Amazing end-of-year present for a primary school teacher

[Bonsoir]

We are looking for inspiration for DD's class teacher, who is unanimously seen as a star. Collective gift, we will raise lots of money. We don't want to give vouchers. What do teachers want?

I've never seen a post from Bonsoir where she has mentioned being rich and if she mentioned living in Paris I missed it (knew she was in France)

Write a card, put some of your love, care and thanks into the message, perhaps with something that your child has made or chosen or relates to a specific memory that they will have of the teacher. Support that with a seriously praise-ful letter to the head and governors if the school has them.

Say something genuinely lovely and touching to the teacher on the day that you child leaves the class.

And move on. Expensive gifts are a) embarressing and b) if over a certain value create possibly tax and certainly moral issues.

"Peace and, have you seen her? She might be a chunky housewife living in a tenement overlooking a dump for all we know!"

Exactly! Why would anyone want to boast online?! Half of the people online don't believe anything that anybody says anyway!

"I've never seen a post from Bonsoir where she has mentioned being rich and if she mentioned living in Paris I missed it (knew she was in France)"

I would get her a "worlds best teacher" mug as I expect amongst the spa days and designer perfume, it will be a refreshing change.

Once I got a teacher a picnic hamper, but the ruck sack kind with all the cutlery, plates, cups etc. She also had DCs so I thought it was a gift the whole family could use over summer.

quite few posts mention that she indeed is based in Paris

www.mumsnet.com/info/search?query=Bonsoir

Maybe that spanner from Pedlars' is still available?

I used to send the kids in with a shiney red apple.

Box of Maltesers?

What spanner?

Who's a spanner?

The best teacher dd has ever had received a couple of tins of her favourite (rather random!) food from the supermarket because dd remembered her once saying how much she liked it. I was quite but it was dd's chosen way of expressing her gratitude and so I decided to go along with it. Teacher seemed to be tickled pink that dd had remembered what she liked.

DD also writes a nice letter to her teacher at the end of each year and she has a lovely way of telling them exactly what she likes about their teaching and what she has enjoyed about the year with them. I'd like to think that this means as much as any gift. I also send a card adding my own thanks.

Personally, I think expensive gifts are a bit OTT. The only times when we have spent a bit extra is when we've given the Oxfam charity gifts like "train a teacher" etc, so not really an expensive gift for the teacher per se. I don't think the value of the gift is a good measure of how much you appreciate what the teacher has done. It's more about the thought that has gone into it.

We bought hampers last year as the class gift, but used a local lady who ran a local business and personalised them for the class teacher and TA (who were both fabulous). I think it was £3-4 per child. We also did a combined large card where each child wrote something. I wrote a personal note as they were both great with my son.

This year class has a young male teacher - asked around the other staff and were given fairly clear brief- he is the outdoors type. Class rep then bought vouchers from the local fancy shopping mall. I do hope he found something useful to buy! Hard to criticise tho as you are automatically nominated to be class rep next year :)

What is all this class rep stuff?

We never had class reps thank fuck in the olden days.

Reeling, it was a spanner for £625. Look up Pedlars- they don't half mug the rich.

I did,i googled it BOF,what a load of wank.

I thought you meant someone was being a spanner.

There are some unpleasant attitudes on this thread. If you look at the search result half the posts are from other people.

Something simple and elegant with the year of the class engraved on it. I know that sounds a bit cliched but it's the favourite gift from a class my friend received. It could be a bracelet or a handbag accessory? Or a scarf - something silk and classic that she could wear a lot.

i find the idea of these joint collections for vouchers etc a bit vulgar

i'd prefer a crafty gift from the child, not money/vouchers

other people?

Not the other people

Okay I shall play along -

Dog just back from the vets lamp?

We gave Amazon vouchers last year.

But we also clubbed together to write a letter to the head, each parent writing a paragraph saying how he had helped/encouraged our own child. We sent him a copy too. I'd like to think he'll have that letter on his portfolio for every future job application

We bought our teacher a flight to New York.

Did we bollocks, just trying to out boast people.

Ooooo its a bike wheel AND a clock