Do you give gifts at the end of the year to teachers?

At my daughter’s school there’s a group gift being collected for, and a quilt that is being made where each child decorates a square and her photo will go into a pocket on the square.

These people aren’t your bosom buddies – you’re not expected to know what they like. An Amazon gift card is pretty much ideal for this purpose.

I think it’s a nice idea. When I left school, I bought my teachers a card. The teachers I were particularly fond of got gifts; I got my Geography teacher a postcard, because he had a collection of them; my History teacher got a mug, and my French teacher got some French cheese. :-)

These days, I think gift cards are great. Also, edible treats are nice. A home-made card (from the child) is a wonderful personal touch for that special teacher. Do you know anything personal about these people?

I’ve never heard of a gift being expected by a teacher or bus driver. Perhaps it’s different in modern times.

As a kid, we gave gifts to our bus driver and home room teachers. It was usually in the form of chocolates and a card. We’d give them these at Christmas and the end of the school year. My parents bought the gifts.
As I got a bit older, I’d make my own card and a drawing for my favourite teacher.
To some people, they maybe just teachers but there are many who go above and beyond their job requirements. The favourite teacher I spoke of… she made my horrible home life not as horrible when I was at school.
Some teachers are very deserving.

I think it’s wonderful you want to give them gifts.

My grandsons give homemade gifts to their teachers. The two little ones are going to paint plastic cups to give as pencil holders (with pencils and a pencil sharpener in it).

When the kids were in elementary school we’d chip in on a gift organized by the room mom. And we always gave the bus driver $25, especially since he’d been on the route for years and was protective of the kids, especially the younger ones.

Do you think kids of the parents who gave the most expensive gifts would be favored?

You can just let the bus driver know verbally that you appreciate him.

If no one gives there would be no expectation of gift, which is fine, because it is not like they get paid below minimum wage, right?

I only gave gifts to the teachers who I was close with and who really made an impact on me. All others I just thanked. I said nothing to my Pre-Calculus teacher because that teacher was horrible.

I hope it’s not expected. I remember being ashamed when I was in about 3rd grade and I realized that every other child had a Christmas present for our teacher. I thought that my parents did not do something that was “expected” and so I was embarrassed, but I know now that they didn’t have the money to make a gesture like this.

Whether or not you want to give a present, I think that letters or cards would be greatly appreciated by teachers. The good ones are obviously not in it for the money. I gave letters to my favorite teachers in high school and college. And it makes my week/month when my students give me cards or letters now!

I get flowers and the kids bring them.

A gift that I would have loved when I was a teacher is a little pot of chives, parsley, cilantro, mint, dill or tarragon for a sunny window sill. A gift that keeps on giving.

When I had more money I bought teacher gifts. Now that I am a bit less well off I simply can’t afford it. This year my fifth grader wrote his teacher a note thanking her for a great year. When I did buy gifts they were always gift cards.

@SuperMouse If I were a teacher, I’d say a personalized note may mean more to me than a material gift.

I think if you can afford it, a gift card is great. I also think the “group gift” collection type thing is great, because the amount given by each family could be a bit less, but the group could buy a bigger gift (like if each family gave $10 then the total would probably be 150–200 dollars per classroom.

I think mugs and things are wonderful but do you realize how many “trinket” gifts like that each teacher gets? At my daughter’s school, the teachers bring in all the unwanted gifts and they do a swap type of thing, where they put the gifts on a table and anybody can take anything that interests them.

Another thing which adds to the thoughtfulness is if the children give a photo of themselves in the card they give. It’s something that many people don’t think of, but in twenty years the teacher probably won’t remember each kid or each kid’s name, but with a photo, it will help the teacher recall the (hopefully) fond memories of each child.

I do. There is one teacher in that room to teach, keep the class focused and engaged, deal with problems and keep up with the progress level of 25+ students. I am truly grateful for their effort, energy and caring.

I can’t afford much so I do go out of my way to make it something that teacher will use/enjoy instead of a more generic gift.

only in my middle school…

To explain a bit more…we aren’t really giving gifts to the High School or Middle School teachers. There are just too many of them.. and there are only a couple that are really exceptional.. we just LOVE one of our daughter’s middle school English teachers..and to single him out and give him (and only him) a gift would probably make waves..so we won’t. (But our daughter will likely write him a nice note.)

Same at the High School. There is one teacher who is really excellent..and our daughter is also pretty fond of her German teacher..but the way she’s showing her appreciation is by staying after (with a couple of friends) on the last day to help her German teacher clean the classroom & pack up. (The teacher is a woman, and has kids the same age—so a group of the kids won’t feel “weird” being after school helping her.)

We’ve settled on gift cards – for the aforementioned practicality, for the elementary teachers. There are 2 – and one of them has taught our son for both 2nd and 3rd grade. She’s wonderful.
We’re also giving a gift to the bus drivers (Mabel and her husband Doug—Mabel drives our elementary student, Doug drives our Middle School-aged daughter) because they have been especially kind and have really looked out for our kids. (They lobby-ed on our kids’ behalf to get their rural bus stops put in safer spots, closer to our house…which on days when it’s -25F and dark out at 7am when they’re being picked up for school really made a difference. Plus, they’re just the sweetest semi-retired couple in the world. We love ‘em & chat with them occasionally at pick up time at the bus stop with our kids.)

I think nowadays its not really “expected”, but it’s a nice thing to do for someone who has gone above and beyond whether it was in their deeds, kindness, etc. I’m a high school senior graduating in two weeks, and I’m going to give my teachers gifts. I usually give them a really nice ceramic serving dish or cookware.

One of my sisters was a high school English teacher; the other teaches 5th grade. I used to facilitate training workshops for hotel managers. The three of us had a discussion about gifts at one point. Our perspective was the same.

We were all in the field of educating because we were jazzed by helping others on their way to success. The icing on the cake was when a student or parent (or in my case, a hotel owner) thanked us, either verbally or through written correspondence. Giving specifics helps us understand what we are doing well.

What is even better is learning how the knowledge we imparted at the time impacts their lives down the road. All three of us have experienced former students telling us how what they learned in class was a benefit, be it in college or in the real world. That is the most valuable gift.

As for tangible presents, be it from an individual or a group, I’m going to be blunt. The intent is appreciated, but the effect poses problems. Some of the gifts will never be used. Some will be passed on to others, be it to someone who will use it or as a gag gift. Others get tossed in the bin. There comes a point in a teacher’s career where the unused and unappreciated gifts need to go.

Another perspective is that each gift, be it from an individual or group, deserves a thank-you note. While not all teachers may adhere to this rule of etiquette, we did. It takes time, effort and money.

If a parent or student wants to give the best gift, let it be a note or letter on how what they learned in a teacher’s class positively impacted their life.

I posted a question on here recently about the school bus drivers. My mom asked me yesterday about the aide – my daughter is currently in a wheelchair due to a broken leg and so my mom reminded me that the 1:1 aide really should get something, too. I was thinking of a gift card for the aide, a gift card/baked good combo for the drivers, and a nice card sent to the nurse to thank her for all of her help. End of year and holiday time gets expensive!