Presents for teacher

mikemac

Does this still go on? The week that's in it

I remember bringing in home make cake and buns for my teachers at Christmas. Others brought in other small gifts.

This was covered on RTE liveline last year but of course there was a concern there would be one-upmanship and parents trying to get better gifts

So do schools ban them these days? Is there a policy in your place?

Lord TSC

Don't know about bigger gifts but I will say that one kid got me a card and a candy cane last year. Since it was my first year teaching, I have to admit it touched me and I still have them safe and sound a year later

byhookorbycrook

We sent out a letter asking parents NOT to buy anything. No teacher expects a present, a homemade card with a genuine sentiment means a lot more than a parent buying something just to say to other parents that they spent X

Black Dog

Irish lessons for the month of December: "Is breá leis an múinteoir Jameson."

spurious

I'd rather the parents made sure their kids attended and did their work for the rest of the year.

implausible

It's absolute daftness parents feeling they have to go and buy presents for teachers. Some schools have a policy about not doing it and others may mention it in their bulletins/newsletters. My sister has presses full of scented candles and 'Best Teacher Ever' - pointless.

I heard someone recently mentioning that charity gifts (Bóthar, Concern) were a good idea for the teacher/school, now that's something worthwhile for all concerned (pardon the pun )

sarahlulu

I love to buy presents for my kids teachers, as it is a small school, where the kids have the same teacher for up to three years at a time, and they do a fantastic job. Both of my girls teachers are excellent. However, it does not ever come up in conversation with the other parents, it is entirely our own business.

That said, I do love giving pressies in general, and give them to my friends and family randomly throughout the year too, so probably more to do with my personality!!

lily09

We also sent a note to parents asking them not to give presents to teachers. I totally disagree with getting presents. It puts far too much pressure on parents with a couple of different teachers. I find it very hard to thank the child that has given the present while not making too big a deal that will upset the children who have not given any.
I do however love a card that a child has written themselves.:)

gaeilgegrinds1

We also sent out a letter but I received a lovely handmade card from my 5th years last week with lovely messages on it. That means more than anything else I'd get!

chatterbox123

I give presents to anyone who gives me an excellent service. Thankfully all my childrens' teachers to date have been excellent and I like to give them something small to say thanks at the end of the year. I appreciate that some people feel it is not necessary and that's fine by me so long as they respect my decisions also. I would take great offence if someone tried to tell me who I can and can't give presents to. Recession or no recession these kind of decisions should be left up to individuals.

With regard to giving 'charity' gifts instead, I really don't like this idea in general - not just in relation to teachers presents and this is because I feel that by giving a charity gift such as a cow from Bothar or some such, you are forcing someone else to give to charity regardless of whether they want to or not or whether they have already given to charity or not. In my opinion if you want to give to schemes like these then you should ask for these type of presents for yourself instead of forcing them onto others.

rainbowtrout

I don't see teachers getting presents for the most part, mainly as I work in a secondary school. I know the odd teacher gets a small gift here and there like a box of chocolates and they tend to come from students who loved that particular subject and teacher.

My mother always gave my primary school teachers a gift at the end of the school year. This was back in the 80s, and a few parents did it, and did it despite money being tight. There was never and show of oneupmanship, as kids tended to wait to the end of the school day or lunchtime etc to hand it to the teacher without the whole class watching. I know my mother did it to express her gratitude for the job my teachers did. I had fantastic teachers all the way up through primary school and my parents were appreciative of that.

Perhaps the sentiment has changed now, but I don't see huge harm in it.

gaeilgebeo

gaeilgegrinds1 wrote: »

We also sent out a letter but I received a lovely handmade card from my 5th years last week with lovely messages on it. That means more than anything else I'd get!

I think the other teachers who posted about letters home are primary school teachers, (open to correction)

I can see why primary schools send out letters as it's so common for primary teachers to get presents.
My primary school friends get loads of gifts at the end of the year.
But having to take the step of sending out a letter in a secondary school baffles me.
Were there that many students giving presents that a letter had to be sent out? I am shocked by that.
I would also imagine that secondary school parents wouldn't feel the same pressure as primary school parents in the sense that their children may have 10 different teachers as opposed to 1!

PennyWise11

What absolute and total nonsense!

If I wish to give a gift to my child's teacher (to show my appreciation for his/her hard work throughout the year) then that's exactly what I'll damn well do.

Is it now deemed unacceptable to encourage my child to show gratitude?

NOBODY has the right to dictate to me who I can or can not give a gift to.

Ireland has turned into a Nanny State.

What's next, one wonders?..A ban on tipping waiters? Prohibition of gift-giving to family and friends at Christmas?

For God's sake, the people who are getting in a tizzy about this should get a life, and concentrate their energies on worriying about the things that really matter in life.

dambarude

In fairness I think the biggest reason schools try and stop present-giving is to take pressure off families who can't afford it, not to prevent showing of gratitude.Similar to why many schools prevent children handing out birthday invitations during school hours.

It can be very upsetting for children if everybody else can afford to give the teacher a present but they can't themselves. When I was in primary school some pupils gave presents every year, and I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous that I couldn't/didn't do the same.

looksee

PennyWise11 wrote: »

What absolute and total nonsense!

If I wish to give a gift to my child's teacher (to show my appreciation for his/her hard work throughout the year) then that's exactly what I'll damn well do.

Is it now deemed unacceptable to encourage my child to show gratitude?

NOBODY has the right to dictate to me who I can or can not give a gift to.

Ireland has turned into a Nanny State.

What's next, one wonders?..A ban on tipping waiters? Prohibition of gift-giving to family and friends at Christmas?

For God's sake, the people who are getting in a tizzy about this should get a life, and concentrate their energies on worriying about the things that really matter in life.

Over-reacting much? This has been a pretty laid back discussion about who does and who doesn't, and whether it's necessary. Would it not be a better example of your child's gratitude if she sat down and made a card or wrote a letter, than if you bought a present? Either way, nobody is dictating to you, just discussing the pros and cons.