Running moms ragged with Teacher Appreciation right before Mother’s Day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look I’m not going to pretend there’s not a vast amount of misogyny baked into ALL aspects of this— paying teachers so little that “appreciation” gifts matter, expecting teachers to be “appreciated” by free breakfast something provided every day in Silicon Valley…expecting mothers to spend time being “appreciation chairs” as an unpaid activity…all of it. All of it.

But, you are making this way too hard on yourself and there is no excuse for that other than poor planning. Let me help you make 2023 the last year this sucks for you:

On prime day or cyber week, gift cards are discounted (I think last year target did $10 off every $50). Purchase $400 worth of $50 gift cards, put them in your top desk drawer.

If you or anyone in your group chat go to Aldi you will find occasionally nice-looking but inexpensive thank you cards. Buy 8. If you must make your life harder also grab a holiday themed card or two.

Every time there is a request for teacher appreciation, Venmo the organizer, have your kid scribble in a card, add a gift card and send the card to school. Do not “scramble”. Do not volunteer for anything extra. Do not stress further. Do not continue to think about this after confirming the card reached the teacher.

Tone deaf, much? Not all of us have $400 to “just” throw around at any one time, let alone to pre-pay a long-term investment for some future date. Wow, $50 each for teacher gift cards? Must be freaking nice. Wow, how organized you are, what a planner you are. Oh, wait. You’re just rich.

I mean... I'm definitely not rich, solidly MC by DCUM standards but I basically do what this PP suggests. It's a priority to me to be able to give to DC's teachers.
I SAH now but was a teacher. Gift cards are best, no need for much of anything else. Of course I had many students who genuinely could not afford gifts of any type but when their parents thanked me for helping them or whatever that was just as awesome as a gift card.
I started out working at a wealthy school and during TAW the PTA did a catered lunch from a very nice restaurant and that was the only time I felt like it was worth the effort they put in...but I'm sure it was $$.

NP. Ohhhhh, so people who can afford to pre-pay $400 at a time for teacher gift cards are able to do so because it’s a “priority.” Got it. Sorry, poors, you’re going to have to make $400 for gift cards a *priority.* It has to be important to you. Go put the bread, green beans, cereal and milk back, because Good People Prioritize Gift Cards. It’s a matter of priorities, you see. Not means.

Did you miss the part where PP said a 'thanks' was just as great as a gift card? Is that too expensive for you, too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who planned this? Every damn year, the week leading up to Mother’s Day is Teacher A-Freaking-ppreciation Week. I appreciate teachers and do more than my part to celebrate them multiple times a year—gift cards and buying from Amazon wish lists multiple times a year, contributing to numerous PTA lunches and coffee carts, volunteering as a chaperone and helping with class parties, on and on. I do gift cards, notes, and a SignUpGenius contribution for the Teacher Appreciation Week stuff.

But why must we run mother’s ragged during this specific time? It’s like squeeze all the juice out of the lemon before celebrating moms on one DAY after they’ve spent a week doing things for teachers. It’s a lot, on top of a full-time job and all the other things we do as moms.

You know you don't have to do all (or any) of it, right?

And then we’ll be treated to more “Teachers are soooooo unapprecccciiiiattteeddd” threads here on DCUM.

New poster and my kid is long since out of elementary. Get some perspective, OP and all of you moaning about "it's too close to Mother's Day!" So? Give nothing, give a gift card, do something or do nothing for teachers. But making teacher appreciation events all about yourselves and precious Mother's Day should embarrass you. I bet you all brag about how well you multitask and juggle things, yet the fact that something school-related is in the WEEK before Mother's Day has you pi$$ed off and feeling disrespected and oh so tired.

Mother's Day is supposed to be about your family doing something for you. Unless you're busy arranging all your own Mother's Day treats for yourself--you should have time to toss some tiny acknowledgement into whatever the room parents arranged for the teacher. If you ARE having to make your own Mother's Day plans, well, that's on your husband and kids and they're the problem -- not the PTA calendar, the teacher, or the room parents.

And no, I'm not a teacher or room parent (in case you want to snark that way at me). I just know whiners when I hear them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every. Year.

Every year, someone starts this thread.

Every year, Teacher Appreciation Week is just before Mother’s Day.

Every. Year.

So plan for it. Buy whatever in February, write a note and stick it in your tickler file. Send it in for Teacher Appreciation Week and then do whatever else you feel like doing that week. No one is forcing you.

So much whining.

Every year. Every YEAR. Every year, apparently, you click into a thread you think is whining/beneath you, and you make it longer. You’re sooo above it!

DP. Some of you whiners need callilng out. You're all soooo above teacher appreciation events. Your children are going to grow up knowing mommy is resentful and selfish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I admittedly didn’t read all 8 pages here, but I’m confused about the relationship between teacher appreciation week and Mother’s Day. My husband sat with my kid to make cards. He venmoed the room mom money for the class gift. And I don’t do a thing for Mother’s Day, he does. We’re only martyrs if we want to be.

Your confusion is understandable, PP. There is no relationship between teacher appreciation week and Mother's Day. Except in OP's head, where teacher appreciation week is a plot to deprive her of...I'm not sure what, exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every. Year.

Every year, someone starts this thread.

Every year, Teacher Appreciation Week is just before Mother’s Day.

Every. Year.

So plan for it. Buy whatever in February, write a note and stick it in your tickler file. Send it in for Teacher Appreciation Week and then do whatever else you feel like doing that week. No one is forcing you.

So much whining.

Every year. Every YEAR. Every year, apparently, you click into a thread you think is whining/beneath you, and you make it longer. You’re sooo above it!

DP. Some of you whiners need callilng out. You're all soooo above teacher appreciation events. Your children are going to grow up knowing mommy is resentful and selfish.

100% certain no kid will care what their mother did or didn’t do for teacher appreciation week when they were in elementary school.

What did your Mom do for it? I don’t even recall this being a thing when I was in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admittedly didn’t read all 8 pages here, but I’m confused about the relationship between teacher appreciation week and Mother’s Day. My husband sat with my kid to make cards. He venmoed the room mom money for the class gift. And I don’t do a thing for Mother’s Day, he does. We’re only martyrs if we want to be.

Oh, sweetie. You tried so hard to make your little point, but all your roads led back to a Room Mom, eh?

Well I assumed she signed up for it. Again, only martyrs if we want to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are all you moms doing all the work? Where are the kids’ dads?

You are doing this wrong.

You mean administration. The moms didn’t hire the teachers and they aren’t aren’t personal employees. Administration should be planning and executing teacher appreciation. If they don’t, oh well. Join the rest of us that get no “appreciation week” of gift cards and free food

You missed it.

If a family wants to show appreciation for a teacher, a dad can do it just as well as a mom.

We will be showing appreciation because we view our kids’ teachers as important members of the team.

You don’t have to do anything at all and it seems like that would suit you best.

You might want to work on that bitterness.

Dads won’t/don’t do it because they don’t care. Really. They just don’t and at their jobs this doesn’t exist. It wouldn’t even occur to them to buy the teacher a week of stuff/gift cards in the name of teacher approximation. Moms do it out of social obligation and pressure. But moms don’t have to do it either. As several teachers have pointed out; nothing is necessary. Better yet, send well behaved kids and a thank you note outlining how they have made a different. This week of stuff is bananas

Sure they do/will. You say “Brian, did you see the email about teacher appreciation week? Can you handle that please?”

And you’re done. And not at all ragged.

Mine was the opposite. He came to me the night before the “make a card or artwork” night and said he forgot about it and that he would get up early with the kid and make cards. Asked if there was anything I wanted to say in the card, then sat down and wrote them. I had nothing to do with telling him what needed to happen or reminding him. It didn’t need to be delegated, he just made sure it got done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who planned this? Every damn year, the week leading up to Mother’s Day is Teacher A-Freaking-ppreciation Week. I appreciate teachers and do more than my part to celebrate them multiple times a year—gift cards and buying from Amazon wish lists multiple times a year, contributing to numerous PTA lunches and coffee carts, volunteering as a chaperone and helping with class parties, on and on. I do gift cards, notes, and a SignUpGenius contribution for the Teacher Appreciation Week stuff.

But why must we run mother’s ragged during this specific time? It’s like squeeze all the juice out of the lemon before celebrating moms on one DAY after they’ve spent a week doing things for teachers. It’s a lot, on top of a full-time job and all the other things we do as moms.

So don’t participate. No one is holding a gun to your head. Just for the love of God, stop WHINING.

You are so right. OP sounds so WHINY and annoying!

Some moms are fine. And you don't have to, it’s a choice. Must be a she. She can just give a gift card with $50 Visa money and a card made by her kid.

What? No. She doesn’t need to “just give gift card.” No one needs to be giving gift cards and gifts to teachers throughout the year- at all. If you want to, ok. But if you don’t, there is nothing socially unacceptable about not buying gifts or gift cards for the teacher. Appreciation is a acknowledging and showing gratitude. If you are grateful for your child’s teacher, you can also write a note- that is enough.

Oh, yeah. Some teachers has a second job.
They will appreciated your piece of paper and eat it.

Some parents don't deserve teachers

[Anonymous]

Where are the dads? Oh

Doing nothing. Women are supposed to be more maternal and empathetic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who planned this? Every damn year, the week leading up to Mother’s Day is Teacher A-Freaking-ppreciation Week. I appreciate teachers and do more than my part to celebrate them multiple times a year—gift cards and buying from Amazon wish lists multiple times a year, contributing to numerous PTA lunches and coffee carts, volunteering as a chaperone and helping with class parties, on and on. I do gift cards, notes, and a SignUpGenius contribution for the Teacher Appreciation Week stuff.

But why must we run mother’s ragged during this specific time? It’s like squeeze all the juice out of the lemon before celebrating moms on one DAY after they’ve spent a week doing things for teachers. It’s a lot, on top of a full-time job and all the other things we do as moms.

You know you don't have to do all (or any) of it, right?

And then we’ll be treated to more “Teachers are soooooo unapprecccciiiiattteeddd” threads here on DCUM.

Teacher here, and ouch.

You don’t have to do a thing to show appreciation. I don’t need coffee, mugs, cards, etc. You know what I would like? An ounce of respect. That’s all. I’m a professional, so treat me like one. From you, that might look like passing on the next opportunity to disrespect teachers.

Yes! I can't for the life of me understand the mentality of some people around here. It's like they go through the motions of "appreciation" with ridiculous food gifts, etc, and then turn around and gossip meanly about their kids' teachers just because they've done their gratitude thing and it doesn't carry over to actually important things like RESPECT. Exactly like what they do for Mother's Day: do something for their MILs or mothers that day, then spend the entire rest of the year complaining about them

Sigh. We humans are such flawed creatures.

Because their “appreciation” is really just self-aggrandizing attention-seeking, and they’d damn well be thanked loudly and publicly for their grand gestures.

Interesting (and wrong) take.

Instead, teachers (including me) have posted that we’d be fine with no teacher appreciation events. Simply treat us like professionals instead.

Let’s try. Next time you want to insult millions of teachers with a nasty comment, try keeping it to yourself.

WTF? You’re a teacher? Your reading comprehension is terrible. Read the post I responded to, slowly and for comprehension this time.

Pro tip: It was very clearly about whiny parents and not teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look I’m not going to pretend there’s not a vast amount of misogyny baked into ALL aspects of this— paying teachers so little that “appreciation” gifts matter, expecting teachers to be “appreciated” by free breakfast something provided every day in Silicon Valley…expecting mothers to spend time being “appreciation chairs” as an unpaid activity…all of it. All of it.

But, you are making this way too hard on yourself and there is no excuse for that other than poor planning. Let me help you make 2023 the last year this sucks for you:

On prime day or cyber week, gift cards are discounted (I think last year target did $10 off every $50). Purchase $400 worth of $50 gift cards, put them in your top desk drawer.

If you or anyone in your group chat go to Aldi you will find occasionally nice-looking but inexpensive thank you cards. Buy 8. If you must make your life harder also grab a holiday themed card or two.

Every time there is a request for teacher appreciation, Venmo the organizer, have your kid scribble in a card, add a gift card and send the card to school. Do not “scramble”. Do not volunteer for anything extra. Do not stress further. Do not continue to think about this after confirming the card reached the teacher.

Tone deaf, much? Not all of us have $400 to “just” throw around at any one time, let alone to pre-pay a long-term investment for some future date. Wow, $50 each for teacher gift cards? Must be freaking nice. Wow, how organized you are, what a planner you are. Oh, wait. You’re just rich.

I mean... I'm definitely not rich, solidly MC by DCUM standards but I basically do what this PP suggests. It's a priority to me to be able to give to DC's teachers.
I SAH now but was a teacher. Gift cards are best, no need for much of anything else. Of course I had many students who genuinely could not afford gifts of any type but when their parents thanked me for helping them or whatever that was just as awesome as a gift card.
I started out working at a wealthy school and during TAW the PTA did a catered lunch from a very nice restaurant and that was the only time I felt like it was worth the effort they put in...but I'm sure it was $$.

NP. Ohhhhh, so people who can afford to pre-pay $400 at a time for teacher gift cards are able to do so because it’s a “priority.” Got it. Sorry, poors, you’re going to have to make $400 for gift cards a *priority.* It has to be important to you. Go put the bread, green beans, cereal and milk back, because Good People Prioritize Gift Cards. It’s a matter of priorities, you see. Not means.

You are SO DAMN melodramatic. Such a martyr. I pity your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look I’m not going to pretend there’s not a vast amount of misogyny baked into ALL aspects of this— paying teachers so little that “appreciation” gifts matter, expecting teachers to be “appreciated” by free breakfast something provided every day in Silicon Valley…expecting mothers to spend time being “appreciation chairs” as an unpaid activity…all of it. All of it.

But, you are making this way too hard on yourself and there is no excuse for that other than poor planning. Let me help you make 2023 the last year this sucks for you:

On prime day or cyber week, gift cards are discounted (I think last year target did $10 off every $50). Purchase $400 worth of $50 gift cards, put them in your top desk drawer.

If you or anyone in your group chat go to Aldi you will find occasionally nice-looking but inexpensive thank you cards. Buy 8. If you must make your life harder also grab a holiday themed card or two.

Every time there is a request for teacher appreciation, Venmo the organizer, have your kid scribble in a card, add a gift card and send the card to school. Do not “scramble”. Do not volunteer for anything extra. Do not stress further. Do not continue to think about this after confirming the card reached the teacher.

Tone deaf, much? Not all of us have $400 to “just” throw around at any one time, let alone to pre-pay a long-term investment for some future date. Wow, $50 each for teacher gift cards? Must be freaking nice. Wow, how organized you are, what a planner you are. Oh, wait. You’re just rich.

I mean... I'm definitely not rich, solidly MC by DCUM standards but I basically do what this PP suggests. It's a priority to me to be able to give to DC's teachers.
I SAH now but was a teacher. Gift cards are best, no need for much of anything else. Of course I had many students who genuinely could not afford gifts of any type but when their parents thanked me for helping them or whatever that was just as awesome as a gift card.
I started out working at a wealthy school and during TAW the PTA did a catered lunch from a very nice restaurant and that was the only time I felt like it was worth the effort they put in...but I'm sure it was $$.

NP. Ohhhhh, so people who can afford to pre-pay $400 at a time for teacher gift cards are able to do so because it’s a “priority.” Got it. Sorry, poors, you’re going to have to make $400 for gift cards a *priority.* It has to be important to you. Go put the bread, green beans, cereal and milk back, because Good People Prioritize Gift Cards. It’s a matter of priorities, you see. Not means.

Yeah this is crazy to me. We don't make a lot for DCUM and $50 is more than our budget for Christmas or birthday gifts for any adults, including each other (we usually try to keep it $20-40 max). $400 is close to what we'd spend at Christmas for the entire extended family. Teachers are important but not a higher priority than everyone else in my life.

JFC. Do you people have no imagination or problem solving ability? If you can’t buy $50, buy $20. If you can’t buy $20, buy $10. If you can’t afford $10, have your kid make a free card at home. The point is that all of these things can be planned in ADVANCE instead of throwing tantrums when the dates show up just as they do every year.

If the room parent asks for specific things every day of a week, it is not a requirement. If it’s sooooo harrrrd and you’re soooo buuuuusy, just don’t do it. But we all know you won’t, because then you wouldn’t get attention for whining about your mEnTal LoAd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are all you moms doing all the work? Where are the kids’ dads?

You are doing this wrong.

You mean administration. The moms didn’t hire the teachers and they aren’t aren’t personal employees. Administration should be planning and executing teacher appreciation. If they don’t, oh well. Join the rest of us that get no “appreciation week” of gift cards and free food

Good news! They’re hiring! Enjoy your pay cut, but hey, that’s OK, because it’ll be made up for by all those sweet, sweet gift cards and free food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every. Year.

Every year, someone starts this thread.

Every year, Teacher Appreciation Week is just before Mother’s Day.

Every. Year.

So plan for it. Buy whatever in February, write a note and stick it in your tickler file. Send it in for Teacher Appreciation Week and then do whatever else you feel like doing that week. No one is forcing you.

So much whining.

Every year. Every YEAR. Every year, apparently, you click into a thread you think is whining/beneath you, and you make it longer. You’re sooo above it!

It is whining. A huge whine-fest.

Don’t worry. The whiners are just using this thread to tide their attention-seeking over until next weekend, when they can start complaining about Dog Moms “stealing their attention” on Mother’s Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is comical.

First of all, you’re “run ragged” because of … teacher appreciation week at your kids school? I don’t even know what that means. You can literally do absolutely NOTHING for teacher appreciation week and it’ll be just fine.

Second, and just so I’m clear, we’re now blocking out not only Mothers Day but the entire week beforehand? Jesus Christ. I’ll bet you also throw yourself a “birthday week”.

Grow up.

Are you somehow saying that OP, personally, turned a nationally-recognized week into a “Week”? Are you saying that she and she alone chose to stretch this out? I’ve had kids in elementary and daycare for 11 years now, and it has always been a week. Numerous theme days, sign-ups, food carts, etc. Of course “no one has to participate” but you know who would notice if our family didn’t participate? My kids. They are now old enough to write their own notes, but that hasn’t always been the case.

OP is whining about teacher appreciation week occurring immediately before Mother’s Day. That’s the entire point of the post. Read the title.

The implicit statement is that the Put-Upon UMC Suburban Housewife is entitled not only to Mother's Day, but also (apparently) to a week of leisure beforehand that shouldn’t be crowded with any other tasks or obligations—including the overwhelming burden of buying a GD gift card from Starbucks.

NP. I don’t think that’s what she’s saying. I don’t think she’s advocating for a week of leisure, but rather pointing out how crappy the timing is. Yes, it’s optional, but we’ve all been “one more thing-ed” to the point of stress before. There’s a huge difference between saying OP is asking to be feted for a week and what she actually seems to be saying, which is let’s not put a big burden on moms for a week and then be like “oh yeah, and here’s your day.”

You are absolutely hilarious. Truly. Thanks for the laugh.