Class gift for teacher: help me understand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer when room parents calculate the various gifts throughout the year and ask for a suggested amount up front at the beginning of the year. That said, my mom was a teacher and I find it ridiculous that our teachers are regularly getting $500 gift cards multiple times a year - yes they work hard, but honestly the teachers in the less fortunate neighborhoods work harder, spend more of their own $$ and get much less (we have a family friend who teaches at one school, so I asked her). Maybe consider matching your annual gift to a less fortunate school?

Do you work? Do you get a holiday or annual bonus? Is it at least $500? For many, many people in this area the answer to that is yes. Why shouldn't teachers receive bonuses as well?

Then the county that employs them should do the bonuses.

Does your boss give your bonus or your coworkers give you?

[Anonymous]

Wow I've never seen such little appreciation for a person who spends an entire school year with the most precious person in your life - a child! Cheap cheap cheap and ungrateful. No wonder America is the mess it is.

[Anonymous]

I no longer contribute to group gifts as a result. We do our own personal gift only if we like the teacher.

[Anonymous]

In the past I've given $10 to the group gift but then gotten our own gift card or small item on the side

[Anonymous]

If you want to give $50 then I recommend giving an individual gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am shocked at how many people think $10 is an appropriate amount for a class gift! I also give $50. I've never had the room mom publicize how much the total is and I'm OK with not knowing. I give what I think we should. Its sad that others don't though. Honestly makes me want to give more to cover the lower amounts!!

This is so entitled! $50 is a whole lot to many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow I've never seen such little appreciation for a person who spends an entire school year with the most precious person in your life - a child! Cheap cheap cheap and ungrateful. No wonder America is the mess it is.

Monetary contributions do not equal appreciation!

[Anonymous]

Do your own gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every class I’ve ever been in the room parent has all kids sign the card regardless of donation participation or not. This whole situation just sounds a bit off to me.

Ours doesn't, they specifically say they will get the kids whose families contributed to sign it. You're supposed to write the child's name in Venmo in case they don't know who is who.

[Anonymous]

For people asking, in FCPS the limit is $100 per teacher per family per year. So you can give amounts larger than $20 but that shouldn’t add up to more than $100. In DD school room parents can’t touch money which is annoying when it comes to planning parties but there are no issues with group gift cards

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d just do an individual gift and skip the group gift. Or contribute $5-$10 (as that seems to be the norm for the group) to the group gift, and give an individual gift if you like.

Agree!

[Anonymous]

Our room parents at this age asked for $20 donations and signed it from the whole class. It’s petty to leave out names who didn’t contribute no matter what the reason.

I have to say though, parents sure at cheap at your school.

[Anonymous]

OP, my ASD kid is in special education, and he’s quite difficult at times. So I feel a need to give gifts to the special educators who work with him, in addition to the classroom teacher. This year I gave gifts to four teachers; next year it will be five. I cannot afford to give $50 to each teacher. It’s great that you can.

[Anonymous]

I’m a room mom for a third grade class of 18 and just organized a group gift for the teacher and a classroom helper. 6 parents donated $250 for the main teacher and $125 for the aide (so $375 total). I think $5-10 seems very low!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: in public school districts there is a formal limit on amt that can be given for gift cards per parent (in MCPS it's $20) - how are you all able to circumvent it in case of larger individual gifts? Just buy an item and remove the price? Ignore the limit?

People don’t care and want to prove how “generous” they are.