crap -- please tell me some of you do NOT give cash/gift card to homeroom teacher at Xmas?

[Anonymous]

I have really mixed feelings. I sort of hate giving gift cards: it seems to imply that the relationship is merely transactional, and that a monetary value can be placed on it. At the same time, I recognize that a gift card (accompanied by a nice personal note from the child and the parents!!) may be a more practical gift, and appreciated by teachers, who tend to be underpaid. (Let's face it, I am an overpaid lawyer, and even so, I like getting gift cards myself!).

This year we contributed $ to the class gift (big gift-card) in one child's class and DD (age 9) made the teachers hand-made cards. In the other child's class there was no class-wide gift, so we got nice boxes of Godiva chocolates and some fancy coffee (teacher is a coffee-aholic), and in that class too child contributed a hand-made card. We'll do another gift at year's end, so maybe we will mix it up a bit then.

But though I think teachers at our kids' school are underpaid and are probably quite happy to get gift cards, I also think heartfelt verbal thanks are important. We could not be more full of admiration and appreciation for our children's teachers, and try to make sure we let them know it on a regular basis, not just on special occasions.

[Anonymous]

Private school teacher here. Yes, we are not highly paid. Yes, we go "above and beyond." However, we are professional educators and should not be "tipped"! A small gift is always nice if you are so inclined, but getting expensive gifts from my students is rather uncomfortable to me (a Starbucks card or something small like that is fine and appreciated).

I would be absolutely mortified if a parent gave me cash. That seems really inappropriate. (I have never gotten cash from a parent FWIW!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private school teacher here. Yes, we are not highly paid. Yes, we go "above and beyond." However, we are professional educators and should not be "tipped"! A small gift is always nice if you are so inclined, but getting expensive gifts from my students is rather uncomfortable to me (a Starbucks card or something small like that is fine and appreciated).

I would be absolutely mortified if a parent gave me cash. That seems really inappropriate. (I have never gotten cash from a parent FWIW!)

Thanks for your feedback -- what would you consider an appropriate amount for a Starbucks or other gift card?

[Anonymous]

I've gotten gift cards ranging from $5 Starbucks (which was lovely) to $100 Bloomingdales (which was nice, but I don't shop there). Really, anything is appreciated, even a heartfelt note. Two of my favorite gifts were a stone a student had painted with a peace sign and a poem a student wrote dedicated to me.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure where this gift-giving to teachers at Christmas started. No one did it that I'm aware of way back when I was in elementary school at an affluent district in upstate NY.

When a gift did come, it came at the end of the year, and was likely to be something simple like a coffee mug or whatever.

I do like the ideas of a heartfelt note or a painted rock.

[Anonymous]

The Post on Parenting blog had this as a topic. Apparently, its illegal for teachers, in one State to accept any gifts.
Interesting read + comments from many viewpoints.

[Anonymous]

This year we contributed to the class gift card and also we contributed to a charity in her name. You can do the charity contribution in her name online.

[Anonymous]

A relative to one of the heads at our school told me she was giving the teachers cookies.

We're doing small gift cards to Target, and a card from us and homemade cards from the kids.

[Anonymous]

We contributed to the class gift and also gave each teacher a paperwhite and a card from DC.

[Anonymous]

The Post on Parenting blog had this as a topic. Apparently, its illegal for teachers, in one State to accept any gifts.

That's not actually the topic of this thread. It's not illegal for teachers at private schools in the District of Columbia to accept gifts, so the question is, what is correct here in private school world of NW DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private school teacher here. Yes, we are not highly paid. Yes, we go "above and beyond." However, we are professional educators and should not be "tipped"! A small gift is always nice if you are so inclined, but getting expensive gifts from my students is rather uncomfortable to me (a Starbucks card or something small like that is fine and appreciated).

I would be absolutely mortified if a parent gave me cash. That seems really inappropriate. (I have never gotten cash from a parent FWIW!)

Thanks for your feedback -- what would you consider an appropriate amount for a Starbucks or other gift card?

PP here-- I would say $10-20.

[Anonymous]

$100 per teacher? Cash or gift certificate, steep.

[Anonymous]

big 3 teacher here. Of the 60 or so students I teach I received 6 gifts:
2 sets of home made cookies
bundt cake purchased from a nice bakery
2 boxes of chocolates
one note from a student saying thank you

I appreciated all 6 very much.

[Anonymous]

OP of the thread here.

I ultimately decided to give each teacher home-baked cookies and a token gift that DC picked out and was really "into". Then I made DC write a note to each teacher. (DC has something like eight teachers, so writing eight notes was no small thing for DC).

At the end of this year, I will give DCs homeroom teachers something equivalent to cash, like a Visa or Amazon gift card. I like and admire DCs teachers and I know they are not expecting an 18 - 22% tip like a waiter does. Yet OTOH, I have a bunch of teachers in my immediate and extended family, and from talking to them over the years I have concluded that they -- like everyone else in the USA -- like money. And since they make less of it than a grossly overpaid lobbyist for an energy company, I am going to include a little cash in the sincere thank you note I write them in May.

Thanks all for your perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:big 3 teacher here. Of the 60 or so students I teach I received 6 gifts:
2 sets of home made cookies
bundt cake purchased from a nice bakery
2 boxes of chocolates
one note from a student saying thank you

I appreciated all 6 very much.

Since you have 60 students you probably teach middle or high school. Once kids get into middle school with a lot of teachers, then tend to drop the gift giving thing for whatever reason. It is a much bigger deal for elementary kids.