Is it appropriate to give teachers hand-made cards at the end of the year?

Hello,

I am about to graduate from high school and I thought I would get each of my teachers, the principal and the receptionists, a gift.

They would each include a bottle of wine and chocolates, and a hand-made card from me.

I’ve spent all day making a watercolour card for each person. It’s just a piece of white paper with a painting on one side and the message on the other. The paintings range from a painting of the school to flowers to a cute elephant.

However, when I showed my dad, he said that I can include those if I want to, but that I should buy the teachers proper cards as they may get the wrong impression, i.e. that I’m skimping on spending money.

But I can’t help feel hurt because I have spent many hours preparing these cards that I think are quite beautiful!

It’s a small town and my dad’s a doctor, so I have a feeling that he’s simply concerned about his position.

What should I do?