| DC will write a note of course but we'd also ideally like to do a small gift as thanks for writing recommendation letters etc. What would be the most pleasant to receive? Home baked cookies? A small gift card from Starbucks? |
| DD wrote a nice thank you attached to a container of homemade cookies. |
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Teachers don’t want food, mugs, supplies, anything with your kid’s school name on it, etc.
A gift card to somewhere useful (Amazon or Target). |
This feels awkward, like paying them for the recommendation even though it’s small, but I’d like to do something DC’s teachers would enjoy. How much is acceptable here? |
$20 or $25. It's a token. |
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Last year, along with thank you notes, my kid bought books in the teacher's subject that she thought they would enjoy. A recent well-reviewed political/history book and a philosophical science book that she had enjoyed reading.
Who knows if the teachers ever have time for pleasure reading, but i think they were thoughtful gifts that didn't feel like payments. |
Speak for yourself. I love it when students give me home-made cookies or a mug from the college they will be attending or literally anything |
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I’d be thrilled to get a verbal thank you.
Most students don’t acknowledge the recommendation letters. The last communication I get from most students is the request itself. After that? Nothing. I am excited when a student swings by my classroom door just to say “thanks”. |
That's not a token. |
| Is there a ridonc limit to how much $ or gift card amount they can receive? |
How so? It’s given after it is written. $20-$25 is the right amount. |
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Paying money or gifting a credit card/gift card is gauche for a recommendation.
A verbal or written "thank you" is great and appropriate. At graduation, when your DC is leaving, they can gift any of their teachers anything they want . But giving money directly following a rec letter is in poor taste |
-1 Disagree. That’s like saying gifting a teacher a TAW or holiday gift is inappropriate. It’s rude to wait 8 months after someone does something to then send a thank you (gift)…8 months after the thank you note. |
| Nothing. It’s awkward and cringe. |
| Speaking as a teacher (and parent) at a top private in NYC, I aver that home-baked goods will be appreciated, as will tasty store-bought treats. Books are nice. Everything else is risky, or at best “meh.” But, sincerely, it’s the thought that counts. |