Gift cards are useful. They don't add to "stuff".

You don't have to give anything, it's fine. My husband is a teacher. He gets some gifts, often home made treats. Sometimes gift cards. He is honestly overwhelmed by it. Not everyone gives something and that's OK. It is NOT necessary.

I don't do it unless the teacher goes above and beyond their regular duties. So far I've only come across 2 teachers who were truly outstanding.

I give generous gift cards because this is someone who spends hours with my child every day and is responsible for both teaching her and caring for her. If she feels more appreciated at the holiday because I gave her a card, that can only benefit my daughter. If it’s charity and she feels less stress this month be she can make sure her kids have gifts, that can only benefit my daughter. If my daughter spends ten minutes thinking of what she is grateful her teacher has done for her so far this year to put in the note— you guessed it— that only benefits my daughter. I struggle to see a down side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private school teachers are notoriously underpaid. That's why some people do it

So it’s charity. The $500+ in gift cards they get will allow them to buy presents for their kids. I would be humiliated if I were a teacher and this is the reason parents give me gift cards.

So if your boss gives you $500 you would be humiliated? What a strange response!

But it not the boss giving $500 is it?
Any professional outside of teaching would be mortified if the people that are in their care were expected to give them gifts.
But teachers in the US have become so spoiled with gifts, they actually put out into the universe what shildren/people should gift them. It is so gross and narcissistic.

I’ve been in teaching a REALLY LONG time. I haven’t ever seen a teacher in person or online say what people should give. Ever. What teachers are telling you what to give?

As a parent myself, I’ve had PTAs and administrators reach out to me and ask me to contribute to teacher gifts. I’ve never had a teacher tell me what to get them, however.

Catholic school in Fairfax has a "teacher's favorite" list that is circulated before holidays. Includes favorite stores, foods, hobbies. Doesn't explicitly say "buy me this" but gives you the general ideas.

Preschool in DC was exactly the same.

I have not seen it at Fairfax public school.

Those are my only data points. I thought it was totally fine and was happy to know what they wanted.

I don’t think my friends who work in corporate are “mortified” when they get $40k end of year bonuses, but I’ll ask them next time. Who needs money, anyway? I’ll just live on my 54k salary and the satisfaction of parents calling teachers “spoiled” and “entitled” while demanding I provide their children with free tutoring during my prep periods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private school teachers are notoriously underpaid. That's why some people do it

So it’s charity. The $500+ in gift cards they get will allow them to buy presents for their kids. I would be humiliated if I were a teacher and this is the reason parents give me gift cards.

So if your boss gives you $500 you would be humiliated? What a strange response!

Actually yes, I would be humiliated if my boss gave me $500 of her own personal money.

No you wouldn't. Offices take up collections to buy gifts for people all the time. The company isn't reimbursing anyone for that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private school teachers are notoriously underpaid. That's why some people do it

So it’s charity. The $500+ in gift cards they get will allow them to buy presents for their kids. I would be humiliated if I were a teacher and this is the reason parents give me gift cards.

So if your boss gives you $500 you would be humiliated? What a strange response!

Actually yes, I would be humiliated if my boss gave me $500 of her own personal money.

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.

You would be wrong. I tried that once. I refused to purchase pencils, paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes. I refused to purchase my own copy paper because I thought it was ridiculous I only got 10 reams a semester from the school. We weren’t allowed to ask parents to contribute at this title 1 school, so the expectation was that teachers would take care of their own classrooms. Since I was paying over $500 a year to do so, I decided to put my foot down.

Admin won. I went weeks without supplies I needed, and my students ended up running to the bathroom each time they needed to do something as simple as blow their nose. So I folded and kept buying supplies.

And yes: title 1 schools get additional funding. That money doesn’t necessarily benefit the teachers or students, I’ve learned.

I no longer work at that school.

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s just to show appreciation, and at some point, everyone switched over to giving gift cards instead of like apple mugs and teacher-themed gifts.

And now we're switching to cash because of gift card hacks and inconvenience.

What a circle, eh?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private school teachers are notoriously underpaid. That's why some people do it

So it’s charity. The $500+ in gift cards they get will allow them to buy presents for their kids. I would be humiliated if I were a teacher and this is the reason parents give me gift cards.

So if your boss gives you $500 you would be humiliated? What a strange response!

But it not the boss giving $500 is it?
Any professional outside of teaching would be mortified if the people that are in their care were expected to give them gifts.
But teachers in the US have become so spoiled with gifts, they actually put out into the universe what shildren/people should gift them. It is so gross and narcissistic.

I’ve been in teaching a REALLY LONG time. I haven’t ever seen a teacher in person or online say what people should give. Ever. What teachers are telling you what to give?

As a parent myself, I’ve had PTAs and administrators reach out to me and ask me to contribute to teacher gifts. I’ve never had a teacher tell me what to get them, however.

It's charity for the under paid teachers at this point. At least gift cards are actually useful for the teachers or they can give to someone else without as much waste.

I think it’s just to show appreciation, and at some point, everyone switched over to giving gift cards instead of like apple mugs and teacher-themed gifts.

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.