Gift cards to teachers. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I think it makes some parents feel in a superior position (subconsciously of course).

But I agree, it’s a cultural difference in the end. For us teachers are professionals and not our paid employees. I would be offended in the teacher’s place and I am sure the teachers from my country would too. Americans teachers perhaps do not feel offended because it’s a given nowadays and they are practicals and parents like the position of feeling like they are able to help the poor teachers.

I think a thank you card made by the student is much more appropriate or a small gift we bring back from our travelings to show we thought of them and what they might enjoy.

Honestly, the teacher may not want a small gift from your travels. What are they going to do with it?

Op a gift cards is better. Imagine the collection of trinkets and coffee cups some teachers have.

But the difference is that I want to give them something that I/my kids chose or made for them. I don’t think they need my money. Buying an Amazon gift card takes me 1 minute and ny kids zero time. Making a card, going to a store and buying a special present takes my kids time and effort. Ultimately, they are the ones that need to appreciate their teachers and show their appreciation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do it because I think many teachers are underpaid and unappreciated in this country. And because I was a teacher and I know I was constantly spending my own money on school stuff.

This. Teachers shouldn't spend their own money on YOUR kids, but they do. Buy them a target gift card or if you don't want to get a gift card, ask them what they need for their classroom and then go buy it! And if you want ask a few times a year (beginning, December, and spring).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to start saying that I am not American and grew up in Europe. My kids go to private schools and we have been giving gift cards ($25-100) per teacher every year.

I am trying to understand why we do this. I do it because of peer pressure. All other parents/kids bring gift cards and I don’t want my kids to be the only ones that do not.

Why do other people in American do this? We have never done this in my home country. I think teachers (who are professionals) would be offended to receive a gift card.

I think a special gift or a home made card would be nice to show appreciation… money is offensive in my opinion. It seems to come from a “thanking the help” place and not a nice genuine desire to thank these professionals that teach our children.

Please don’t say that I don’t have to. I feel compelled to when everyone else does it.

I am a private school teacher and this is exactly how I feel about it. I am deeply uncomfortable with the gift cards and cash gifts. But I am very much in the minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I think it makes some parents feel in a superior position (subconsciously of course).

But I agree, it’s a cultural difference in the end. For us teachers are professionals and not our paid employees. I would be offended in the teacher’s place and I am sure the teachers from my country would too. Americans teachers perhaps do not feel offended because it’s a given nowadays and they are practicals and parents like the position of feeling like they are able to help the poor teachers.

I think a thank you card made by the student is much more appropriate or a small gift we bring back from our travelings to show we thought of them and what they might enjoy.

Honestly, the teacher may not want a small gift from your travels. What are they going to do with it?

Op a gift cards is better. Imagine the collection of trinkets and coffee cups some teachers have.

But the difference is that I want to give them something that I/my kids chose or made for them. I don’t think they need my money. Buying an Amazon gift card takes me 1 minute and ny kids zero time. Making a card, going to a store and buying a special present takes my kids time and effort. Ultimately, they are the ones that need to appreciate their teachers and show their appreciation.

Is the gift about you as the giver and what you want to give or is it about the teacher and what they’d like to receive?!

Writing a nice card or having your kid draw a picture is great. If you’re giving stuff though, It sounds like you’d rather buy the teacher some useless junk instead of something they’d appreciate more (gift card). If you taught hundreds of kids over years and every one did as you propose, Op, imagine how many coffee mugs and candles and hand lotions you'd have?? I taught high school so I had 120+ students per year. Id be on hoarders if each student over years gave me souvenirs from their vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it because I think many teachers are underpaid and unappreciated in this country. And because I was a teacher and I know I was constantly spending my own money on school stuff.

This. Teachers shouldn't spend their own money on YOUR kids, but they do. Buy them a target gift card or if you don't want to get a gift card, ask them what they need for their classroom and then go buy it! And if you want ask a few times a year (beginning, December, and spring).

If you are spending $40K+ a year on tutition and your child's teacher needs to spend their own money on classroom supplies, something is deeply awry in your school's budgeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it because I think many teachers are underpaid and unappreciated in this country. And because I was a teacher and I know I was constantly spending my own money on school stuff.

This. Teachers shouldn't spend their own money on YOUR kids, but they do. Buy them a target gift card or if you don't want to get a gift card, ask them what they need for their classroom and then go buy it! And if you want ask a few times a year (beginning, December, and spring).

If you are spending $40K+ a year on tutition and your child's teacher needs to spend their own money on classroom supplies, something is deeply awry in your school's budgeting.

Sorry. I thought this was in the private school forum. Yes, I do realize that public school teachers are spending their own money on their classrooms.

[Anonymous]

I grew up here and it was not a thing. People would give little gifts to teachers, but that’s fallen out of favor. My mom would bring home boxes of chocolates and baked goods, ornaments and mugs (so many) and little “#1 Teacher” Knick knacks. A lot of it was junk. So then people got on social media and starting asking and the consensus has become gift cards. Do you have to do this? No. So stop doing it.

We give one bc every teacher I know has spent their own money on classroom supplies. So at least this way they can use our gift card for that, instead of their own money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I think it makes some parents feel in a superior position (subconsciously of course).

But I agree, it’s a cultural difference in the end. For us teachers are professionals and not our paid employees. I would be offended in the teacher’s place and I am sure the teachers from my country would too. Americans teachers perhaps do not feel offended because it’s a given nowadays and they are practicals and parents like the position of feeling like they are able to help the poor teachers.

I think a thank you card made by the student is much more appropriate or a small gift we bring back from our travelings to show we thought of them and what they might enjoy.

Honestly, the teacher may not want a small gift from your travels. What are they going to do with it?

Op a gift cards is better. Imagine the collection of trinkets and coffee cups some teachers have.

But the difference is that I want to give them something that I/my kids chose or made for them. I don’t think they need my money. Buying an Amazon gift card takes me 1 minute and ny kids zero time. Making a card, going to a store and buying a special present takes my kids time and effort. Ultimately, they are the ones that need to appreciate their teachers and show their appreciation.

So it's about what you want to do, not what might be useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I think it makes some parents feel in a superior position (subconsciously of course).

But I agree, it’s a cultural difference in the end. For us teachers are professionals and not our paid employees. I would be offended in the teacher’s place and I am sure the teachers from my country would too. Americans teachers perhaps do not feel offended because it’s a given nowadays and they are practicals and parents like the position of feeling like they are able to help the poor teachers.

I think a thank you card made by the student is much more appropriate or a small gift we bring back from our travelings to show we thought of them and what they might enjoy.

Honestly, the teacher may not want a small gift from your travels. What are they going to do with it?

Op a gift cards is better. Imagine the collection of trinkets and coffee cups some teachers have.

But the difference is that I want to give them something that I/my kids chose or made for them. I don’t think they need my money. Buying an Amazon gift card takes me 1 minute and ny kids zero time. Making a card, going to a store and buying a special present takes my kids time and effort. Ultimately, they are the ones that need to appreciate their teachers and show their appreciation.

Is the gift about you as the giver and what you want to give or is it about the teacher and what they’d like to receive?!

Writing a nice card or having your kid draw a picture is great. If you’re giving stuff though, It sounds like you’d rather buy the teacher some useless junk instead of something they’d appreciate more (gift card). If you taught hundreds of kids over years and every one did as you propose, Op, imagine how many coffee mugs and candles and hand lotions you'd have?? I taught high school so I had 120+ students per year. Id be on hoarders if each student over years gave me souvenirs from their vacations.

^^^
That, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it because I think many teachers are underpaid and unappreciated in this country. And because I was a teacher and I know I was constantly spending my own money on school stuff.

This. Teachers shouldn't spend their own money on YOUR kids, but they do. Buy them a target gift card or if you don't want to get a gift card, ask them what they need for their classroom and then go buy it! And if you want ask a few times a year (beginning, December, and spring).

If you are spending $40K+ a year on tutition and your child's teacher needs to spend their own money on classroom supplies, something is deeply awry in your school's budgeting.

My kid goes to public school. I don't pay $40k for tuition!

[Anonymous]

As a parent I feel compelled to give a gift to the people who spend 6+ hrs a day with my child, that’s a long time! They have a relationship, sometimes that’s more time than I spend with my child, I see it as honoring that chunk of time they spend together.

As a private school teacher I get spoiled during the holidays and end of year gifts , and receiving monetary gifts doesn’t offend me at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I look at it as reimbursing the teacher for things they buy out of pocket for the classroom vs thanking the help.

I don’t. If they feel they should be reimbursed then they should set up an itemized list and specify what they spent on classroom supplies and leave options for direct reimbursements. Or submit their expenses to their boss to get reimbursement. If there isn’t money in the budget, stop buying it! Kids will learn just the same. Classrooms function (better even) all over the world with way fewer supplies and way less money spent.

Yeah, those kids don’t need pencils or tissues! Those teachers should just have the kids write in the dirt outside and wipe their snotty noses with their sleeves.

It isn’t the teachers’ responsibility to buy these supplies. So they should stop (both buying them and complaining about it) If they refused to buy the essentials, I guarantee the districts would buy them.

Have you seen the tissues? They are shitty one ply sandpaper ones. I am happy to buy Kleenex or Puffs to help stop virus spread.

[Anonymous]

My parents did not give shit to my teachers.

[Anonymous]

I send in supplies to the classroom a lot, and will also buy stuff for the classroom off teacher wish lists.

I have always given gift cards to teachers but this year I might stop. Largely because I recently learned most of the teachers at our (public) school make more than we do. I don't resent them their paycheck, but when I learned of their salaries, I realized that I am too poor to be doing this! It feels weird to be giving money as a thank you to someone for doing a job for which they are paid more than the job I do, for which no one thanks me except very occasionally my employer.

We will still send a card with a thank you note and some kid art.

[Anonymous]

Can we just be honest and admit that we do it because we want them to treat our kids well?