On the subject of gifts for the teacher...

[PrimarySchoolTeacher]

So, twice every year we read the threads on here about whether we should or should not buy a gift for the teacher. It is their job, they get paid etc. etc.

As a primary school teacher I get some nice gifts, without doubt.

However, what I never see mentioned is anything about how much said primary school teacher has spent on their class. Just about every teacher I know gives each child in their class a gift at Christmas time and at the end of the school year. This is often around £1 per child, so an average spend of about £30 each time. Many of us also buy pencils, glue sticks etc when the school supply runs out, and many little 'extras' for activities we would like the children to do. Our choice of course - no one makes us.

I'm not at all trying to justify the gifts I get - I just wanted to raise awareness of the above fact.

I'm a primary teacher. Sometimes I get homemade cookies or cake from the kids at end of term which is lovely.

in reception my dds teacher gave them all a little envelope with raindeer feed she made from oats and glitter, so not much expence. this year the teacher has not given any gifts ever, i would not expect them to. I have no idea how much she spends for anything else, however they are not the only proffession who spares alot of thier own time and expences in the work place or on the people they work with I have in the whole of my career and never once recieved gifts for it and would not expect to recieve gifts either.

I dont quite understand the reason for your post in relation to gifts if it is not to justify the gifts you get .

Best gift I could possibly have had from any family in my class this year?

That a mum, who doesn't have an easy relationship with the school system, who has in the past not brought her children to school regularly, who has never ever come to one of our celebration assemblies even when her children are doing things, DID come last week to hear her eldest (who is in my class) read something special he had written.

Worth a mountain of scented candles, that.

I have crocheted "an apple for the teacher" :) and my daughter has made a card.

Oh come on, its not just teachers who buy bits and bobs for work. My sister manages an office and gets them coffees etc, organises gifts etc, smetimes from her own money. Its not just teachers.

Gifts from parents rely more on the parents I think than what the teach is like or has done. Many parents who give presents to teachers also tip binmen, post people etc too - good for you. Some people don't - no problems there either.

Lovely to revieve any thanks or token of thanks but any considering of comparing to what teahcer has bought themselves is daft.

Ima teacher and a parent! Dds nursery teacher has been amazing this yr not only with dd but withme (post natal depression!) we've made her a teacher survival kit but we have also brought her a £25 voucher! For the other 9 staff in nursery I will bake cookies and wrap them with a gift tag saying"I'm one smar cookie thanks to you" I slays stay away from the"best teacher" stuff as every year I have about 10 mugs etc!!!

In my school staff are not allowedto keep gifts, they go as rafle prizes. I don't like getting gifts from children. I prefer cards or notes. I always buy paper, pens, calculators, glue , glitter, books, poster, pencil sharpeners, rubbers, etc for my class room, and normally give children a gift of stationary at christmas, just something little, and something I know will be needed the next term.

This past summer I toured the 3 £1 shops in my town and bought each child something I thought they'd like, then individually wrapped each one. The children, and parents, loved it. Only one children objected, who I'd given a colouring set to. She said "I hate colouring!" Weird thing was, for every show and tell, all year, she'd been bringing in colouring books she'd done at home... shrug

Year before I filled pint-sized plastic glasses with sweets and a fun straw.

Year before that I made laminated bookmarks with a picture of each child and 5 words that described them (I made sure they were all positive words!). The parents loved those more than the kids.

I do notice which parents give, and which don't. This past year, the parent who I'd given the most time to, with a lot of extra work on my part, didn't even give me the most casual of thank yous. It did annoy me.

When my son was in nursery, each child received a book which was lovely and he was very happy. I am not sure whether his teacher purchased it from her own money, I assumed it was from the school. In reception my son was again given a book and his teacher had made the parents a calendar with a photo of the class on the front and a picture where all the children had drawn themselves and written their names. Lots of twig arms and heads without bodies. I LOVED that and I have put it in my sons keepsake box. His teacher must have spent ages doing it for the whole class. Then when my son was in year one, he as well as all children in his class were given a Quentin Blake book with a little message inside from a teacher. My son was over the moon as he loves books and he loved the little message. It is one book we shall keep. On this occasion I knew the lovely teacher had paid for them herself, she had been training in my sons class and it was a Christmas goodbye gift.

I remember reading on here a tip that I really liked the sound of and that was to give a little amount to the teacher for resources to use for their class. I now use the money to buy something small our teacher needs or might find useful for her class, or stationery for herself. Helps her a little since I now know our teachers usually fund resources and stickers etc from their own money.