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

[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.

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most teachers don't want gifts. They want gift cards or simple notes of appreciation.

No. One. On this thread. Said. Otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Feeling like Mother’s Day and the week before Mother’s Day is this important is a cry from help for yourself. It suggests you’re not feeling appreciated or supported by your family in your day to day life. So you’re putting a bunch of pressure on Mother’s Day to “make up” in some way for the other days and that’s just not a healthy or sustainable way to approach it.

Somehow, you have to achieve some more balance where you’re spending less time caring for other people and more time on yourself. I know it’s tough. But it’s the only solution. Your family may or may not help you with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People things are putting in this thread that aren’t true:
1) I buy “trinkets” when the reality is I only buy gift cards and then contribute to PTA-sponsored meals

2) My kids aren’t well-behaved? Where did that come from? My kids have never had a single behavior problem at school, and get outstanding grades.

Anything else you want to make up and invent?

I see your problem now. You blow things out of proportion. That's why a gift card and a package of napkins are just so inconvenient for you. Especially before Mother’s Day! *gasp* *faint from the exhaustion of it all*

[Anonymous]

Just give $100 visa card to the Teacher's and maybe $25 for the assistants.
Teachers don't have big salaries and they are shaping our children's future. We have to appreciate them! $100 visa card or more it will make the teacher's very happy and makes me feel good to show my appreciation to them.
I sent them emails, I made a photo frame with her and my child together and my son wrote a card and gave his teacher a nice hundreds of dollars of visacard.

[Anonymous]

Our class parents must be more organized than yours. We Venmo’d $$ for this two weeks ago, there’s literally nothing to do other than have our kid draw in a card which we have to do most weeks for birthdays anyway…

[Anonymous]

I send cleaning wipes and tell my child to behave and be helpful. That's it.

[Anonymous]

In elementary I would always forget despite tons of reminders. I would always meant to sign up to bring something or send money. So I would end making a trip to the atm at lunch time and end up giving a kid drawn pic and $20 cash. Never got any complaints

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of Teacher Appreciation week, we do Staff Appreciation month. Once a week, there is something for staff. The work is spread out and there’s less pressure to get it all done in one week.

Last week we (the PTO) paid for an ice cream food truck to come for a couple of hours at lunchtime. This coming week we’re catering a lunch. The following week we’re setting up a candy bar. The last week is stocking the lounges and fridges with drinks & snacks.

Different parents sign up for the one event that week. Staff appreciates having it spread out.

I honestly can’t decide which is worse.

At our school, gratitude it shown through food, and food only. I stopped volunteering because it was too much. I'm okay with luncheons...but it was the hot coca cart, desserts, food trucks, carnival-themed snack bags, buffets of popcorn and candy, etc.

As a long-time PTA volunteer, I can guarantee you teachers hate that. If you can, please persuade whoever is running this to stop.

Not at our school. We love food. Food is love.

[Anonymous]

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?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re not required to do any of this. If you don’t want to don’t.

+1 but it’s another way to martyr yourself. Men aren’t “running themselves ragged” over teacher apprentice.

Stop inventing work that you then are going to complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Just give $100 visa card to the Teacher's and maybe $25 for the assistants.
Teachers don't have big salaries and they are shaping our children's future. We have to appreciate them! $100 visa card or more it will make the teacher's very happy and makes me feel good to show my appreciation to them.
I sent them emails, I made a photo frame with her and my child together and my son wrote a card and gave his teacher a nice hundreds of dollars of visacard.

Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give cash to teachers. That is what I do. I give gift cards to all my kid's teachers.

OP here. I…literally said in my original post that I give gift cards to teachers. I don’t get them cutesy crap, just a gift card and a note, and then I also make a contribution to whatever the PTA is doing, like muffins or napkins or something. I consider that to be pretty bare bones, but still…all of it is a lot on top of everything else moms do. I think it would be much nicer if Teacher Appreciation was at the end of the school year or something, not right before Mother’s Day.

This seems like such a minor commitment that it’s hard to see why it matters that it’s right before Mother’s Day. Also every single thing you mentioned can be done at any point in time during the school year. Pick a week in September and run to the store and get a gift card, a card and some napkins. Heck you could do it once and purchase everything for all six or seven years of your kid’s elementary years - none of this is perishable.

Do you mean like do it in September, which many of us already do to prepare for *teacher holiday gifts*?

I never heard of teacher holiday gifts. Sounds made up at your school

[Anonymous]

Teacher of 30 years here, and I was a parent too.
Give if you want; it can be nothing or a simple greeting card, $5 gift card to Starbucks, candle.

Thanks, no judgement, I didn’t get into teaching to get wealthy

[Anonymous]

Op is probably ok with teachers running themselves ragged, coming up with crafts for Mother’s Day and likely paying for it out of their own pocket.