Is it appropriate to give $100 gift cards to teachers/counselor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Id like to see a teacher look a kid straight in the eye and say- you cause a lot of classroom trouble, and stress all year long and the only reason you passed is because my boss makes me pass everyone. No reference. Get out of my classroom.

That teacher would be fired so fast.

It’s actually better to write a negative letter. It wouldn’t be the first time I do it and it certainly won’t be the last. Then, the crocodile tears come pouring in cause Johnny/Larla wasn’t admitted to their “dream *insert whatever delusional thing they thought they would get*”

This, so much this.

You ask me for a recommendation letter, I will write it... but I write the truth. Good, bad, and ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only gift teachers want is not to be harassed by parents and admin to fraud the data and to ignore the violence. That would be worth more than a thousand gift cards. Some peace and support

I am sure giving an A- instead of a B+ would make your life as well as the parents and students life easier.
As a parent who doesn’t harass teachers I am just so sad when kid gets B+’s. He is the type of kid to never ask, and sometimes the stars just don’t align.
Don’t teachers know the game the parents and students are forced to play?

WTF PP? Grades are not about making one's life easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it exceeds the maximum they are allowed to accept, it’s inappropriate.

As a teacher, I would still accept it.

[Anonymous]

We give $25-30 at holiday and sometimes at the end of the school year. Then for each child we have them identify 4/5 teachers that have had the greatest impact on their HS years right before graduation. We have them right a note and include $100 - they give them the last day or two of school.
IMO teachers are not paid enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not at all appropriate if the student is still on my roster and grades are still in flux. I'd wait until the very end of the year to give any gift beyond a thank you card.

If it is last year's student and this is public school, I'd cap it at $25 (the most we are supposed to accept from a student in my district).

Please heed this teacher's advice. It's mind-blowing how the first posters just casually want to bribe people. In many workplaces, you'd be fired for that. You can't behave like Donald Trump and think everyone is for sale.

No one forces teachers to accept these gifts. They’re the ones responsible for following school policies as they are their employers. If they don’t want to follow them, I’m not going to make them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not at all appropriate if the student is still on my roster and grades are still in flux. I'd wait until the very end of the year to give any gift beyond a thank you card.

If it is last year's student and this is public school, I'd cap it at $25 (the most we are supposed to accept from a student in my district).

Please heed this teacher's advice. It's mind-blowing how the first posters just casually want to bribe people. In many workplaces, you'd be fired for that. You can't behave like Donald Trump and think everyone is for sale.

No one forces teachers to accept these gifts. They’re the ones responsible for following school policies as they are their employers. If they don’t want to follow them, I’m not going to make them.

So you’re comfortable putting teachers in awkward, unethical situations. That’s not a kind way of rewarding them for their hard work.

- teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymously donate to teacher appreciation from across the school/district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s school has a cap of a $5 value on gifts but I’ve never had a complaint from a teacher about gift cards in higher amounts! No sense in worrying about silly rules when teachers work so hard and deserve much more.

There's no human law against you being unethical; true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Id like to see a teacher look a kid straight in the eye and say- you cause a lot of classroom trouble, and stress all year long and the only reason you passed is because my boss makes me pass everyone. No reference. Get out of my classroom.

That teacher would be fired so fast.

It’s actually better to write a negative letter. It wouldn’t be the first time I do it and it certainly won’t be the last. Then, the crocodile tears come pouring in cause Johnny/Larla wasn’t admitted to their “dream *insert whatever delusional thing they thought they would get*”

Even better: write a hugely supportive letter so the kid can waste $100K to flunk out of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We give $25-30 at holiday and sometimes at the end of the school year. Then for each child we have them identify 4/5 teachers that have had the greatest impact on their HS years right before graduation. We have them right a note and include $100 - they give them the last day or two of school.
IMO teachers are not paid enough.

This is what we do too.
They obviously do it for the love of the job and not for the money.
And the ones who love their job and really make the class amazing for our kids are the ones that COINCIDENTALLY (!!) have the greatest impact to our kids and stand out and get the gifts. Always cash. IDC if it's inappropriate or awkward. It's coming from a place deep in my heart that these people are amazing at their jobs. Not many could do it (I could not.) and they do it with verve!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say 500$ for every letter grade boost. If you want to turn a F into an A it might cost 2000$

I have actually done this but never got caught. I invest that cash and it’s great returns. Being a teacher is underpaid so I gotta do what I gotta do. Moral righteous folks you can spare me your lessons.

You know you are scum and it will catch up with you one day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

This is AFTER the recs were submitted, not before. So our gift cards are not influencing the results.

Of course, DC is writing a proper handwritten letter to each teacher thanking them. That goes without saying.

YOU ARE CREATING AN EXPECTATION OF BRIBERY.

Do you work in the Trump Administration?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We give $25-30 at holiday and sometimes at the end of the school year. Then for each child we have them identify 4/5 teachers that have had the greatest impact on their HS years right before graduation. We have them right a note and include $100 - they give them the last day or two of school.
IMO teachers are not paid enough.

This is what we do too.
They obviously do it for the love of the job and not for the money.
And the ones who love their job and really make the class amazing for our kids are the ones that COINCIDENTALLY (!!) have the greatest impact to our kids and stand out and get the gifts. Always cash. IDC if it's inappropriate or awkward. It's coming from a place deep in my heart that these people are amazing at their jobs. Not many could do it (I could not.) and they do it with verve!

I’m that type of teacher. PLEASE care about how it is received. Yes, it’s awkward. It puts me in the position to either give it back to you or to find a way to donate it.

A thank you note is best! I’ll keep that for the remainder of my career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not at all appropriate if the student is still on my roster and grades are still in flux. I'd wait until the very end of the year to give any gift beyond a thank you card.

If it is last year's student and this is public school, I'd cap it at $25 (the most we are supposed to accept from a student in my district).

Please heed this teacher's advice. It's mind-blowing how the first posters just casually want to bribe people. In many workplaces, you'd be fired for that. You can't behave like Donald Trump and think everyone is for sale.

No one forces teachers to accept these gifts. They’re the ones responsible for following school policies as they are their employers. If they don’t want to follow them, I’m not going to make them.

So you’re comfortable putting teachers in awkward, unethical situations. That’s not a kind way of rewarding them for their hard work.

- teacher

I have a close family member who is a teacher. She says there are families you can accept gifts like that from and families you cannot. In the case of the letter, you simply give the gift card to the principal and let them deal with it, which isn’t awkward or unethical for anyone.

In my case, I have never hesitated to give $250/$300 to teachers who deserve it at the holidays. I kind of get the impression you’re not the kind to deserve it. The people I mean are the ones who really connected with my kids, opened their mind to something extraordinary, etc. I know at least one used the gift for an expensive item for her classroom she has thanked me for again in subsequent school years.

[Anonymous]

Give it to the teachers directly. Anyone saying otherwise is not a teacher and does not understand how deeply underappreciated and underpaid they are.