Teacher's Gifts!

[MedievalBabe]

Lots of teachers I know appreciate a good bottle of wine but they definitely do not appreciate all of the things the shops sell 'for the best teacher'. They were calling it tat in the staff room this week and how much they don't appreciate it, but they were all saying how much a bottle of wine or classy vouchers were appreciated. They did also say one teacher who has now retired used to always use maltesers in lessons so she always got boxes of them, but as they were her favourite chocolate she loved it.

[Guest55]

They were calling it tat in the staff room this week

How ungrateful - I don't expect any gifts but if any are given then I value them. I've never disposed of one, they are symbols of a partnership between the family and school.

[Tinkers]

DDs class clubbed together rather than getting separate gifts. Their form tutor has really helped them gel as a class, and this showed in their organisation.
Amongst other things, they bought flowers and a large personalised cookie (about 12" diameter), though I'm not sure what else was got.
DD was in charge of making a collage of pictures of them all, including a class picture taken on sports day (I think taken by Aliportico's DD1) with signatures, so she was texting and emailing class members to get their photos so she could print them off.

Apparently it all brought tears to their teacher's eyes.

[ToadMum]

They were calling it tat in the staff room this week

How ungrateful - I don't expect any gifts but if any are given then I value them. I've never disposed of one, they are symbols of a partnership between the family and school.

We've never gone in for such items ourselves, but whereas I suspect most of our friends would have similar feelings about 'tat', there are definitely folk out there who genuinely like these things themselves and whose DC give them to their teachers in good faith. I would hope that the teachers concerned still managed to accept said 'tat' with good grace.

Or at least took them on a trip to somewhere suitably distant before donating them to a charity shop...

[JamesDean]

Myself and 2 other parents clubbed together and got DS's retiring TA a bottle of gin - we know that was appreciated!

JD

[wonderwoman]

They were calling it tat in the staff room this week and how much they don't appreciate it, but they were all saying how much a bottle of wine or classy vouchers were appreciated.

Well they are very rude. I don't like the idea that the shops have commercialised a small token of appreciation and don't buy such gifts myself. But parents are very busy and it is easy for them to pick up something when they are shopping - it is still thoughtful.
As a teacher my absolute favourite gifts have been: a horse rubber (used) - all my pupils know I have several equines; a plant grown by a pupil; homemade jam and chutney and biscuits for the staff to share. My own DC will be making a flower arrangement with flowers from our garden.

[MedievalBabe]

In my defence my own dd got her teacher a mug about cats, her teacher loves cats. In the past we have done plants and wine, just depends upon the teacher.

I don't care what I get given, it's the thought that counts. I got given a card from a Rainbow which she had written herself to say thank you and that means so much more.

[southbucks3]

Big advocate of gift coming from the child here, usually hand made cards, pocket money priced flowers or sweets.

Parents do collections for teachers per class at our school, that is fine but just lately the amount has been decreed by the organiser and its getting a bit silly, when you think some classes have thirty odd kids....more like a leaving gift than a token thank you. We are talking hundreds here!

My fave ever gift was a hand made ginger bread woman, from a special teenager I had been teaching cookery to at college once a week. She followed the recipe from weeks before, decorated it and gave it me with a very lovely letter. I never ate it, just kept it safe until it went off, I was so touched. I also received a summer holiday postcard from a pupil forwarded to me from the college...So sweet and remembered fifteen years later!

[lauren85]

As a teacher (not at a waldorf school, but a public one) I would be really bothered by a cash gift. It seems really inappropriate to me. But I always loved to get coffee shop gift certificates, or Nice Personalised Mugs since buying coffee was always a real treat. i have already done some research for you have a look at these personalised coffee mugs.
hope i helped

[Amber]

On a related note, does anyone have an idea of a gift for a consultant surgeon who has shown us extreme kindness this week but whose religion I know would preclude alcohol? DH (dentist) says the things which mean most are personal letters/cards and nothing else is needed - but if anyone especially someone with a medic in the family had any ideas, I would be grateful.