Teachers don’t want Thank You Teacher gifts

[Graveltone]

Even though schools have 5-8 weeks of term left, the shops have various TYT gifts such as mugs, coasters, keyrings etc. Teachers do not want this crap! Charity shops near me have numerous TYT mugs and crap on sale!

My friend is a teacher and parents have been told not to give gifts. Teachers don’t want 30 mugs, boxes of chocolate, alcohol (that is embarrassing if teacher doesn’t drink for various reasons) etc. Nor want flowers - don’t have enough vases at home to house 30 bunches of flowers.

Friend’s school accepts cards and hm gifts.

Think before you spend your money on your DC’s teachers.

I take your point, but no teacher is going to get 30 bunches of flowers or 30 mugs or 30 boxes of chocolates - people bring different things! My teacher friend used to share the chocolates with friends!

I tended to do something a bit different. Last year I got DD's teacher a cold cup - she seemed genuinely grateful.

How is alcohol embarrassing??
I got a bottle of prosecco at Christmas. I don't drink. I said a genuine thank you and gave it to my mum 🤷 no big deal.
Contrary to your OP I do need multiple boxes of chocolate thank you very much. We stash them in the classroom and bring them out every so often for a pick me up.
It's very odd that you're choosing to be your "friends" mouthpiece. Neither of you sound pleasant.

My sister is a teacher and I always look forward to her end of year hauls! She always gets nice stuff too. Gift cards, nice wine and choc, bath bombs etc. She got a really nice MK perfume once!

I know gifts aren’t essential but I used to think it was nice to give a small token of appreciation at end of term and Christmas and nice for the kids to learn about showing appreciation.

I used to get things like nice candles, sweets, molton brown hand creams, etc as well as a card.

Meh. Surely every teacher is different. An old friend of mine is a teacher and always used to say she hated all the trinkets and would much rather have chocolate and wine etc but that won't be the case for all of them - non drinkers, those with dietary requirements etc.

I've seen a few teachers use what were obviously gifts given to them in their classrooms - cushions, prints etc.

I am going to get books for the school this year with a thank you card.

We are only at nursery, but the teachers have always been so grateful when I’ve given them a gift. We gave them each a small Easter egg last term and hand made cards and they were over the moon.
You don’t have to give anything monetary, but if a teacher doesn’t appreciate a thank you note for their time and effort then they shouldn’t be teaching.
What an ungrateful post!!

I send a box of fancy teas, coffees, hot chocolate and biscuits for the staff room. Means that every member of staff gets to benefit as there are several teachers/TAs/admins involved with DCs. It’s always appreciated and it would be too expensive to do worthwhile vouchers for each member of staff.

Not allowed to give to teachers in our local authority. So in the past I've arranged a class collection for a favourite charity (teacher's favourite charity) and then a personalised card with comments from the class.

Normally manage £100 donation from a class of 30ish.

That always goes down really well.

I worked with two primary teachers. Both were horribly competitive and gifts were displayed by the classroom door so the other teacher could see the annual haul. Deeply sad and hilarious at the same time.

Teacher here! Certainly don’t expect any gifts, but always grateful for anything given, especially those made or chosen by the children themselves. Even ‘cheap’ wine 🤣

I don't think you can speak for all teachers. My mum's a teacher. Well ok, she's not in the UK, but another EU country and also have a tradition to bring teachers gifts, but at the start AND the end of the year (not compulsory, obv).

She likes and and is grateful. Chocolate is always well received (doesn't matter 'cheap' or 'posh', all of it is appreciated and eaten), flowers. Alcohol gifts are not a thing there, but she'd be perfectly happy with wine too.

Beginning of the year is flowers/chocolate, end of year - usually vouchers. Mum loves it and she said her colleagues love it and appreciate it too.

I’m a teacher. I do appreciate (but don’t expect) any gifts I might be given. However, like anything everyone has their own personal likes so I would prefer flowers, alcohol or a gift card for a coffee at costa over a mug, trinket etc as I’ve nowhere to put them all. Another teacher might think differently.

If you felt a teacher had gone above for your child or had done a great job with the class, then a thank you note would definitely be appreciated and if you wanted to get a small token present of thanks, then regardless of what it is, teachers will be grateful / touched that you thought of them.

At my child’s school parents who want to, give money to one parent and then they buy a John Lewis voucher from everyone. It’s optional to contribute and the teacher has no way of knowing how much (or if) you contributed. Seems to work well!

A friend of mine is a teacher and at the start of every summer holiday she hosts a bbq party with all the alcohol she receives from her class. Please don’t stop the parents providing this!

At our school all parents contribute towards a large gift which is usually some flowers and a £250+ voucher for somewhere. We never get told not to do presents so perhaps the teachers don’t mind and when they say they are very pleased, they are being genuine.

I’m surprised anyone still does individual gifts… we’ve always done a whole class collection to one bank account, and the class rep has then been able to give a very generous John Lewis gift voucher and a bunch of flowers. Also afforded smaller vouchers for the assistants.
Cards were signed online by whole class with personal messages.
Everyone happy!

My son is doing GCSE's now and will be leaving soon. I'd like to get the teachers he's had for many years (and have been so wonderful) a gift. I was thinking of John Lewis vouchers. They can always buy something from Waitrose if JL isn't their thing. Although I'm now thinking Costa vouchers might be good too

I’m secondary so you don’t get whole class gifts, which means the ones you do get from students really do mean so much. It ranges from cards, to the occasional mug, alcohol, chocolates, candles… all mean a lot!

How fucking ungrateful.

My neighbour was a postie who didn’t drink and he’d often get given wine. He’d accept it gratefully and then regift it. He’d never complain. We know because he gave us a few bottles at Christmas.

If someone takes the time to purchase you a gift, even if you think it’s cheap, they’ve put the effort in to go and purchase a gift. Maybe the cheap wine is all they can afford? Your teacher friend needs to assess the fact that she’s lucky to get given gifts that someone has gone out and purchased with them in mind.

My MIL is an ex teacher so based on that experience we plan on getting some really high end chocolate - not Hotel Chocolat, the kind that's a bit niche real treat.
To go in a basket with posh teabags and coffee for all the staff in his class (ASN unit so high staff ratio)

Absolutely agree that most wine given is crap and tbh it's such a personal thing anyway (I don't drink it and everyone I know who does has strong preferences as to red/white or the country of origin etc...)

Secondary here so gifts are rare. Teachers do really value messages and letters. One of our gorgeous kids (her mum is a baker and a farmer) makes two huge( I mean massive) pavlovas every summer and every Christmas. Summer covered with berries from their farm, use their own eggs. I do get gifts of wine and crocs from agencies(well we used to) and after a bit I asked if they would get me a box of tea bags or a jar of coffee for the staff room.

This reminds me of an episode of
The Detectorists

😁

@SJ1991x

I would recommend not engaging with the OP. They're just being a goady fucker and enjoying winding every one up.

It isn't expected but it's very heartwarming to get anything. A quiet Year 7 girl very shyly gave me a bunch of tulips yesterday and whispered 'Because you're my favourite teacher.' So cute!

Classic presents over the years: a broom head 'for the horse' 🤣🐴 It's been a great doorstop for years. Anti-ageing cream. Hilarious! Lots of booze, various mugs, kilos of chocolate (I told everyone I'm allergic last year, still got some), Joules gloves.

One of my best presents was a lovely pen with a flower on from a child in my form. I spent a lot of time looking after him and talking to mum. The best thing for me is a personal message in a card, I keep those.

We give out blank thank you cards to our forms and ask them to write messages to any adult in school, be it the catering manager or the caretaker. It's nice to say thanks.

I hear you! It did seem odd to post on the behalf of ‘friends’. This topic just winds me up because we have had teachers saying it in the media before and it aggravates me because some people on very low incomes genuinely stress about this and if cheap wine is all they can afford then it’s not a cheap gift!

I shall disengage though..

I agree I don’t want birthday or Christmas presents anymore either. The world is full of crap gifts.

A poem. A hand written sincere note highlighting effective change I have made in a persons life. Much more meaningful.