End Of Year Presents

[sherrardk]

Just wondered what other people's thought are on end of year presents for teachers, etc?

[askyourgran]

We never had to do that when I was little. It's another expensive craze like the School Prom business for children of 15 to dress up like a 40 year WAGs for the day. Just a handmade card with sincere words would suit me.

[New Judge]

The idea is preposterous. As is end of year (so called) "Proms".

[sherrardk]

I don't get anything for the secondary school teachers, but our primary teachers are very good and do go the extra mile - they send thing 1 home if she has lost her 'bounce', they've researched extra ways to help thing 2, they looked out for all of them when himself was ill, etc.

[sherrardk]

Himself taught primary and was always getting end of year presents (and were going back to 1992), so I don't regard it as a new thing.

[margie04]

Agree with gness. As a former teacher I was very happy to have cards or notes from the pupils or their parents, nothing more concrete. But that was last century.

[Wharton]

margie1904? :-)

[maggiebee]

Was at school in the 50s and early 60s and would never have dreamt of giving a teacher a present. Changed days.

[Cloverjo]

I've never given any of my son's teachers a present, and don't remember other mums giving over-the-top presents either.
Perhaps richer areas are where the competitive present-giving is.

[Caran]

Someone working in a charity shop had a man come in with a black bin bag full of items. he said they were presents from children at school and he had no use for them. This practice should be stopped. It puts parents under immense pressure to keep up with richer parents.

[sherrardk]

If I didn't have the means to buy them or didn't want I wouldn't. My children don't finish until Thursday but I took them in today so I wasn't advertising the fact to anyone else. The man you are speaking about sounds terribly ungrateful, he could at least have made his feelings known to his class if he felt so strongly about it. When himself was teaching he would accept them with good grace regardless of how he felt about the actual gift.

[Cloverjo]

I wonder if the teachers who are showered with over-the-top presents think more of the parents who don't join in with the "look at what I'm giving" brigade.

[DaisyNonna]

A verbal thank you from a pupil was enough.

[sherrardk]

I'm only talking about a £5 box of milk tray for all the adults in the class/staff room to share, it's not just for the teacher. Thing 1's TA gets an extra gift as she has been instrumental in the amazing progress he has made in terms of his speech and confidence, the situation would be very different without her (they really 'click' and I wouldn't trust him with just anyone).