To not understand end of year gifts for teachers?

[Threecactusplants]

That time is upon us.
My DS’s class WhatsApp ‘admin’ has asked if people want to contribute towards a voucher for the teacher - suggested donation £10 each.
AIBU but the teachers are being paid for this job, they’re not doing it voluntarily.
Okay I understand if the child is leaving/in last year or the teacher is leaving.

To be honest, I haven’t been hugely impressed this year, DS’s teacher has been quite slack and we have had very little communication. He’s been happy going to school which is the main thing but I probably would have got a small card or asked him to make one. It’s only a small class of 21 so if I don’t contribute it’ll be obvious.

It’s about being supportive to those that are part of our community, and not just treating people in impersonal transactional ways. Acknowledging people with gifts is good for their mental health, good for our own mental health, and is the sign of a generous heart centred community.

Yes teachers are being paid for the job, to plan the curriculum and teach it to a class of kids according to their Head's expectations.

But they are people and they spend all day looking after your child, getting to know them, and being a massive part of their lives.

They do far more than they're paid for because it's for individual kids, not some faceless company data, and actually have a hand in bringing kids up and turning them out into the people they become.

It's just to say thank you.

My son is ND with some health stuff. I've seen how other parents of ND children have struggled with their schools. I'd give my son's wonderful, lovely teachers a kidney if they asked let alone the pen and gift card we actually gifted.

Have the courage of your convictions and don’t contribute, if you don’t think they deserve anything.

It’s entirely voluntary. I opted out once when funds were tight and I didn’t think much of the teacher. Other times I did contribute or purchased something. It’s no big deal.

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Thank you.

I’d much prefer a handwritten letter from a few pupils than a pricey gift from the whole class that I won’t remember the purpose of in a few years. It’s the sentimental things that get kept forever.

😁

Iv got my LOs nursery key worker some fluffy socks, hot choc and a face mask, pack of cupcakes to go in the staff room for the rest of girls. Didn't feel like i have to but i wanted to. Nice gesture to show i appreciate them. They all work hard and my daughter adores them which has always reassured me.

If you dont feel the teacher has been great than you dont need to contribute..its optional

As a side note about the "they are being paid" comment..i have a number of friends who are teachers..they are extremely underpaid for what they do and the majority of their resources for class usually comes from their own pockets

My dad was also a teacher. They're only paid for the hours they work but it's spread out over the entire year, so it's a paltry amount. I usually bought coffee, tea and biscuits for the staff room. A couple of years ago, when my youngest was in year 8, he insisted on buying his keyworker a Nike jacket with his own pocket money.

Campaiging for proper pay for all the hours worked in schools would be far more meaningful than crap people don't really want. They end up with loads of the same stuff.
It is essentially free childcare. Look at all the moaning when schools close for snow etc.

I think teachers appreciate a small gift and a nice card.
I don't like it when they do a What'sapp group and do a joint present.
Sometimes I found that teachers/ TA / nursery staff often go the extra mile to help you and your child and it's nice to show your appreciation, chocolate/ gloves/ wine .

Decent pay would be much better.
Same with the dr's strike now. Yes pay but mostly conditions and retention so they don't bog off to other countries and we rib other countries' staff in return.
Meaningless 'clap for the NHS in covid' did absolutely nothing and was quickly forgotten.

Speaking as an ex teacher - it was nice when my efforts were acknowledged. I appreciate that a lot of it is about parents teaching children gratitude and good manners, thanking the people that helped them.

However, a simple card or drawing etc would have been more than enough.

I'm absolutely fine with it.

We do quite a high amount here - £50, which covers Christmas gifts and end of school year gifts. We give our teachers (jobs sharers) and teaching assistant bottle of champagne, flowers, fancy chocs and a voucher of between £100-£200. Headmistress and Deputy get champagne or flowers or chocs. Office staff get fancy biscuits or chocs and the lolly pop man gets his favourite chocs.

We've also had parents do additional gifts during the school year as a class gift e.g. champagne and cake for the teachers birthday

It's a lot but, for lots of the parents, if our kids weren't going to this amazing primary, we'd be at private school paying a fortune. So chucking in £50 every year seems entirely reasonable.

We do small teacher gifts, DD is very young and I get her to choose the gifts, pay for them (my money), wrap them, write the cards etc. I use it like a life skill opportunity, about thinking of others as well as what is involved in buying gifts for someone and saying thank you.

I only spend a comfortable amount for me, I wouldn’t do it if I was broke.

My DD loves Christmas and is a privileged only child with generous relatives. As part of not wanting to raise a brat I like her to have to think about other people a bit too.

I'm a teacher and in my primary there's no class what's app groups - I don't really understand why some schools have these? We don't expect presents either! However do those saying teachers already get paid - I could add up the amount I've spent from my own money on my class just over the last week to probably £20 and most weeks theres something to buy! I wonder how many jobs people buy things for their workplace out of their own money and then have people not appreciating their work!

But the class WhatsApp groups, where they exist, are nothing to do with the school — they’re started by a bunch of parents exchanging phone numbers and gradually adding everyone who wants to. No school affiliation, no official status. DS attended three primaries in two countries, and there was a WhatsApp for each of the classes he was in.

What's not to understand? People want to indicate their appreciation, everyone who wants to gets to give a tenner and therefore have to expend no thought or energy, and the teacher gets a decent voucher instead of 20 pieces of Mumsnet tat. Surely it's a win win.

I understand that before there were easy (on-line) ways to have a collection, it would not be unusual for teachers to receive multiple versions of very similar gifts every year (mugs, candles, chocolate, wine) and if there are 30 kids in a class certainly more than they actually needed or wanted. I think a collection is a nice idea, but ours is anonymous. The families of the kids in DCs class span a wide range of incomes; so there's no suggested amount, and people just give what they are comfortable with, I guess some people don't give anything, and that's ok. There's a separate on-line card and you don't have to have donated to the collection to sign it. It's about making the teachers feel appreciated with a gesture from the class, not about individual parents being seen to be giving.

I'm 51 and when I was at school, there were never Christmas or end of year presents for teachers either at primary or secondary. The only time presents were given were if a teacher was leaving and very often it was the kids themselves organising it.

Mind you, there weren't teaching assistants then, either.

It’s funny, I only go out to dinner once or twice a year but it drives me nuts tipping as I work in retail and I don’t get why I’m tipping someone who probably earns more than me but I would never even think that a teacher shouldn’t get a gift!! Although like you there’s been one or two teachers I wasn’t going the extra mile for!

No you don’t have to contribute.

But next time you want them to go above and beyond their paid work, eg spending their lunch time looking for your child’s lost property, just remember you didn’t go above and beyond for them either 🤷🏼‍♀️

So if someone is poor the teacher shouldn’t go above and beyond - is it a paid for deal?
and what about secondary school teachers who rarely get stuff at Christmas. Should they stop going above and beyond because they don’t get the stuff primary school teachers do.

Yes completely concur with you
PreetyInPurple
It's unfair of them to only go above & beyond if they receive gifts - Also oftentimes I've found, numerous of them don't even have the common courtesy to say a mere "Thanks" when you do gift them - Some of them have a superiority complex 💚