$100 is more than enough. I don't know why everyone needs gifts for doing their job. I think a card with a little message from each student would have been a great Christmas gift. Or maybe even a framed class picture with signatures/messages on the back.

I came from a country where teachers at public schools are not allowed to receive any gifts from students/parents. Instead, they receive greeting cards/letters from students in holiday seasons (during the summer break and New Year).

Both of my parents were teachers at elementary school and I remember their big smile when they received cards/letters from their students. Money is not everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD's elementary school sets a limit ($20 or lower). I think this is a GREAT idea.

What's that teacher's salary, PP?

Christmas gifts from students are not meant in any way to augment a teacher's salary. So it doesn't matter how much the teacher makes.

Why buy a gift card? Give the teacher the cash.

It is what it is..you could send out an additional message..something like I am about to buy a $100 gift card with the funds raised. If you would like to make an additional contribution, let me know. Other than that, unless you want to bump it up yourself, just give what you got.

Our school collects money by grade, so no particular teacher gets more than another as part of the class gift. People can give individual gifts as well though.

Anonymous wrote:$100 for 23 kids.

That is less than $5/kid. We're in a low income/high FARMS school and I find that too low.

May not everyone is contributing?? I've been in a class of 24 kids and we collected $140, but that was only about 10 parents who participated. Others said they already had purchased something.

I'm sure the teacher will be happy with whatever is given to them.

weird. I'm a room parent, and we were told in no uncertain terms that we're not allowed to ask parents to contribute for gifts to the teacher. People can only make individual gifts, and those may not be more than $25.

Anonymous wrote:My DD's elementary school sets a limit ($20 or lower). I think this is a GREAT idea.

What's that teacher's salary, PP?

My DD's elementary school sets a limit ($20 or lower). I think this is a GREAT idea.

Anonymous wrote:I think that $100 is fine. I don't understand why people feel that teachers need extravagant gifts. I have been a room mom in a very low (4%) FARMS school and we have given $100 at Christmas on more than one occasion. We also collect money one time for the entire year and we do it September so that we are not asking for money at a time when parents are buying all sorts of other gifts.

What did you contribute? Was it a sacrafice?

I think that $100 is fine. I don't understand why people feel that teachers need extravagant gifts. I have been a room mom in a very low (4%) FARMS school and we have given $100 at Christmas on more than one occasion. We also collect money one time for the entire year and we do it September so that we are not asking for money at a time when parents are buying all sorts of other gifts.

At a coop preschool A few years ago with 3 classes combined they have 1500 to the head teacher and around 900 to the assistant.

$100 for 23 kids.

That is less than $5/kid. We're in a low income/high FARMS school and I find that too low.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's a low-income school.

for Bethesda maybe

wtf?