Christmas gift for teacher . . .

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Christmas gift for teacher . . .
14
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 2:09pm

How much is everyone spending?

My mom NEVER bought gifts for my teachers. Never. When I was in elementary school - she made them cookies or breads. In junior high and high school - if I liked them - I gave them a Christmas card. Period. End of story.

So the PTA sends this notice home that they are selling Gift Cards to various shops and restaurants. Parents are encouraged to pick the location and denomination they want and purchase them through the PTA - because a small percentage of the sale goes to the PTA. Cool.

I was pretty darned shock that gift cards up to $100 are available for purchase. I WILL NOT be purchasing $100 gift card for Jojo's teacher - even though she is phenomenal and Jojo loves her. I was thinking $25 is adequate? No? Am I too cheap?

Also, Jojo really wants to get something for his P.E. teacher, music teacher, art teacher, librarian and his favorite lunch lady. I told him "we'll make cookies or bread and wrap them pretty" and he FREAKED out - NO! He wants to give them REAL gifts!

Ah, the commercialization of a holiday.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 3:06pm

Interesting! D is a highschool teacher and HE says handmade gifts or smaller gifts like $5 coffee cards, IOU's for babysitting etc...are nice, but anything more than that is pushing it for him. He feels that ethically it can become a problem for him if there is a perceived bias from parents who give him large gifts.

He gets $5 starbucks cards. LOTS of them. We usually don't have to pay for our lattes until February!

This year, the kids are making hand painted ornaments for their teachers and daycare staff. If we know they do not celebrate Christmas we'll give them a $5 card to Starbucks or some other place.

WE got a memo from the school that handmade baked goods or foods are no longer permitted...due to the unknown ingredients...something to do with allergic reactions. (sigh)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 3:12pm

See - that's what I think too! HELLO! Favoritism! Bribing! Putting the teacher in a tight spot! I can see $25. I can. $100???? Blows my mind. I think a $5 gift card to Starbucks and to Blockbuster is a super idea!

You do have a point on the allergies. Poor kids!

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 3:45pm
Is this required? I don't buy gifts for anyone other than dd and my niece and nephew. Well, she has one little friend and they buy her a gift so I get one for her to give to him. I don't buy for my parents and there is nobody that buys for me. Plus she is in preschool and has two teachers from 9-3, two care providers in the before school care from 8-9 and two in the afternoon from 3-5:30. Would I be expected to give something to all of them? Even a $5 gift card for each would be $30, and I have a budget of $20 each for niece and nephew. I don't want to sound like a scrooge, but money is tight. Maybe I could have her make a card for each of them.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 3:51pm

I don't think it's a requirement. At all.

My ds was in daycare from the time he was 2 until he was 5. Each year for Christmas, he would make them a homemade Christmas ornament (they all celebrated Christmas - I was p.c.) - the first year it was candy cane reindeer, one year it was a snowman made of styro balls and felt, another it was santa made with pom poms and felt. And I would make a big plate of cookies and take them in. That was it. Because like your dd, he had TONS of teachers.

And I don't think by saying "money is tight" you sound like a scrooge, at all. Money ISN'T tight in my house, but we don't do big gifts or gifts for anyone other than our kids and my niece. We just don't. It's not what it's about - and in order for to model that to my two boys - this is the way it's going to be!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-25-2004
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 8:52pm

I baked cookies this year and put them on a fun gingerbread platter I found - total cost around $5.

But I would be inclined to go the $5 for Starbucks or Blockbuster route - that is a good idea on this board.

I have also found some really nice gifts in Walmart for $5 or less. They have a whole section for that.

Avatar for cl_tcranky1
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 10:32pm

I don't think I've ever spent more than $10 on a teacher yet. And not because my kids don't have phenomenal teachers too, but it's just not necessary nor is it probably right. What about those kids who's parents can afford to buy gifts for the teachers? I don't ever want to make some child feel badly because he saw my kid give a present to the teacher and he didn't.

I know alot of teachers spend tons of their own money on stuff for the classroom. Instead of the coffee certificates, maybe give them gift certificates to wal-mart or the dollar store (where I know alot of our teachers shop) to help them out a little. I'm sure like orange said about her guy, they get lots of coffee certificates.

Hugs
Tara

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 11:55pm

I have 5 kids in school and gift giving giving for teachers could just hit the budget. My kids save money thruout the year. They do their own Christmas shopping with their own money. As the holidays are approaching they usually right a list of who they want to buy or make Christams gifts for. If they want to buy a gift for a special teacher they add them to the list.( siblings and family members are always the first on the list) Its amazing what they find for little money. My theory is my kids are much better shoppers with their own money than with mine, LOL. Its worked out great. They learn budgeting, organizing, time organization etc all with the Christmas spirit of loving and giving. The three oldest are teenagers now so they do this mostly on their own. Just need me to drive. The two youngest still need my help.
y 16 year old daughter has a favorite teacher that is a lover of inexpensive silver dangling and costume jewelry. Yesterday at the mall she saw these long dangling silver dreamcather earrings and her immediate reaction was Ms. so and so would love those. Geuss what? they were $3.00. Needless to say my daughter bought them. She will attach a homemade card made from scrapbooking materials will collect and stock up on thruout the year also.
I also have many doubles of Christmas molds. I started buying doubles when the kids were little to make plaster of paris molds( dont want to use the same mold as I do for the candy)One year when they were in elementary school they made each teacher two identical christmas boxes from the molds. One in Chocolate, one in plaster of paris. They painted and decorated them and gave them to their teachers with a note saying one to keep and one to eat. The teachers really liked that one,( some of the teachers still have them on their desks holding paperclips and such) a couple of years later they did the same thing only this time with Christmas ornaments and this time they took a step further they made the ornaments with not only the teachers name but one for their spouse and kids. ( the kids had pulled their money to buy enough chocolate and plaster of paris.

The two youngest(11 and 7) both have teachers who love chocolate so we are doing the same one to eat one and one to keep idea this year.
I have found that one they get out of the elementary grades and have so many different teachers the kids attention turns as far as gift goes towards special friends.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-25-2004
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 8:52am
This is great - thanks for sharing!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 9:30am

Hi

The kids always gave and give their teachers gift. I sometimes just go to the antique shop, pick up a really nice cup and saucer, place a tea bag in it or a candle and stick in a cellophane bag. I spent maybe $5 or $10, but never more then that.

This year I'm picking up crystal flower candle holders (2 come in a box for $19). I'm putting a piece of polymer clay in it so it can hold a pen and buy a colorful pen. I'm wrapping that in cellophane and that's their gift. Again, it won't cost me more then $10.

If you are cheap, then I'm even cheaper. I always look for ways to make gifts that won't cost alot but looked like you spent alot.

Good Luck, Marilyn

CL-Entrepreneurial Women

Business Impressions, LLC

Avatar for cl_beckty
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 11:43am

Well, I might be a jerk, but I can't stand Ty's teacher. She isn't bowling me over with her skills, and has whined about me

Becky

 

 

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