To not want to contribute to this madness? Christmas teacher gifting experiences

[lostintherhythagain]

DD is only 4! And not yet reception age

Her little nursery has about 15 in total who are her age.

Parents in the WhatsApp group have been discussing some people not paying up for experience day for teachers AND the staff take away

They want £15 each per family from us so the teacher and support staff can have a spa day. And then money for a take away (they’ll just give them cash in a card) for the end of Christmas school time, before they break up, to have a take away delivered as the staff don’t go home same time as the children obviously

AIBU not to contribute? I never said I’d do it. Not sure if there’s anyone else not contributing

One parent has got the teacher and her child’s TA a personalised bauble. With her DC’s face in it?!?! Utter madness

I have gifted a box of chocolates and didn’t plan to spend anymore.

I've always just done my own thing.
I can't stand collections. I simply say , sorry I've already sorted something

Some people would run a mile from spa days anyway. Me included.

Fuck that OP.
Tub of Roses.
Job done.

The bauble is very strange. A great gift for grandparents, but not a member of staff. I love the children I work with, but to have one of their faces hanging on my Christmas tree seems both odd and inappropriate. Chocolate or similar is a great gift. Personally, I would not be up for a group spa day either.

Teacher here. No to all of this. I would NOT want an experience day with colleagues and the personalised bauble is creepy. Chocolates I would most certainly appreciate.

Also to throw in if it’s something above £30 then the HT would need to approve it. Not looking forward to this in the future 🥴 for DD nursery we hand in a tray of doughnuts for the staff room and do a hamper for her room staff that they split amongst themselves 💖

Just stay out of it. There’s no obligation to get involved. The spa day is a great idea if you know someone well enough but I doubt that’s the case here. Also, I personally love a spa day but I wouldn’t dream of going on one with a colleague. I dont need someone I work with on a daily basis to see that much of my body. The bauble is a whole other level of madness. Who the hell wants someone else’s child on their Christmas tree. Would you hang photos of your clients or customers on your tree?!? Sone people are ridiculous

I hate all this nonsense. I refused to participate as the "class gift" was not being sent from all the children, but only those whose parents contributed. I can see the sense if everyone was equal and some chose not to take part, but some parents simply couldn't afford to which meant their child's name was going to stand out as not having contributed.

I've seen so many variations. There was the year that we couldn't do a summer class gift as we would breach the £50 per child limit that the school imposed, due to what parents had given at Christmas. That one was a private school and I had probably put in £10 or £20 at Christmas, but £50 seems crazy.

In our state primary it, was generally a class present, put in what you want, if you want to. Which was fine, but then the organiser didn't just get a useful voucher and something like flowers, they picked random crap like lipstick. Surely that's too personal a choice to make for someone.

Surely on the last day before Christmas they'll just want to go home, not sit at work eating a takeaway. Defo stick with your chocolates.

I put a number of baubles on my tree every year which were given to me by past pupils, luckily none have faces on them!! Every year I remember the names of the children who gave them to me, one bauble - a teddy is 30 years old, the child who gave it to me was in Y2 and I do wonder what is up to now.

No teacher wants a takeaway on the last day of term after school. They will want to be off home with the family! (Or by themselves in a dark room)

This is insane. I wouldn’t get involved either.
We have made the teacher some Christmas tree ornaments and my child has decorated a box and made the label. I think giving £15+ is excessive and especially if you didn’t agree in the first place!

I'm a teacher and think that's a terrible idea. I'd hate parents to be guilt tripped into spending so much money and I would hate a spa day.

A Christmas card with a nice message would be welcome and more than enough.

If children want to buy an actual present then spend a couple of quid on a cheap box of Celebrations that I can discreetly pop into the food bank collection next time I go to the supermarket.

Blimey!

Im confused about the takeaway thing- you say giving tnem cash in a card but then also talk about it being delivered… something about the staff going home after tje children, so you mean the takeaway will be delivered to the school after the ch have gone home? Or they’re getting cash? If they get cash, do they know they’re supposed to spend it on a takeaway?

The spa day. Is it a voucher for tnem to go whenever tney want? Presuming it is as you can’t actually book them in on a particular day and assume they’re available. So if it’s a voucher they don’t need to necessarily go with their TA if they don’t want to.
Im a teacher and not gonna lie, if I was gifted a spa day i would be BUZZING but I would obviously never, ever expect that.

The bauble. No. No no no. Fucking weird. Yeeeears ago I was given a photo keyring with one of my pupils. I thought it was insane that that parent thought I’d put that on my keys. A bauble is even weirder. Do they really think the teacher is going to put that on their tree? Insane.

OP I think you’re right to just tell them you’ve already sorted your gift. Us teachers bloody love a box of chocolates, we really do. It’s madness that these mums are expecting everyone to hand over £15. Don’t do it, stick to your guns!

Just the thought of hanging a tacky bauble on your tree every year for life of some random child you taught briefly years ago … the main character syndrome of some parents 😂

Mad!! The worlds gone absolutely mad!!

they are all bonkers @lostintherhythagain and you are well out of it.

wait til the school mum cliques start. Jesus Christ that’s a ride

The only time ive ever given a gift was when the teacher brought in all her own books from home so the kids could take a book home to read.
My daughter loved that as the library was very small and for younger kids. I gave the teacher a book token, said a heartfelt thank you then she cried! I hugged her. Im not a hugger but I meant it. My daughter donated half her pocket money for the voucher. She was an amazing teacher.

There’s no ‘laws’…. Although it needs to be declared if a massive amount

Another teacher here who totally would love a card with something written in it (something nice!) rather than a voucher or money. Or a bauble with a child’s face on it.

People really think their child is the centre of the universe.

I agree with you. It sort of shuts it down in a polite way so that you don’t run the risk of someone approaching you face to face or tagging you on WhatsApp etc. No need to say anything else. They’ll all hate the teachers within a year or two so she won’t have to worry soon 😂 (I’m a teacher)

Personalised bauble 🤣🤣🙈🙈 omg cringe

I'm a teacher and have received handmade christmas tree dec's which I put on my tree every year. They make me smile and the thought that the child made them is lovely.
A personalised bauble with a child's face on, nope that's very odd!!!

Agree with the other teachers - when I taught that age, Anything consumable/edible was appreciated, because it would get used eventually...

And I loved getting homemade/drawn cards, because I could display them in the classroom, and the kids always looked so proud at having something they made up in front of the class.