Teachers - random question (may contain @ in thread)

[pixy0stix]

How many tumblers/mugs/cups do you get in a school year? Is there something else that you get too much of?

Brought to you by the annual, "what do I get the teachers for xyz" and the popular answer being a personalized mug/tumbler.

ETA: What do you really want?

[taratru]

I will chime in with I don't need another mug. I need money. So whatever you'd spend on the mug, give that as cash instead.

eta: some people are weird about cash.  A kid gave me an amazon gift card last year and it was just as good.  

[meganew]

I have SO MANY MUGS. Please, no more mugs. Or bags with my name or initials embroidered on it. It’s so sweet, and I’m so thankful for anything- but I have nowhere to put any of it.

I’ll take books. Or gift cards for books. Or an amazon gift card so I can buy more books.

[candreco]

Nov 29, 2018 10:40:24 GMT -5 meganew said:

I have SO MANY MUGS. Please, no more mugs. Or bags with my name or initials embroidered on it. It’s so sweet, and I’m so thankful for anything- but I have nowhere to put any of it.

I’ll take books. Or gift cards for books. Or an amazon gift card so I can buy more books.

I'm going to take this as permission to go with my usual amazon gift card, a some chocolate, and a note.

[taratru]

Nov 29, 2018 10:43:13 GMT -5 candreco said:

Nov 29, 2018 10:40:24 GMT -5 meganew said:

I have SO MANY MUGS. Please, no more mugs. Or bags with my name or initials embroidered on it. It’s so sweet, and I’m so thankful for anything- but I have nowhere to put any of it.

I’ll take books. Or gift cards for books. Or an amazon gift card so I can buy more books.

I'm going to take this as permission to go with my usual amazon gift card, a some chocolate, and a note.

Unless you know for sure their likes, I'd hesitate on food. I have a drawer full of chocolate that I don't eat that I've gotten from kids. 

[Deleted]

Last year I was the only person who gave just a gift card to my daughter’s teacher! Everything else was a large present, her desk area was filled with presents. I wish I could find out if mine was awesome or lame lol.

So this year I bought a cheapish mug, small thing of decorated chocolate, and a gift card so it looks like a present but it’s really about the gift card.

[cherryvalance]

I know people feel that gifts should be about the recipient, but I'd really just love a GC that I can use to purchase classroom stuff. I don't use of he majority of stuff I receive as gifts and always need supplies anyway.

A positive note to my principal is worth its weight in gold and is free and easy.

[mbcdefg]

My mom is a grammar school phys ed teacher and gets a ton of gifts. She's also incredibly picky, so YMMV.

Basically she regifts or donates anything that isn't lottery scratchers, bagged Dunkin Donuts ground coffee, gift cards (she keeps Dunkin Donuts, fast food, gas station and supermarket GCs for herself ... she gives away Starbucks), or straight-up cash. One year a family brought a case of her favorite beer to the house and she was stoked.

Many of the Christmas ornaments on my tree were regifts from her, from her students. And, yes, she regifts coffee mugs, gourmet coffee, tote bags, figurines, candles, etc.

Come to think of it, though, she likes the Bath & Body Works pump hand soaps. Not lotions, though. But the soaps are a hit because she puts them in the bathroom for company.

Candy, pastries, cookies, bottles of wine - that's a toss-up. She either regifts them or puts them out when she has company. I think she's eaten a few things herself, like nice chocolates, but again she's VERY picky and doesn't really enjoy many foods or treats :/ But she likes having something tasty to offer her guests.

One year a family gave her a really good red velvet cake from a bakery. She put it out at a family dinner and we were all pooping bright red for days.

ETA: She teaches at a small Catholic school and has been friendly with many of the families for years.

[bex]

I do Amazon or Target GCs. DS2's teacher this year is getting a Disney GC this week for her xmas gift because she is going next week for vacation.

My SIL is a teacher and one year she got all Starbucks GCs. She doesn't drink coffee really and so she just had all these GCs and it took her months to get through them all (she took her daughters every weekend.) Last year she got cash and loved it, ha. (all the parents got together and donated for her gift so she got a pizza box with the cash saying something like "enjoy the dough" or something.)

So anyway, she has conditioned me to never give GCs for anywhere unless its some place like Target or Amazon. Even Target I feel kind of weird about because I do know some people who NEVER go there (I'm one of them) but I knew DS's K teacher lives very close to one so I assumed she shopped there.

[pixy0stix]

Nov 29, 2018 10:52:24 GMT -5 @lindy said:

Last year I was the only person who gave just a gift card to my daughter’s teacher! Everything else was a large present, her desk area was filled with presents. I wish I could find out if mine was awesome or lame lol.

So this year I bought a cheapish mug, small thing of decorated chocolate, and a gift card so it looks like a present but it’s really about the gift card.

Based on this thread, you should probably just stick with the gift card. LOL!

[gerberdaisy]

Not a teacher, but I always give Target gift cards. I buy them when they are 10% off (this Sunday!) and just a little bag with a piece of chocolate or something with it. Figure money is the best option and around here, target is king.

Oh and bonus...they fit in DD's backpack!

[jackie011]

We had this conversation with our parent committee a few weeks ago. They were getting all Pinteresty and running wild with crafty ideas and finally my boss said “we’re talking about people who make on average $13/hour and many have more than 1 job. Even a $5/$10 GC is meaningful and appreciated a little more so than another mug, notepad, etc”.

We run a private preschool with a pretty high SES parent base. Many will spend a decent amount of money so it wasn’t poorly received, but sometimes it needs to be restated. But, also, any token is nice to receive. People love to feel appreciated and respected.

[jackie011]

Nov 29, 2018 10:58:06 GMT -5 gerberdaisy said:

Not a teacher, but I always give Target gift cards. I buy them when they are 10% off (this Sunday!) and just a little bag with a piece of chocolate or something with it. Figure money is the best option and around here, target is king.

Oh and bonus...they fit in DD's backpack!

This is exactly what I do, too. I’m trying to figure out my list and amounts. DS has lots of favorite teachers and I work there, so that’s a little extra pressure!!

[pixy0stix]

Nov 29, 2018 10:58:29 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

But, also, any token is nice to receive. People love to feel appreciated and respected.

Of course, but also, people don't need more mugs. 

[StrawberryBlondie]

U always do a gift card to Target, Amazon, or if I know it, the teacher's favorite restaurant.

They have a book with teacher bios in the lobby and a lot of them have a favorite restaurant listed. If it's a nice place, and not, like, Chipotle, I'll opt for that instead.

[hocus2]

We give visa, target or amazon gift cards. The class has a shared pool of contributions (optional of course). We buy books from the book fair the teachers pick out as well but in general I think teachers often prefer gift cards over specific items since there are many things we could get multiples of that they don't need.

[Deleted]

Nov 29, 2018 11:04:49 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

U always do a gift card to Target, Amazon, or if I know it, the teacher's favorite restaurant.

They have a book with teacher bios in the lobby and a lot of them have a favorite restaurant listed. If it's a nice place, and not, like, Chipotle, I'll opt for that instead.

So if a teacher said their favorite restaurant was Chipotle, you wouldn’t get them a Chipotle gift card? That sounds like an easy win to me.

[pixy0stix]

Nov 29, 2018 11:04:49 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

U always do a gift card to Target, Amazon, or if I know it, the teacher's favorite restaurant.

They have a book with teacher bios in the lobby and a lot of them have a favorite restaurant listed. If it's a nice place, and not, like, Chipotle, I'll opt for that instead.

Why wouldn't you give them a Chipotle gift card if that's what they like?

[StrawberryBlondie]

Nov 29, 2018 11:07:27 GMT -5 @villainv said:

Nov 29, 2018 11:04:49 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

U always do a gift card to Target, Amazon, or if I know it, the teacher's favorite restaurant.

They have a book with teacher bios in the lobby and a lot of them have a favorite restaurant listed. If it's a nice place, and not, like, Chipotle, I'll opt for that instead.

So if a teacher said their favorite restaurant was Chipotle, you wouldn’t get them a Chipotle gift card? That sounds like an easy win to me.

I might (I have before) but I usually only do restaurants instead of target/Amazon if it's a more fancy type place.

[mbcdefg]

So here's a question ... my DD is 1.5 so not in school, but she's in daycare. 

The teachers for her room shuffle around once in a while. So if I get individual gifts then I would need at least three or four, maybe more. If she had one single teacher then I'd do a $20-30 gift, but I don't have the budget to do that x4.

So is it better to give a $5 box of chocolates (Godiva, Lindt, Merci - not something like Hershey's) plus $1-2 in lotto tickets to each teacher? Or a $5 Dunkin/Target gc?

I feel like $5 is nothing. I could possibly stretch it to a $10 gc each, which feels better to me, but the budget is tight in December.

Last year we didn't do individual teacher gifts - instead we brought in bagels and coffee one morning for all of the teachers to share. That was my other thought for this year. They seemed to appreciate it last year, but the downside to that is a lot of other parents had the same thought and brought in pastries and other food - most of the bagels were still there the next day or two.

[hocus2]

Nov 29, 2018 11:14:11 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

So here's a question ... my DD is 1.5 so not in school, but she's in daycare. 

The teachers for her room shuffle around once in a while. So if I get individual gifts then I would need at least three or four, maybe more. If she had one single teacher then I'd do a $20-30 gift, but I don't have the budget to do that x4.

 When were in this situation I create a group gift. It allowed everyone to chip in a reasonable amount and still give each teacher/staff something that felt more substantial. Are there 3-4 families you can join up with? If not I think chocolates or a $5 card is fine. Gifts are optional. We've always been lucky to have the money to do them but if you don't then you just don't.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Nov 29, 2018 11:14:11 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

So here's a question ... my DD is 1.5 so not in school, but she's in daycare. 

The teachers for her room shuffle around once in a while. So if I get individual gifts then I would need at least three or four, maybe more. If she had one single teacher then I'd do a $20-30 gift, but I don't have the budget to do that x4.

So is it better to give a $5 box of chocolates (Godiva, Lindt, Merci - not something like Hershey's) plus $1-2 in lotto tickets to each teacher? Or a $5 Dunkin/Target gc?

I feel like $5 is nothing. I could possibly stretch it to a $10 gc each, which feels better to me, but the budget is tight in December.

Last year we didn't do individual teacher gifts - instead we brought in bagels and coffee one morning for all of the teachers to share. That was my other thought for this year. They seemed to appreciate it last year, but the downside to that is a lot of other parents had the same thought and brought in pastries and other food - most of the bagels were still there the next day or two.

When Baby H was in this situation we did a card with a $5 or $10 gift card for the non-main teachers.

[pixy0stix]

If you look at this purely from an environmental standpoint, how much trash are we generating from pointless gifts? Yeah, you're giving someone stuff, and making it look like a lot, but to what point? They're going to trash or regift, and honestly most regifted gifts just get trashed at some point.

To mb's point, if you have a good idea, more than likely 6 other people have had that idea as well.

Summary: Just give a gift card or cash.

[mbcdefg]

Nov 29, 2018 11:16:27 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Nov 29, 2018 11:14:11 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

So here's a question ... my DD is 1.5 so not in school, but she's in daycare. 

The teachers for her room shuffle around once in a while. So if I get individual gifts then I would need at least three or four, maybe more. If she had one single teacher then I'd do a $20-30 gift, but I don't have the budget to do that x4.

 When were in this situation I create a group gift. It allowed everyone to chip in a reasonable amount and still give each teacher/staff something that felt more substantial. Are there 3-4 families you can join up with? If not I think chocolates or a $5 card is fine. Gifts are optional. We've always been lucky to have the money to do them but if you don't then you just don't.

@angryharpy said her DD's daycare does this ... I really like that idea ,except I'm lazy and don't want to be the one to coordinate it. 

I'm friendly enough with a few other parents where I could probably suggest it, but I couldn't even get most of them to RSVP to DD's birthday party. I hate throwing an idea out there and then getting ignored, KWIM? I also get the impression that many of these families are more affluent than us, and I don't want to run into a situation where they agree to do it but then suggest, like, $50 contributions or something when I was hoping to do $20.

But, thanks - I'll see who I see at dropoff and then maybe bring it up and test the waters.

[mbcdefg]

Nov 29, 2018 11:23:27 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

If you look at this purely from an environmental standpoint, how much trash are we generating from pointless gifts? Yeah, you're giving someone stuff, and making it look like a lot, but to what point? They're going to trash or regift, and honestly most regifted gifts just get trashed at some point.

My two siblings and I, and our respective SOs, agreed that in lieu of wrapped Christmas gifts this year we're just going to take turns treating the whole family to a restaurant dinner.

I LOVE the idea of not getting "stuff" for each other, plus MH and I can do our dinner after the holidays when finances aren't so tight.

[raangoli]

mbcdefg,I know you said you didn't want to coordinate, but is there a class list you can email asking if people are planning on food gifts and that way people can choose dates rather than having them all on the same day? But I think you are also fine with the $5 gift card and a lotto scratcher and card.

[hocus2]

Nov 29, 2018 11:25:10 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Nov 29, 2018 11:16:27 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

 When were in this situation I create a group gift. It allowed everyone to chip in a reasonable amount and still give each teacher/staff something that felt more substantial. Are there 3-4 families you can join up with? If not I think chocolates or a $5 card is fine. Gifts are optional. We've always been lucky to have the money to do them but if you don't then you just don't.

@angryharpy said her DD's daycare does this ... I really like that idea ,except I'm lazy and don't want to be the one to coordinate it. 

I'm friendly enough with a few other parents where I could probably suggest it, but I couldn't even get most of them to RSVP to DD's birthday party. I hate throwing an idea out there and then getting ignored, KWIM? I also get the impression that many of these families are more affluent than us, and I don't want to run into a situation where they agree to do it but then suggest, like, $50 contributions or something when I was hoping to do $20.

But, thanks - I'll see who I see at dropoff and then maybe bring it up and test the waters.

Coordinating is a pain but it does allow you to set the narrative. I used to suggest a range so folks go do what they want. I am still involved in this sort of stuff and it gets easier to be honest. I have a strict policy of 1 email and 2 follow ups. I don't chase people. Even if a few families do it is fine. I usually saw 70% to 80% response from folks. 

[mbcdefg]

Nov 29, 2018 11:43:25 GMT -5 raangoli said:

mbcdefg ,I know you said you didn't want to coordinate, but is there a class list you can email asking if people are planning on food gifts and that way people can choose dates rather than having them all on the same day? But I think you are also fine with the $5 gift card and a lotto scratcher and card.

We don't have a class list, but I'm sure the director would oblige if I asked for one - good idea!

[sugarbear]

Nov 29, 2018 10:31:04 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

How many tumblers/mugs/cups do you get in a school year? Is there something else that you get too much of?

Brought to you by the annual, "what do I get the teachers for xyz" and the popular answer being a personalized mug/tumbler.

ETA: What do you really want?

I get several each Christmas. I do not need any more.

What I really want is a heart-felt thank you note. Beyond that, I'd like a gift card.

(And since you asked, please for the love of God, no baked goods and no alcohol.)

[turnipthebeet]

So I get that $5 may seem insignificant, but target and amazon (and even starbucks etc) make it so easy to stack and use gift cards. A $5 amazon gift card may not fund a purchase, but if they were going to buy something that's $20 and it's now $15, that's still a win in my book.

And in the case of starbucks, it may be a treat that they wouldn't have otherwise given themselves.

And frankly, I don't underestimate the re-gift factor in gift cards. I've done this before when someone springs a gift on me that I hadn't been planning on - toss a GC in an envelope and write a note and I'm set.