How much do you spend on gifts or gift cards for teachers at school?

[Anonymous]

$10 to the main teacher, $5 to specials. It is a token appreciation, same as to therapists and extra curricular coaches and the like.

I don't understand the $50 and $100 answers. These are paid positions, not charity or volunteers. I am a teacher, and anything over $20 makes me really uncomfortable. Is it a bribe? Do you feel sorry for me? Write an email of appreciation to my principal or contribute to the staff luncheon the PTA puts on and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Our county says $20 is the max. I give $20 to main teacher and $5 to specials like PE. Specials teachers have hundreds of kids they work with

[Anonymous]

I’m not a parent but a middle school teacher. The gift cards I get are mostly for $20 or $25, and sometimes $10. Nothing is expected but it is always appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do $100 per child, but my children’s school does a pool so it’s from the whole classroom. I greatly prefer this as I want to be generous (they do so much!) but don’t want to be seen as trying to curry favor.

Is that even allowed?

Why wouldn’t it be? I just got a room parent email last week with suggested amount of $50 per kid. But this was just a suggested amount and we could choose to give more or less. They also collect for teacher and assistant birthdays and teacher’s appreciation.

In VA public school teachers are not allowed to accept gifts at or valued at anything over $100 total FOR THE YEAR. They can lose their job if they do. I suspect enforcement is low on that, but it puts the teacher in an awkward spot of maybe having to turn down a gift if it's too pricey.

Pretty sure most ES teachers are getting more than $100 for the holidays and end of year. Not even sure how anyone could enforce this.

[Anonymous]

I used to give $100 gift cards, but scaling it down to $50 this year due to our own budget

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our county says $20 is the max. I give $20 to main teacher and $5 to specials like PE. Specials teachers have hundreds of kids they work with

Sorry but $5 is so insulting- whether they have hundreds of kids or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$10 to the main teacher, $5 to specials. It is a token appreciation, same as to therapists and extra curricular coaches and the like.

I don't understand the $50 and $100 answers. These are paid positions, not charity or volunteers. I am a teacher, and anything over $20 makes me really uncomfortable. Is it a bribe? Do you feel sorry for me? Write an email of appreciation to my principal or contribute to the staff luncheon the PTA puts on and call it a day.

How easily offended do you get that anything over $20 makes you feel uncomfortable!?

I’m a teacher and a parent myself, gift cards make me happy- not uncomfortable, I use the money to purchase things I wouldn’t otherwise get for myself

And as a parent I love to give to my kids’ teachers- If I have ever made you feel uncomfortable with a generous gift, please give it back to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our county says $20 is the max. I give $20 to main teacher and $5 to specials like PE. Specials teachers have hundreds of kids they work with

Sorry but $5 is so insulting- whether they have hundreds of kids or not.

If you’re insulted, that’s on you. I would happily get myself a free coffee and go on with my day.

[Anonymous]

A parent at our school organizes a pool and then gets gift cards for all school staff, so I give to that ($100). Should I be giving a gift to the classroom teacher beyond that? We are in MCPS so I think the limit is something like $20-25 anyway.

[Anonymous]

Our room parent is totally clueless. She's collecting money from parents in the amount of $200+ and is planning on giving the teacher 1 giftcard. I can't wait to see if the teacher accepts it (MCPS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do $100 per child, but my children’s school does a pool so it’s from the whole classroom. I greatly prefer this as I want to be generous (they do so much!) but don’t want to be seen as trying to curry favor.

Is that even allowed?

Why wouldn’t it be? I just got a room parent email last week with suggested amount of $50 per kid. But this was just a suggested amount and we could choose to give more or less. They also collect for teacher and assistant birthdays and teacher’s appreciation.

In VA public school teachers are not allowed to accept gifts at or valued at anything over $100 total FOR THE YEAR. They can lose their job if they do. I suspect enforcement is low on that, but it puts the teacher in an awkward spot of maybe having to turn down a gift if it's too pricey.

Pretty sure most ES teachers are getting more than $100 for the holidays and end of year. Not even sure how anyone could enforce this.

It's $100 per student not $100 total..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our county says $20 is the max. I give $20 to main teacher and $5 to specials like PE. Specials teachers have hundreds of kids they work with

Sorry but $5 is so insulting- whether they have hundreds of kids or not.

I am a specials teacher and although I do have hundreds of students I get about 10 gifts maximum. Since I don’t get many I’m grateful for each one. Notes are appreciated as well. I always write thank you notes even for small gifts.

[Anonymous]

I contributed to the class gift ($100 plus gift card to teacher). Do most people give an individual gift to the teacher as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our room parent is totally clueless. She's collecting money from parents in the amount of $200+ and is planning on giving the teacher 1 giftcard. I can't wait to see if the teacher accepts it (MCPS).

What’s the limit for group gifts? If you know something that would be helpful for the room parent to know, why not tell her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$10 to the main teacher, $5 to specials. It is a token appreciation, same as to therapists and extra curricular coaches and the like.

I don't understand the $50 and $100 answers. These are paid positions, not charity or volunteers. I am a teacher, and anything over $20 makes me really uncomfortable. Is it a bribe? Do you feel sorry for me? Write an email of appreciation to my principal or contribute to the staff luncheon the PTA puts on and call it a day.

How easily offended do you get that anything over $20 makes you feel uncomfortable!?

I’m a teacher and a parent myself, gift cards make me happy- not uncomfortable, I use the money to purchase things I wouldn’t otherwise get for myself

And as a parent I love to give to my kids’ teachers- If I have ever made you feel uncomfortable with a generous gift, please give it back to me.

I am not a teacher, but am a public employee and we are subject to specific gifts rules. Receiving gifts over the allowed amount would put me in an awkward situation and legally I would be required to return it. Im guessing there is no enforcement in the public school districts and probably no ramifications so long as the teacher and parent don’t advertise it, but your disbelief over how large gifts could make a teacher uncomfortable is kind of puzzling to me…