Teacher presents

[acornpattern]

At my ds's school, the two year 6 groups bought the teachers a bench for the school with personalised plaques. My ds is still little but this seemed lovely but quite extravagant although no idea how much it was. Just wondering if it was normal to give a present like this when you leave year 6?

I like the idea of buying something for the school in the teacher’s name. I hope it catches on (not necessarily a bench, but things that might make their work more joyful).

Ohh this is getting ridiculous. DD’s teacher got a toiletries gift set this year. It’s usually a box of chocolates or biscuits. Maybe a mug or a plant. £5 maximum, preferably less.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate teachers (I work with lots of fabulous ones), but really, a handwritten card is worth more than any gift. Giving extravagant gifts to teachers is just another way of showing off your own wealth. Pack it in.

There is no norm.
Teachers do not expect presents but are delighted when they get them.
Its nice to say thanks for what is a very hard job.
It’s similar to giving a box of chocolates to the nurses in a hospital ward.
Why not make people feel appreciated.
Teachers put up with ALOT of abuse so it’s nice to show them some kindness.

I think it’s a lovely idea, albeit maybe a tad expensive (but all relative to the area I suppose).

Most of the parents in our class put in a tenner for a group present, which probably results in about £250 by the time a few do their own thing, to be split between teacher and TAs. This certainly doesn’t seem excessive to me given how much time they spend with my DS over a year.

I assume most of the kids then also give individual thank you cards too.

If all the kids put in £5 in a class of 30, that could buy a bench. If you don’t want to contribute, then don’t.

We do a tenner split over teacher and 2 TAs class of 30. Others get separate gifts too

Depending how many kids are in the class then it isn't necessarily excessive. Better than each teacher getting 30 mugs each!

It really is anything goes - it depends on if you’ve super organised parents in the year group who will champion an idea (like the bench).

I get less stressed about this each year. I put a box of Tony’s chocolatony in the shopping trolley last night and that’s the present sorted. My child spend ages drawing pictures on the card and envelope, job done.

It is extravagant. Reminds me of secondary school and some of the girls asking for 20 quid each to get the teachers a present. It was way too much for me.

I gave £0 to individuals. DC always did a Thank You card. I do think some parents who cannot pay bills might be struggling with all this generosity when teachers earn more then they do. If a small class donation was organised I would participate. However it’s something that gets out of hand and schools should set limits.

Our Year 6 Leavers parents form a sort of committee and as well as arranging the Leavers Party they club together to buy something for the school - a bird table, a bench etc. It’s up to them really, as long as no parents feel obliged to chip in more than they can afford.
Most of them buy individual presents for the teachers and TAs too.

However it’s something that gets out of hand and schools should set limits.

Our Council/LEA has a limit of £25 over which the recipient has to declare the gift. I’m not sure if the parents are aware of this!

I appreciate every gift I get, but the cards written by the pupil, especially detailing particular work I’ve done with them or things I’ve helped them with are special enough and I really don’t expect anything else.

@Saucery
I do think “thank you” on a card designed and executed by DC is better than present bought by parent. When I was at primary school I did a card every year. No one gave presents. So why now? Buying a present for your child to give doesn’t teach much. Good manners is saying thank you.,

I’m a single mum and finances are tough right now but I can sew, so I made a little teddy bear out of DD’s outgrown school dress. Her teacher this year really meant a lot to us (helping with SEN diagnosis) so wanted to give her something special. DD also made her a card with with a lovely painting.

What do teachers do with these gifts? Do they have the equivalent of a trophy room?

Yes, it’s somewhere in the west wing of my mansion and it’s well stocked with teacher mugs and choccies and wine.
In all seriousness I keep all my teacher mugs and use them. I love homemade keepsakes and cards but sometimes, and definitely this year, the chocs will go to the food bank as I’m dieting. Do or don’t. It makes no difference. We will do our best whatever.

I bought prosecco for my DDs teachers. She's in reception and her teacher & TA have been amazing. I won't be buying anything after reception though.

The best gifts I had when I was a teacher were either home made or small but thoughtful gifts that represented a special 'breakthrough' moment in their child's education, or a joke we'd shared. I still use the keyring a little girl bought for me 8 years ago. It has the 'catchphrase' I used to the class at the time. It's very special to me.

Another little girl bought me an eraser that was in the shape of something that I told a joke about and it became her favourite joke. I also had a flower made out of fabric which is on my desk in our Trust office.

None of these gifts were very expensive and I never expected gifts, but I treasure these. They represent the best of my teaching because they marked a point in significant progress for these children. They also represent the appreciation of their parents, which means an awful lot!

Did the children buy the gifts and choose them? I used to see flowers, chocs snd wine all bought by parents. A fabric flower - made by child? Rubber and a keyring? Bought by parents? It’s possible for parents to say thank you or write a card too! Why only value presents from “special” children? Don’t the others have the same status with you? That’s quite an interesting position.

The children chose the presents, or in the case of the flower, made it. I'm not saying it isn't touching to receive a thank you gift, but to be honest, the more expensive the gift, the more embarrassed I felt about them. The 3 gifts I mentioned related to children who'd had to overcome real barriers. That doesn't mean I wasn't thankful for all of them - each gift took time and effort and money but it's what they mean to both sides that matters and it's the personal value not the cost that is significant.

I also have an album full of pictures or homemade cards that children gave to me to thank me. They all remind me of each child and the point in their development. I have kept all the letters and notes sent by parents too.

I was trying to illustrate that the thought behind a gesture is more important than how much you spend.

Yes of course. We only truly appreciate gifts from ‘special’ children. The others go in the bin … clearly. 🙄 Way to misread a nice post.

It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask if teachers have favourite children. Lots of people think they do. I asked earlier what happened to 20 possibly unwanted presents. If every teacher gets these - what does happen to the 10th mug of the year?

A bench for the school is a bench for the school, not a present for the teacher. It’s much more normal for teachers/TAs to get vouchers from a class collection or bottles of wine or chocolates.

I can remember and tell you in detail about every heartfelt card I received from a child or their parents. Chocolates and wine, not so much. It’s nice to receive them, but a meaningful card is the best.

I can picture the parent that thought it a great idea and then told the others “that’ll be £10 per child please” their heart is in the right place but these sort of big gifts just add to the competitive parenting that some get into. Did no one buy a bottle of wine or some flowers? What if a parent doesn’t contribute or has something already planned and doesn’t or therefore can’t pay towards it? Very thoughtful but a pain in the proverbial for most parents.