Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. Please don't give me anything, unless it's a letter to my principal (and if you really like me, copied to higher-ups) about what a great teacher I am (and why). I also love homemade cards or notes or drawings from your children, if they are inclined to do so without you forcing them. Otherwise, I'm an educational professional, not your friend, your nanny, or your relative. I don't need a gift or a tip. I mean, you wouldn't give one to your doctor.

Not all teachers feel the same. My neighbor teaches 7th in a different school district and she loves gift cards and definitely shops with them. I mean, she wouldn't like 10 gift cards to Starbucks but major general store is good for her.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. Please don't give me anything, unless it's a letter to my principal (and if you really like me, copied to higher-ups) about what a great teacher I am (and why). I also love homemade cards or notes or drawings from your children, if they are inclined to do so without you forcing them. Otherwise, I'm an educational professional, not your friend, your nanny, or your relative. I don't need a gift or a tip. I mean, you wouldn't give one to your doctor.

+1

I don’t need 30 coffee mugs or cute gift things you found on Pinterest and seemed to be in a contest with your Bunco group for who can make the most outrageous ridiculous thing! It is going to go in the dumpster at the back of school.

A letter to my principal and school board is far more appreciated. I love your kids but admin is another story sometimes.

No gifts cards either. If you must, give cash. Every. Single. Gift card last year had either already been used by folks going through the racks with scanners or were for stores that went out of business. I also don’t drink coffee.

Get me a bottle of wine or a vape pen and I would be thrilled! I partake to be handle most parents!

The ironic thing is that those posting above about how they feel the need to give the relatively well-paid teacher $20 at Christmas to cover supplies are probably the same people who go to PTA meetings and vote not to cover field trip fees or after school program fees for kids whose parents can't afford to even feed them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year the room parent asked for $45 per child (Kindergarten) for a teacher’s class gift. That’s more than I spend on my DH for Christmas, but I Venmo’d anyway.

yep, they are asking now for between $40-$50 per child

In Bethesda we’re asked to donate $75/child to class funds. They also request over $100 in pta donations at the beginning of the year.

Why in Earth would we need to donate more when we just raised $25k? WTAF is going on at our MCPS schools? PTA needs to get their sh*t together and stop catering week long lunches for teachers, and instead give them a stipend!

Please, please don't donate anymore to your school PTA. These women are almost universally a PITA to everyone, including the school staff. They are often clueless about running any kind of organization, totally irresponsible, and from time to time lose the money you have donated. It's time we got these Karens out of our schools. I know there are exceptions out there, but as an organization, PTA's in public schools run to corruption, pettiness, and bullying - not every board, not every person, but in time it will get there. Then a new board will come and it might be ok for a while, and then the whole nasty cycle will start again. And even when they aren't causing drama, they are constantly pressuring the admin to make choices that benefit their own children - overwhelmingly white and upper middle class - often at the expense of others. Teachers and administrators and other parents have to pretend to think they are wonderful, but believe me, it's almost always pretending. We are afraid of them, too.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. Please don't give me anything, unless it's a letter to my principal (and if you really like me, copied to higher-ups) about what a great teacher I am (and why). I also love homemade cards or notes or drawings from your children, if they are inclined to do so without you forcing them. Otherwise, I'm an educational professional, not your friend, your nanny, or your relative. I don't need a gift or a tip. I mean, you wouldn't give one to your doctor.

I feel the same.

I'm a teacher. Please don't give me anything, unless it's a letter to my principal (and if you really like me, copied to higher-ups) about what a great teacher I am (and why). I also love homemade cards or notes or drawings from your children, if they are inclined to do so without you forcing them. Otherwise, I'm an educational professional, not your friend, your nanny, or your relative. I don't need a gift or a tip. I mean, you wouldn't give one to your doctor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$50 gift card for his teacher

$25 gift card for his bus driver

We have no limits AFAIK in our district.

MCPS and PGCPS have $20 gift limits. Any district in Maryland is going to have a limit— it will probably be $20, but it is up to the district to specify it.

DCPS has a $25 limit.

Arlington Public Schools has a $100 limit over the course of a year. FCPS doesn't have a formal limit, but discourages gifts.

And yet none of these districts has put a limit on how much a teacher can pay out of pocket for classroom supplies. Hm. I will continue to exceed these limits and if ever challenged by an administrator I would tell them the difference was my repaying the teacher for a portion of their supply costs.

Why would you be challenged? You’re not the one breaking the rules— the teacher accepting the gift is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:main teachers 25 each, specials (25 each if they teach two of my kids, 15 if they teach one), SACC teachers 25, bus driver 50 (for both kids)

how much in total roughly?

$350?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year the room parent asked for $45 per child (Kindergarten) for a teacher’s class gift. That’s more than I spend on my DH for Christmas, but I Venmo’d anyway.

yep, they are asking now for between $40-$50 per child

In Bethesda we’re asked to donate $75/child to class funds. They also request over $100 in pta donations at the beginning of the year.

Why in Earth would we need to donate more when we just raised $25k? WTAF is going on at our MCPS schools? PTA needs to get their sh*t together and stop catering week long lunches for teachers, and instead give them a stipend!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year the room parent asked for $45 per child (Kindergarten) for a teacher’s class gift. That’s more than I spend on my DH for Christmas, but I Venmo’d anyway.

yep, they are asking now for between $40-$50 per child

In Bethesda we’re asked to donate $75/child to class funds. They also request over $100 in pta donations at the beginning of the year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$50 gift card for his teacher

$25 gift card for his bus driver

We have no limits AFAIK in our district.

MCPS and PGCPS have $20 gift limits. Any district in Maryland is going to have a limit— it will probably be $20, but it is up to the district to specify it.

DCPS has a $25 limit.

Arlington Public Schools has a $100 limit over the course of a year. FCPS doesn't have a formal limit, but discourages gifts.

And yet none of these districts has put a limit on how much a teacher can pay out of pocket for classroom supplies. Hm. I will continue to exceed these limits and if ever challenged by an administrator I would tell them the difference was my repaying the teacher for a portion of their supply costs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$50 gift card for his teacher

$25 gift card for his bus driver

We have no limits AFAIK in our district.

MCPS and PGCPS have $20 gift limits. Any district in Maryland is going to have a limit— it will probably be $20, but it is up to the district to specify it.

DCPS has a $25 limit.

Arlington Public Schools has a $100 limit over the course of a year. FCPS doesn't have a formal limit, but discourages gifts.

MCPS doesn’t care. I give $100 every year and have for years.

$100 per teacher. I have 4 kids.

$100 to Target each, bought during the 10% off sale (thank you to the DCUMer who flagged that!) also a note expressing specific appreciation for something each teacher did so far this year.

Anonymous wrote:$50 gift card for his teacher

$25 gift card for his bus driver

We have no limits AFAIK in our district.

MCPS and PGCPS have $20 gift limits. Any district in Maryland is going to have a limit— it will probably be $20, but it is up to the district to specify it.

DCPS has a $25 limit.

Arlington Public Schools has a $100 limit over the course of a year. FCPS doesn't have a formal limit, but discourages gifts.