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?

Our class reps always did a collection, no pressure and no minimum amount. They’d give us white stickers to decorate and for the child to sign their name/ add message if they wanted to, this would then go in a big card therefore the children were involved. Teachers /assistants would usually get vouchers.

Maybe parents could support a charity and top it up at key times eg end of term.
They could also give a nice personal gift and card alongside this too.

That way, everybody gains.

Who cares. If folk want to give tacky presents let them get on with it. Teachers should accept graciously.

I do! I have a shoe box where I have kept every single note or card sent to me by a pupil. It reminds me why I do this job.

Even the note from a Y8 saying he "still didn't like science, but I made the reproduction lessons really entertaining and he especially liked the practicals".

😖My first thoughts were WFT?!?! I certainly did not do reproduction practicals with 13 year olds!!!!! What he actually meant was the chemistry topic we did before that and made squeaky pops with hydrogen gas!

Do men worry about this?

Thought not.

I'm secondary. I'll take anything. But mainly pens. Please bring me black, ball point pens. Based on the packs I buy from amazon, I need about 250 to break even.

Why?

Why should anyone be forced to accept tacky shite graciously?

That's odd considering it's end of year gifts! Surely the time to bribe a teacher is at the beginning of the year? 🤣

All gifts are received with love because it's an expression of their gratitude and the cute notes and cards are actually the best as it gives you a real reflection of what they takeaway from your lessons and sometimes the gifts are a good laugh😂. Once a kid brought me kebabs from his dad's takeaway 😋they really were good! Another lil one gave me her mum's handbag 😂🙏... I offered to give it back but mum was insisting I kept it😂💜🙏

My ds has just left secondary school. He didn’t give the teachers anything before he left because he wants to wait until he’s 18 to take them wine. He’s doing them all a nice card to go with it. I thought he should probably have given them something before he left but he has his own ideas. I’m sure they will be happy to receive it.

Because one of the things we should all learn is good manners.

whats the gift giving like at private schools for teachers ?

Similar to state.

ah, i had presumed more wealthy parents the more £££ value for gifts, quite an assumption ill admit.

A card and a packet of nice biscuits.

Ah, happy days - you can get a pack of Lidl own-brand Nice biscuits for about 40p!

It would be far better for everyone if people didn’t buy such shite, just to make themselves feel better.

My DC primary school used to do whole class collections and get £200-300 of John Lewis vouchers for the teachers.
Occasionally we used to make home made biscuits or chocolates ...but since joining MN I've been educated that lots of people dislike (are put off) home made food (I hope DC teachers didn't bin any of it) usually with a card.

I frequently email teachers thanking them if my DC have done well at something, enjoy an experience at school or the teacher has gone above and beyond. It's a minefield what to send as a gift esp after reading multiple MN threads on what not to get. I work in an industry where positive feedback is very rare but people nitpick or complain about all sorts so I know its nice to get a thank you or positive message.

Well exactly! Just means paperwork for the head!

I love my gifts, I don't expect them and I have never had 30+ mugs. I do get too many candles but got those in secret Santas as well in my old job, it seems to be the thing. I am new to teaching (2 yrs) and never got much in my old job so it's still a novelty but I definitely don't expect one. My favourites this year were an orchid and a bottle of wine, but the label had photos of all the leavers on it and a message. It was wonderful and that bottle will not be going anywhere!

What's the alternative? Give it back to the child and say "no thanks, I don't want this tacky shit" " ?

What is shite for you isn't necessarily shite for others though.

Does this actually happen to you? Are you a teacher? Or just generally miserable moaning about something that has no affect on you at all?

You do not pay tax on a cash gift, but you may have to pay tax on any income that the cash gift generates. For example, if you place the cash gift in a bank or building society account, you may have to pay tax on the interest you earn on that account.

Bugger. I refused to listen when people told me to be a teacher.
I need a giant kestrel.

DS and his friends who are leaving secondary, went into town and got gifts and cards for their favourite teachers which I thought was really lovely. He got some kind of stationary for his English teacher that he knew she liked and needed. Not expensive but I am sure she will appreciate the thought.