arse to have to write out 29 names rather than just write "from year 5".

A teacher who helped my son with extra reading practice once needed to have her teaching observed for some qualification, and she asked if my son could be one of the students that was observed. It was a bit of a faff, because I had to drive him to another school to do it, but I was happy to help and she was very grateful that we were there. Anyway, afterwards she gave me a small gift as a thank you (as well as saying thank you obviously). The gift was an oil burner thing with "world's best teacher" written on it. I am not a teacher! It was clearly something she'd received as a Christmas/end of year gift and did not really care for. I later donated it to our school's Christmas store (families donate items, kids buy them as hifts for family members for v. small amounts, the proceeds go towards school activities), and now I'm wondering if that thing is going round and round in perpetuity...

A teacher who helped my son with extra reading practice once needed to have her teaching observed for some qualification, and she asked if my son could be one of the students that was observed. It was a bit of a faff, because I had to drive him to another school to do it, but I was happy to help and she was very grateful that we were there. Anyway, afterwards she gave me a small gift as a thank you (as well as saying thank you obviously). The gift was an oil burner thing with "world's best teacher" written on it. I am not a teacher! It was clearly something she'd received as a Christmas/end of year gift and did not really care for. I later donated it to our school's Christmas store, and now I'm wondering if that thing is going round and round in perpetuity...

Pain in the arse maybe, but clearly some people would be petty enough to do it!!!

Do it from the class. You're overthinking it.

Why is this such an overwrought process.

I appreciate the collection being done for DC’s classes as it’s much easier to put in a tenner than to go and buy something myself.

Would not at all be bothered if the card is signed ‘from Year x’ rather than just from
those who contributed.

Oh my goodness please people stop giving £5 and £10 to teacher collections. It's too much. You don't have to. I don't expect it, no teacher does.
I spend that on my nieces and nephews it's not necessary for someone just doing their job.

This is how it’s always been in our class collections. I think it’s the correct way to do it.

My DC made a Christmas card for his teacher a couple of years ago. He came out of school very upset that he saw it in the bin. He took it out and gave ut back to her saying it had fallen in by mistake. When he walked past the bin again, the card was there again. I have to admit I begrudgingly gave the fiver to her summer collection. If I had decided not to contribute, I would not have wanted his name on the class card. I realise that is passive aggressive but it is how I felt.