Are teacher presents necessary ???

[SnoopyLovesYou]

Last year my child bought a present for teacher and classroom assistant. One cost about £7-10 and the other £5. Bought them candles they probably didn't appreciate. This year however this particular child has 2 teachers. My OTHER child has 2 different crèche/Playgroup thingies. One is paid for. The other she has been going to for ages and is very reasonable.

My solution was to get children to make/ write cards rather than buying presents. However, gave first card this morning to paid Playgroup...

Icy response! :-(

Now the staff really are good and LOVELY but it's cost me a fortune this year. Thought they would like a handmade card. Em... no.

Any help please? Do I have to buy presents for all 4? Does anyone have any good and straightforward present ideas?

The letter (note really!) was from our class rep mum. Yes. We are that organised. Next door didn't get organised so I'm assuming their teacher either didn't get much or got bits of choc etc.

A note from a class rep? How embarrassing for those parents who struggle to feed, clothe their children. In my area there are a lot of children living in poverty interspersed with those who could afford to buy a present if they so wished. I'm glad there is no such thing as a class rep writing notes to parents here! Are you sure the headteacher knows what's going on?

I'm sure all teachers could manage without a bar of chocolate if they knew it would put an end to all the worry that goes on.

No, ridiculous and unnecessary.

Whoever started the teacher present thing should be shot.

I don't think there's the 'pressure' for everyone to cough up £10 or more. frankly, I think there were a few who didn't contribute. What she did do was she gave us all sticky labels for our child to write their names on it and what she did was then stick 30 labels onto a ginormous card for each teacher, which I thought was nice. Yes, we could have passed the card around but by the time it reached the last child, I think it would have been pretty grubby.

I don't know whether the headteacher knows what's going on..

Don't have a go at me!! I'm just reporting what is done here...

sorry, not having a go at you I promise. Just that is so difficult for many parents to cope financially and this ridiculous present buying seems to have got completely out of hand. Not all parents have the confidence to stand their ground and not contribute.
I recall feeling very uncomfortable unwrapping presents at the end of term at the request of children handing them over. Wanted to hug the children who told me that they hadn't bought me anything. If the present was chocolate I shared them round the class.
Honestly, any of you mums reading this thread, just say thank you and let your child make a card.
As far as my own children were concerned, I didn't join in with this nonsense, even when I worked in the same school as them. However I always sent a card at the end of each academic year thanking all staff concerned.

I would also suggest that the headteacher is informed about class collections if that is happening in any of your schools, readers.
Snoopy, ignore the rudeness and just smile and hand over your children hand made cards.

oh of course! :) I'm actually one of those parents that will be having trouble matching what I gave at christmas... so I'm going to give half what I gave, which is all I can afford. We are supposedly very middle class here, so lots of professionally qualified parents, stay at home mums (who stay at home because they can afford to, or choose not to work because they want to 'be there for their children'), I think not that much free school meals... so I guess the expectations are that we will be able to afford it, therefore do so.

We are also the class that does the christmas meal out and the 'end of term' meal out for the parents....

I always got presents for the teachers that I thought had done a really good job or gone the extra mile for my children, my children have had some great teachers and some that were not so good, I don't think you have to buy a present, I normally got them a bottle of wine or box of chocs, and the kids made a card.

Wow! That spider plant idea rocks! (If the teacher is special and deserves it.)

Yeah I spent nearly £30 for 9 small presents.

My DC2 was really happy this morning though giving her flowers and chocolates to her teachers and getting hugs and kisses and some of the teachers were in floods of tears. They're a really nice bunch and they've been so supportive to me and my DC this year. And this year I have really needed the support!

I hope I'm brave enough next year to just give them handmade cards!!!

Anything worth over £25 has to be reported to the HT, the LA and HMRC. We got an email from the LA today....

I'm a teacher. A homemade card is lovely. It is certainly a case of the thought that counts with teacher presents!

DD's teacher will not be getting a gift.

Fluttering your eyelashes and giggling is not an appropriate response when a parent points out at parents evening their child hasn't made any progress in the last 6 months.

Giving a class of 7/8yo's at-ti-tude is not cool and hip, even if you are 22yo. It is just hideous, especially when the girls repeat it at home.

And finally, DD tells me she keeps the boy from a family of several DC who's dad is in prison, and mum is obviously struggling in at lunch for not doing his homework. She is not doing this to help him educationally...believe me. If she kept my DD in for not doing homework, I wouldn't have an issue.

And she was really nasty to DD for not finishing the Christmas homework which consisted of a booklet of word searches and crosswords for "fun".

The Y3 TA, however, will be getting something lovely.

I think all this present giving for teachers is ridiculous. It's getting like a competition between some to see who can spend the most.
I'll buy a card (only so I don't seem TOO tight when half the class is sat next to gift boxes full of tat and chocs to give) but they don't get a present.
They're only doing their job. Why all the sudden deluge of present giving?!
Plus, it's unfair on those who don't have much money and might feel guilt tripped into it.
Schools should say "no presents, thanks."

About this time of year dcs come home with a letter from self appointed class rep saying let's all put in £5-£10 & get mrs x a gift token
So 30 parents put a tenner in - £300 John Lewis vouchers
I'm in the wrong job

use the power of mumsnet to say no more presents for teachers. just bite the bullet and do it this year.
please believe me, teachers will not hold it against you.
Has anyone been brave enough to tell the head about this yet?
£300 of vouchers? more outrageous the previous teacher who was going to get £80. Sounds illegal to me, wouldnt a teacher have to declare it to the taxman?!

A big gift like that £300 John Lewis voucher would indeed have to be declared. I have a year 10 boys form so will be lucky to get a 'thanks Miss'. Which is lovely when they remember. My favourite ever present came from my year 11 form a few years ago before they went on study leave: one boy painted a beautiful landscape for me and a few others made cake. I also usually make cake or share a tin of chocolate with my form at the end of the year.
Competitive present buying sounds awful - like you're trying to bribe the teacher whilst showing off how rich you are.

There's another thread going on here at the moment where a class rep had a whip round and the teacher is also getting hundreds of £ vouchers. It's so ridiculous. Bet Mrs.May ( another thread, ort books!) didnt get vouchers!

Tbh I think it's probably a result of hallmark and them card companies making a buck (10 years ago) with the 'say thank you to your teacher' card which then escalates over the years to buy a present. I mean, they now sell packs of stuff 'for the teacher' don't they? From specially packaged chocolates to body shop stuff! A bit like the stuff you get rolled out at Christmas...

So people feel obliged to do so. And of course with the whip round it's easy to give £5 and from that generate a big enough present...

Someone was telling me at her child's independent school, the whipround has a price tag attached. £25. And somehow also includes school secretaries.

Yes storynanny that was my exact thought. I don't provide presents for any other paid professionals (though we did give our midwife wine and chocolate). I've never heard of this carry-on before and am shocked!

With the power of mumsnet could we not pressure/persuade headteachers to ban presents and just allow cards?

Iggle, lets go for it

£££ of JL vouchers?? Crikey.

I'm a teacher and agree with others who have posted. I appreciate the thought behind the chocolates/wine but truly, recognition of what I've actually done for that student is what I value more than anything.

I couldn't name all the students who have bought me chocolates over the years, but I've kept all the cards which recognise how much I care about those children. And yes, anyone who feels like passing their great comments on to senior staff goes straight to the top of the list :)

I have never yet expected any presents from any pupils.I have, however, had some lovely cards made by my lovely kiddies and have kept each and every one of them in a box which I get out every now and again to look through. I note on each one the date so I know when I got them and it's lovely to see how each pupil has come on over the years I've worked with them. (I have had the same group of kids over 6 years and moved through school with them up until 4 of them left last summer)