To feel sorry for all the teachers who are about to be inundated with shite gifts

[Butterflyfluff]

My Facebook feed is full of utterly shit teacher gifts - mugs, glasses, baubles, sweet jars all with ‘Greatest Teacher’ on them.

Surely the vast majority of these end up in the bin - no one needs up to 30 odd of these every year?

What’s wrong with clubbing together for vouchers that would actually get used?

Im secondary so dont often get any gifts. Or thanks. But there has been a definite shift at my school this year. Ive had some really nice and thoughtful and very specifically me gifts from year 11. including a handcrafted by the teen picture for my office wall that was very subject specific.

I got the loveliest gift this week from one of my Y13s.

A card telling me how he loved my lessons so much he decided to do the full A Level in my subject instead of AS Level.

And another card from a GCSE student saying she had really enjoyed my lessons over the last two years and has decided to take my subject for A Level.

A card with a meaningful note is by far the nicest thing you can receive.

After that a bottle of wine is always good! 😆

I did feel a teacher friend was a bit mean about the gifts she got, especially as she works in an area of social deprivation where every fiver would be precious.

But she also got 10 Best Teacher mugs this year alone, so...

A class of 32 kids only raises £20? Is this a very poor area?

Teachers love a fake me to you bear wrapped in cellophane. Why do people wrap things in cellophane?

I volunteer in a charity shop, we are deluged with all this sort of thing just after the end of term. One teacher I spoke to last year purposefully drove across the city to us so her pupils had no chance of seeing the items. There is a chance that a "best teacher" mug can be re-sold for next year or Christmas. A mug or other tat which says "Mrs Smith, best teacher 2023-24 love from Olivia" not so much. Straight in the bin. We also see a lot of the glittery 30/40/50/60th birthday glasses, or photo frames, or other similar things.

Just don't. A card and a packet of nice biscuits. Or a bottle of Prosecco.

@Butterflyfluff I find it very strange that students get a teacher a gift in the first place ! Like why ? I know they teach you but they chose this job ? And I agree that all these gifts are pure clutter , who wants a mug from Poundland ? I’m sure she has 100 of them already ! Life is expensive enough to be having to think about buying a teacher a gift too as well as everyday expenses .

My Facebook feed full of them but no ones buying and I know dd school is doing a club together...last year they club together got a great hamper from Mark's and Spencer and a card all the children signed

Who hurt you, flavabobble?

😂

We put in a tenner each, so £250 to be split between teacher, TA, caretaker and secretary. Comfortable area though.

But she also got 10 Best Teacher mugs this year alone, so...

This is exactly my point - no one needs up to 30 odd mugs / glasses / jars.

it’s just a total waste of money that often isn’t going spare.

I'm glad class collections were not a thing when mine were at school. Box of maltesers and a card, job done.

I think a majority in vouchers but a few gifts (bottle of something, flowers) is nice too. I think hampers are a waste of money.

I'm going to get flowers for my DD's learning mentor, chocolates or biscuits for the LSAs and Office. Nice cards for them too and also for her form tutor and a couple of other teachers that have gone above and beyond.

We always got something personal for her class teacher in Primary depending on what they liked.

no, only over a certain value

We haven’t really bothered with teacher gifts over the years but this year, ds is sending cards to some of his teachers and we are going to get them token gifts. Nothing with best teacher on or anything. It’s not a usual thing for secondary school ( I don’t think) but the teachers in question went above and beyond leading up to GCSEs. We ( well probably me more than ds) want them to know this was appreciated.

I am hoping for Pritt Sticks and Whiteboard pens! And tissues!

This!

Having said that, I appreciate any card or present given.

Our staff love handmade cards and a nice email. They don't want gifts, but I suspect there would be tears of joy if someone gave them these.

Charity shops are full of ‘Best Teacher’ mugs!

The underlying assumption here is that teachers are both poor and venal. Of course, some are poor, but not all, and very few are money oriented.

I was a second career teacher and had a pretty lucrative first career. Many teachers are married to people with ‘big careers’ and a voucher for £200 will just be forgotten on a shelf until they need some new pots and pans (or whatever).

OTOH I have kept every handwritten card and personalised gift that I ever received. It gives me real joy that people actually appreciated the hard work I put in and it made a difference to them.

Everyone is different but most teachers I know would just like pupils to take the trouble to buy and write a card, although I am not saying gifts aren’t also welcome!

I bet you don't wish you got loads of shit gifts every year though.

I would cry happy tears if someone gave me paper or glue sticks - preferably now, so that the last two weeks of term are not a litany of ‘we can’t do that, because we have no glue or paper’.

Why do they need 'feeling sorry for'?

Bright smile and thank you to the child - and then put the gifts into a box for charity. People will always buy them.

But if you wrote in a card, or sent an e-mail to the head, I’d be equally bowled over.