When did thank you gifts become a thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as my child has a teacher every single year who is forced to use their own money to properly supply the classroom I will continue to give a monetary gift. Teachers are disgustingly underpaid and under appreciated. I could not do that job all day.

They need to go to school for 4 years. It is a very easy degree to get. They work 6-8hrs a day, 187 days a year. Guaranteed break of 1 hour for lunch/recess within a 6hr school day. For middle/upper school, they have guaranteed 2 periods off. Average MCPS salary is $80,000 and many can supplement that with a summer job or tutoring.

Most other full time salary employees work 8-10hr days, 260 days a year with no guarantee of a lunch break.

Sorry, they are not disgustingly underpaid. The best thing you can do for a teacher is back the F off, appreciate them, have their backs, and let them teach. I think most would take a pay-cut to not have to deal with the helicopter and tiger moms of our generation.

Agree, they are not underpaid. If you added them working summers, that's a good income. More than I make a gov't social worker.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a teacher but if you think teachers work 6 to 8 hours a day, you are way off. My mom was a teacher who got to school every day two hours before classes began. She came home, cooked dinner, and then graded papers and planned lessons long after I went to bed. She did have summers off, which is great. But she worked so hard the rest of the time and spent so much of her money and energy on her students that she really wore herself out. It is a HARD job to do really well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a teacher but if you think teachers work 6 to 8 hours a day, you are way off. My mom was a teacher who got to school every day two hours before classes began. She came home, cooked dinner, and then graded papers and planned lessons long after I went to bed. She did have summers off, which is great. But she worked so hard the rest of the time and spent so much of her money and energy on her students that she really wore herself out. It is a HARD job to do really well.

I will give you my anecdote to level the field:
My boyfriend (ex) was awarded Teacher of the Year 4 years in a row and was a Saturday morning "extra help" tutor at the local library once a month with the biggest attendance. In short, he was a fanastic and well respected teacher.
He was home by 4 pm every day, got all of his work done grading and planning during school hours. He used the same lesson plans year after year with minor tweaking he could do during his planning and lunch periods.
No work on weekends, went in at a normal hour in the morning.
He got so many days off in addition to summer vacation. He had maybe a few days of planning in the summer and that was it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you.

But let me tell you - I totally play the game with my son's special education teacher. I have been VERY nice to her for the whole year, and in return she had my back when I requested a special placement for him.

In a nutshell, this is how it works.

+1 this is exactly right. Some parents give extremely generous (inappropriate?) gifts and then get special attention/forgiveness in return.
I see nothing wrong with small gift cards ($25 and under) but it has gotten out of control. Our teacher got 4 baseball tickets from a kids mom. How does this make all the other children feel? Kids show up with enormous gift bags, bundles of flowers...it's all to show off. Whoever gives the best gift is most proud. I bet some kids feel pretty crummy seeing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you.

But let me tell you - I totally play the game with my son's special education teacher. I have been VERY nice to her for the whole year, and in return she had my back when I requested a special placement for him.

In a nutshell, this is how it works.

+1 this is exactly right. Some parents give extremely generous (inappropriate?) gifts and then get special attention/forgiveness in return.
I see nothing wrong with small gift cards ($25 and under) but it has gotten out of control. Our teacher got 4 baseball tickets from a kids mom. How does this make all the other children feel? Kids show up with enormous gift bags, bundles of flowers...it's all to show off. Whoever gives the best gift is most proud. I bet some kids feel pretty crummy seeing this.

At least at the end of the year you know it is true gratitude. There is no special attention or other favors you suspect go on because the school year is over. I would look at it like government workers. They can accept gifts, but only up to a certain amount. The county/district should set the limit for group gifts and one for individual. I think more should be allowed at the end of the year.

[Anonymous]

I prefer to help my children give an individual gift but I don't think giving a gift is insulting, as some of you have implied. I get bonuses and I get taken to lunch at work periodically as a thanks from my boss. The teacher gift is just a little acknowledgement. Try not to make too big a deal out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because these roles are a major justification for sahms to sahm. If you look at the under 4-forum, there's a bunch of posts on there ranting about how sahms are the ones who do all the tremendously important volunteer work at school. In my experience, 90% of that volunteer work is self serving and they're doing it to justify staying home. The school and the world would go on turning without people in those roles....

I am a room parent, as are several of my friends. We all have full time job outside the home. I get it, not everyone can take time out of their lives to volunteer at school but why is this board constantly putting down people who do volunteer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as my child has a teacher every single year who is forced to use their own money to properly supply the classroom I will continue to give a monetary gift. Teachers are disgustingly underpaid and under appreciated. I could not do that job all day.

They need to go to school for 4 years. It is a very easy degree to get. They work 6-8hrs a day, 187 days a year. Guaranteed break of 1 hour for lunch/recess within a 6hr school day. For middle/upper school, they have guaranteed 2 periods off. Average MCPS salary is $80,000 and many can supplement that with a summer job or tutoring.

Most other full time salary employees work 8-10hr days, 260 days a year with no guarantee of a lunch break.

Sorry, they are not disgustingly underpaid. The best thing you can do for a teacher is back the F off, appreciate them, have their backs, and let them teach. I think most would take a pay-cut to not have to deal with the helicopter and tiger moms of our generation.

Are you serious? Where are you getting this information? Teachers get to school before classes start and leave well after classes end. Lunch is not guaranteed. Teachers give up their lunch to help kids falling behind.
During specials they grade tests or work on lesson plans. The older our kids get the more of their personal time they spend. How long do you think it takes 1 teachers to grade 25 term papers? Wow PP you are seriously out of touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you.

But let me tell you - I totally play the game with my son's special education teacher. I have been VERY nice to her for the whole year, and in return she had my back when I requested a special placement for him.

In a nutshell, this is how it works.

+1 this is exactly right. Some parents give extremely generous (inappropriate?) gifts and then get special attention/forgiveness in return.
I see nothing wrong with small gift cards ($25 and under) but it has gotten out of control. Our teacher got 4 baseball tickets from a kids mom. How does this make all the other children feel? Kids show up with enormous gift bags, bundles of flowers...it's all to show off. Whoever gives the best gift is most proud. I bet some kids feel pretty crummy seeing this.

At least at the end of the year you know it is true gratitude. There is no special attention or other favors you suspect go on because the school year is over. I would look at it like government workers. They can accept gifts, but only up to a certain amount. The county/district should set the limit for group gifts and one for individual. I think more should be allowed at the end of the year.

Kids at our school bring $100 gift cards in for holiday and end of the year gifts. This doesn't seem to me like it should be permitted. It's a public school btw.

[Anonymous]

Our school asks for sugessted donations of $50 at winter break and at the end of the year. They usually end up collecting close to $1000 each time. Out of this they give the teacher $600 and the extra to the custodians, security guard, etc etc. I get it that none of these people make much money but they are also doing the jobs that they elected to take. I'm not sure why we as parents have to give them cash twice a year. I think it's done mostly out of wealthy guilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school asks for sugessted donations of $50 at winter break and at the end of the year. They usually end up collecting close to $1000 each time. Out of this they give the teacher $600 and the extra to the custodians, security guard, etc etc. I get it that none of these people make much money but they are also doing the jobs that they elected to take. I'm not sure why we as parents have to give them cash twice a year. I think it's done mostly out of wealthy guilt.

That is absurd to ask for that kind of money, plus all the other things and money they ask for all year. Not a chance I'd give that much. They make a reasonable amount for the professions they choose. In other parts of the country they are underpaid, but not here.

[Anonymous]

I got gift cards to DC's teacher and another teacher who did choir with them all year. I gave them as my appreciation for their hard work. I did it on the last day of school year so it's clear I'm not bribing them.