Is it appropriate to give $100 gift cards to teachers/counselor?
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Anonymous
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We wanted to thank them for filling out endless recommendation letters and forms for DC’s summer programs.
DC got into some selective programs and we are thankful. But is $100 too much? |
Anonymous
| Give cash. Gift cards are terrible. Especially the ones that diminish over time without telling you. |
Anonymous
| If it exceeds the maximum they are allowed to accept, it’s inappropriate. |
Anonymous
| It's harmless and a lovely/simple way to acknowledge the time and effort that is spent on these recommendations. While some say that a handwritten card or email from the student is enough, that takes about 5 minutes compared to the hour or more that completing these recommendations can take. |
Anonymous
| be sure to put it in an envelope with a handwritten note of thanks - 100% preferably from the kid |
Anonymous
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No. It's a quid pro quo, even if the teacher didn't know it in advance. You can only thank, not pay, for a recommendation. I know some people do not understand this, as evidenced by the responses above.
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Anonymous
| I think $50 and I'd wait until teacher appreciation week so it's not immediately tied to letters of rec. |
Anonymous
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Not at all appropriate if the student is still on my roster and grades are still in flux. I'd wait until the very end of the year to give any gift beyond a thank you card.
If it is last year's student and this is public school, I'd cap it at $25 (the most we are supposed to accept from a student in my district). |
Anonymous
Please heed this teacher's advice. It's mind-blowing how the first posters just casually want to bribe people. In many workplaces, you'd be fired for that. You can't behave like Donald Trump and think everyone is for sale. |
Anonymous
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OP here. It’s not bribe! The teachers spent hours filling out forms and writing recommendations.
It just feels that $25 is a measly amount for work it took. |
Anonymous
You need remedial lessons in ethics, OP. We all know it takes effort to write a letter of recommendation. We've grateful to the teachers who write them. I've had to write some, in academia. It's a slog, honestly. I would have refused any gift that was linked to my efforts. YOU CANNOT TIE ANY MATERIAL GIFT TO A RECOMMENDATION. HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THIS? IT IS SEEN AS PAYMENT. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FREE AND YOU CAN'T PAY FOR THEM. Why don't you match effort for effort, and have your child come up with a really well-written letter of thanks that touches on qualities specific to that teacher? You guys can get some high quality stationery, practice your best handwriting, etc. MAKE THE EFFORT, instead of using your wealth by tucking in a bill or gift card and calling it a day. Seriously. |
Anonymous
| Find out what the max amount per gift is first. |
Anonymous
| Nope. There is already extreme grade inflation and parents trying to get special treatment by going to admin and having the power to try to get teachers fired and now you wonder if bribery is cool or not. Give me a break |
Anonymous
Thank you for recognizing how much work it is. Tell your child to come back and say thank you or update me on their plans--that's the reward for putting in the effort, learning that it helped the kid. Presumably it's why we all went into education. No amount of thank you money (unless there are 3+ 0s after the first digit) is going to make it worthwhile, but a genuine thank you from the child will. If you give more than the upper limit of gifts, you put teachers in really uncomfortable positions. Please don't. |
Anonymous
| I would say 500$ for every letter grade boost. If you want to turn a F into an A it might cost 2000$ |