Do teachers throw away home made gifts??

[Mammyofonlyone]

My daughter and I have started making gifts for her Reception. teacher and teaching assistants ready to go in a hamper to say thank you. We have always made them gifts since she started nursery aged two. However, I have read a few threads saying that teachers throw things away that are homemade??? Is this true???? I feel a bit sad if it is!
We have spent a long time growing and cooking things in some cases! Most importantly, should I keep the sloe gin to myself if it isn’t appreciated??

Firstly, a hamper is overkill
Secondly, it's really self absorbed to expect or care if your kids teachers cherish your gift for prosperity! Surely the aim is just to make them briefly smile and feel appreciated, what is it to you what they do with it next?

Why are you giving teachers Christmas presents? Genuine ask. Haven't you got enough to do and spend at this time of year to be bothering with that?

I can't keep up with or afford to buy or make presents for teachers alongside everything else. It's just yet more pressure and expense. Is this the done thing now?

What's wrong with a card containing a message of heartfelt thanks? Why does it have to be a bloody hamper?

So are they getting a hamper of home made gifts each? I think that might be a bit much.... Imagine of each teacher had to tale home 30 hampers of stuff

I would do 1 gift person and assume that food and drink if more likely to be used than a papermache model of your child kept for posterity

Anything edible likely to have been handled by a child straight to the bin.

Sloe gin acceptable as alcohol will kill off everything.

Just the gin in a bag will do nicely.

Nb a card expressing thanks and identifying one or two occasions where teacher has been exemplary for their evidence portfolio would almost be better.

"Tokens of appreciation" should be just that: tokens! Don't go over the top it isn't pleasant to receive OTT gifts it's just awkward and wasteful.

I agree. I don't buy end of term gifts either (I have three children and plenty of more important things to spend money on) but what I do do, is make or buy a tasteful card and pop in a brief note of genuine appreciation.

Hugely depends what it is- I have been teaching for 13 years and couldn't possibly have kept absolutely everything but I have kept some things like bookmarks and tree decorations that get used. I also have (maybe twice) thrown out home baked stuff before but only when I had serious misgivings about cleanliness standards about where it was made!Usually I eat it all!

One class made me a lovely set of messages before I went on maternity leave. (I’m secondary) I’ve kept those.

My friend is a teacher and tbh most of the stuff she gets goes in the bin or to the charity shop. She's always said a card is more than enough.

That’s fairly conclusive then, don’t think we’ll bother making the rest of the things I had in mind. It makes me feel a bit sad at such vitriol but never mind.

They would all be getting a proper note of thanks from myself and my husband in their Christmas cards to thank them for everything they’ve done so far this year anyway, so looks like I should just leave it at that and save the rest of the home made bits for our family!

We are lucky enough to get some lovely presents in our school, I'm a TA and still get some nice gifts. No vitriol from myself or any of my colleagues! I'm always very grateful and absolutely do not expect anything. To answer your question OP, I would not throw out homemade gifts, unless it was something that I really couldn't use or pass on.

It isn't vitriol. The teacher won't necessarily know that you are Mrs Level 3 Catering and so won't risk a lovely bout of food poisoning over their break. Pragmatic not vitriolic to convey this info to you.

I think if you’re having fun making the stuff with your LO then do it, but I don’t think the teacher will keep 30 little hand make baskets from all the kids :(

I think it depends what you were thinking of. Personally I've been given homemade cakes etc by parents and been very touched. Regardless of what you decide to do I think your child's teacher would be very touched that you had been planning to put so much effort in. Like others have said a letter of thanks is truly the most lovely gift you can give. I've kept them all as they really make it worthwhile especially with how the job is these days 😢

It isn't about vitriol. Its about imagining eat you are giving, multiplying it by class size, then doubling for end of year and then multiplying by X number of years. Now imagine if that starting unit was a hamper of even half a dozen things.
The thought is nice but it isn't practical to keep ( 6 x 30 ) x 2 = 360 items each year of teaching practice

Some harsh replies here. I don't know why people always talk about gifts for teachers being a new idea, they were commonplace when I was at primary school in the 1980s. My parents were a teacher and headteacher, neither expected gifts and everything was hugely appreciated from a card upwards. Consumption of home made gifts really depended on the child who made them, harsh as it sounds.

Vitriol?!!

Its life OP.

Without being rude teachers have meaningful others in their lives as much as i am sure they cherish the children they teach they have others far more important in their lives .

Thanks Posie, that’s nice to hear. I was actually really shocked to hear the tone in some of the responses, rather than passing judgment on teachers if they did decide to throw gifts away.
My child’s teacher really goes the extra (millions of) miles so I wanted to show her that we were willing to put effort into her thank you gift this Christmas. Obvious this position isn’t for everyone though.

Sorry if I sound vitriolic. It's just...it all adds to the pressure of Christmas you know? So now we have to give presents to teachers as well as everyone else on the gift list? Where does it end?

@Donkey i agree patients make me gifts and i dont eat them ever.

I love a card - i keep each and every card.

Yep most handmade food the thought was v much appreciated but it wasn't eaten. Packaged stuff was better.

I cherished cards though :)

No OP you are not the only one who wants to express thanks FFS
It's just that the rest of us think it's more effective to write a nice note about exactly why we are thankful, maybe adding a small token because teachers homes aren't shrines to your PFB.

Giving a hamper of your home makes to your child's teacher inverts the dynamics of the gift giving, as in it makes it more about you than the teacher and their efforts.

I think people were a little harsh. If you want to give a present because you genuinely think that they have been a really good teacher to your child then so be it. I’m a teacher and a mum and would rather that than the big £££ vouchers and presents. However, I wouldn’t eat something home made. but saying that you can place a little too much value to your own children’s offerings! I remember handing over a bag of homemade peppermint creams to the reception teacher and at that exact point thinking what the _ am I doing!?

Christmas is stressful and i dont have the time energy or money to gift to teachers.

Each and everyone of my DC teachers has been amazing - and they know the extent of my gratitude, just not through gifts.

I tell them , i thank them , i do whatever i can to support them all year through and email the head a couple of times a year with my words of appreciation.

Our teachers really appreciate that.