GCSE staff gifts

[sevilla99]

Suggestions needed from current GCSE teachers, please. My daughter's teachers have been fantastic throughout lockdown learning and since returning to school. I have emailed individual teachers to say thank you but I want to do more, as I know they are under so much pressure right now. In large secondary schools, it's not always easy to organise individual gifts, especially with Covid restrictions, so I am looking for ideas of ways to thank them. Chocolates sent to the staffroom to share? Personal cards? Another email? Something else? As a teacher, what would mean the most to you? Thanks!

Big box of stationary

Teacher friend has a wooden stand with board markers in with her name on it - personalized and useful.

I also send personalized door holders - these things get nicked!

I’ll see if I can find one

I would suggest that you hold off on any gifts until the end of June as it might be seen as an attempt to influence GCSE grades.

Once they're out of the way, emails to the teachers in question copying in the head would be very gratefully received.

@noblegiraffe

I would suggest that you hold off on any gifts until the end of June as it might be seen as an attempt to influence GCSE grades.

Once they're out of the way, emails to the teachers in question copying in the head would be very gratefully received.

Ah, I had not thought of that at all! I wanted to give them a boost, but I see exactly what you mean! I've already emailed the head of year, who has forwarded my email to the Headteacher, but I will definitely do so again after all the exams.

Personally I'd like a bottle of wine or chocolates. I wouldn't want stationary or a door stop. A card on it's own is definitely fine too!

Cards always mean the most. But tins of biscuits and chocolate in the staffroom are always a huge hit!

After DD1 I dropped off a box of wine with associated cards in Sept. Luckily the teacher I thought was hopeless was less keen on had left.

I wouldn’t like biscuits or chocolates to share in the staff room. Chances are that the teachers you want them to go to won’t get there, and Covid means some people will be nervous about sharing things.
Personally, I’d like a nice card and a bottle of wine.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I was a bit worried about the problems with sharing/not sharing treats in the staffroom as mentioned. As for bottle of wine, that will have to be after June 18 as mentioned - don't want it to be misconstrued! Trouble is, I don't know the teachers personally, so I don't know if they all drink. Plus, my daughter will have left school before June 18, which makes it all a bit tricky getting stuff to the right teachers. It might have to be personal emails unless I can think of some other way of doing it.

My favourite ever present was my GCSE class wrote me a poem and then on a big bit of card they all stuck on a post it note saying one or 2 things they enjoyed about my classes/funny class memories/king messages etc.

I have it still years later... one kid wrote “miss I defo won’t miss your singing...!”

Are there any support staff you might have missed off the list of people to thank?

After all, many of them worked in school or fulltime from home throughout lockdowns; maybe TAs, maybe somebody in Pastoral, perhaps the font of all knowledge that is the lady on Main Reception, science/music/drama technicians, the exams officer (who is likely tearing their hair out behind the scenes right now), etc, etc. And the site team will have been there throughout lockdown, putting up signs, sanitiser stations, screens, reorganising classrooms, setting up new areas for catering, organising new cleaning regimens and staffing - the caretaker and site manager have probably been the hardest working of all.

I love getting all non edible gifts. Chocolate, wine and biscuits all get appreciated - and promptly regifted to a more appreciative audience - but everything else, hand creams, scented candles, flowers (except Lilies, love them but prefer my cats alive), plants (better than flowers because they don't die), scarves, reed diffusers - are all massively appreciated - the handwritten cards (including the ones that are made with a bit of paper I've just been asked for and my pen) are the most important bit, though.

Yes, good point about the support staff. I've been in touch with the receptionist. To be honest, in a large school like my daughter's, it's difficult to even know who the support staff are, but I agree that the thanks are due to the wider school community as much as the teachers at the chalk face.

I wondered about hand creams, plants etc, but worried that they would be the kind of things rejected more than edible goods, just because so much of that is down to personal taste. I like the case of wine suggestion from further up the thread, so may go with that coupled with handwritten notes from my daughter and me, all to be delivered on June 19!

A card with a genuine handwritten message goes a very long way.

DS2 left primary last year and I arranged a delivery of homemade biscuits from a local deli - they went down well. For secondary, a Costa card is nice - gives the option for those who don't drink wine. Although I have never met a teacher who doesn't drink...

Ds1 did cards but it was a couple of years ago, they were handmade by me and he wrote a personal note to each teacher.

I also wrote an email to the head detailing each teacher and what I thought they had done brilliantly. I left the best till last and completely gushed over the sheer time and effort put into the revision resources by the department and this teacher was head of that department. I heard back from school but also from the teachers via my son thanking me as it goes in their files.

A card. I have every card every student has ever given me (I need a bigger box soon after 10 years!). An email to teacher and head would also be brilliant.

Honestly, its the words that mean the most.

@Evvyjb

A card. I have every card every student has ever given me (I need a bigger box soon after 10 years!). An email to teacher and head would also be brilliant.

Honestly, its the words that mean the most.

That is really good to know. Email done, cards in progress! Thanks for all the suggestions.