Pressure from Teacher Gifts
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Anonymous
| 2-3 times a year the room parents send messages about teacher gifts. It is such a stressful time for our family and I just want these organized gift emails to stop. It doesn’t feel optional. I know Christmas is coming I know I can send a gift. What happened to giving a gift because I choose to, because I can afford to? This really stresses me out. Anyone else? |
Anonymous
| No. No one else that I know gets this anxious for a nothingburger like teacher gift. You can choose to give or not give. I don't see the problem. Isn't someone else doing the work for it. |
Anonymous
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I teach in another district, so I don’t want to say don’t send gifts, email your appreciate instead because I don’t know the local culture. However, I really appreciate letters of thanks more than anything else, including gift cards. And, at two points in my teaching career, it was financially impossible for me to give gifts to my children’s teachers so we handmade cards. Twenty years later, my oldest DD’s fifth grade teacher retired and she displayed the card DD made her at the retirement party.
Consider telling whoever sends these emails that your family expresses their appreciation through private and direct methods. |
Anonymous
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Honestly, 2-3 times a year doesn't seem like that much to me, and as a parent I always appreciate reminders because I am busy but find contributing to a group gift to be so much easier than thinking of something on my own. Pressuring parents is wrong, but perhaps they really do just want to remind everyone.
Also, as a group gift participant I am a big believer in the gift being from the entire class, no matter who participates. I know there are families who would like to contribute but cannot, and families who can give a lot and families who can give little, so it just makes sense to have the gift be from everyone. I'm sorry if it is not done this way at your school. This should not be a stress for you. |
Anonymous
| You can ignore the emails if you want. I know that some room parents send multiple emails to remind folks of the deadline. |
Anonymous
| Never understood why teacher gifts are allowed but gifts for feds over a very small value are not. |
Anonymous
| This seems like an easy enough thing to ignore if you don't want to or can't participate. |
Anonymous
Yea, use the delete button next to the email. |
Anonymous
| Ignore them and send your own gift/card. The only time I ever participated in the class gift was when I was room mom. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
It’s still a small value for teachers. However, teachers are not feds. They have lower compensation and less flexibility in work schedules or leave. |
Anonymous
| OP- I just feel that if I can’t give my child will be singled and and it will be noticed by the teacher. It doesn’t feel fair. We don’t go out and buy new gifts for our own kids, we get a lot of hand me downs, which we appreciate. I just wish this practice wasn’t done. |
Anonymous
| I actually like it. I wish someone would send this around for my PreK kid's classroom. Preschool teachers are very low paid and do they really need 20 $75-$100 amazon gift cards? Wouldn't they rather have cash? |
Anonymous
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I only contribute to class fund if room parent/teacher ask for school supplies donation/class party cash & supplies donation.
I ignore class money donation towards christmas and teacher appreciation/end of year targetting our only room teacher. I give giftcards on our own, and i also give giftcards to other teachers on our own. |
Anonymous
you're nuts if you think they're getting $75-$100 cards from everyone. or even anyone. |