Need Suggestion for Giftcard Amount (or other gift) for 1st Grade Teacher (daycare, how much)

[bellasdad]

My daughter adores her 1st grade teacher. Whenever we see her, we make sure to let her know how appreciative we are of all her efforts.

We'd like to give her a giftcard (or other gift) to show our appreciation of her hard work. In addition to being great with all the kids, she uses her own money to buy books, etc. for her students.

We were considering getting a gift card to Target in the amount of $20-$40...tho I wouldn't hesitate to give her much more. I realize that there is an amount that's too high..an amount that may leave her feeling uncomfortable or leave her feeling obligated to give our child preferential treatment. We absolutely don't want that.

All that said, what is an "ideal" gift or an ideal giftcard amount for a 1st grade teacher?

Thanks, in advance, for any input!

[ChristineVA]

$15 - $20 is a good amount for a teacher gift. I probably wouldn't go higher than $25.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

$15 - $20 is a good amount for a teacher gift. I probably wouldn't go higher than $25.

I agree with Christine on the amount. The teachers I work with love to shop at Barnes and Noble so maybe a giftcard from there would be something to consider. Although, Target is a favorite as well.

[ShannonMilligan]

I wouldn't go more than $20... I only spent $12.50 each on my kids pre-K teachers. (I have twins, there are 2 teachers in the room)...and that was just on Yankee Candles. (They had a sale, got cheap) And my kids want to make them a drawing.

[beatlecrazy]

$20 is a perfect gift card amount. It shows you care and appreciate what she does without going over the top.

[kutra11]

I don't agree with the amount specified by the posters. For that matter, I don't think anybody should be able to specify an amount for someone else. If the teacher is level-headed, she will have the common sense to understand that the gift is merely an appreciation of her job and not a bribe to give your child preferential treatment.

You should gift what you are comfortable giving. You should gift what you can afford. I give my maids much more than $20 so I am obviously spending a lot more than that on a Christmas present for my son's teacher. I point this out just to make a point that every person has a different idea of what's a reasonable expense for gifting.

If the teacher is uncomfortable with your gift, she will let you know. After all, being honest and truthful is what she teaches the kids. Why should this experience be any different?

Just my $0.02.

[HereinVA]

I usually do about $20 per teacher.

Some classes will do a collection for a group gift. I'm currently the "class mom" for one of my kids classes...the PTO told us class moms that we can't ask for more than $5 per student, but if parents send in a little extra anyway, that's ok.

[SallyField]

Originally Posted by kutra11

I don't think anybody should be able to specify an amount for someone else. [...] You should gift what you are comfortable giving. You should gift what you can afford. I give my maids much more than $20 so I am obviously spending a lot more than that on a Christmas present for my son's teacher. I point this out just to make a point that every person has a different idea of what's a reasonable expense for gifting.

I hear you, but it's fair to ask what others think is reasonable. What I'm comfortable giving is going to be based, in part, by what other people are giving. I suppose a person could quarrel with whether this is fair or not, but I suspect it's a pretty common sentiment.

I may wonder how much to tip people who park my car or carry my bags to my hotel room, for example. Without having some idea of what people normally tip, it's hard for me to be comfortable with any amount. Someone who hasn't given a lot of gifts to teachers would be in the same position.

FWIW, we give our housekeepers $100 each at Christmas. We give our kids' teachers a lot less -- $25 gift cards to Target.

And to go a bit OT, does anyone here give a Christmas "bonus" to their postal carrier? Or to their garbage men? We don't, but I've often wondered if we should. I'm pretty sure my parents, back in the day, used to give the mailman and garbageman Christmas tips.

[Carlingtonian]

Wow, are we tipping teachers now? I would think this would be against the rules, if not against the law. How is a teacher supposed to be objective if he/she is getting gifts from some parents and not others? And doesn't that put the less affluent kids at a disadvantage? I'm not saying teachers will be consciously biased by a giftcard, but how would one not feel slightly awkward in, say, giving a bad grade to a kid whose parents you'd felt had been extra nice to you? Or disciplining the kid?

I know it's intended as generosity, but it just seems sort of unctuous to me. And from the teacher's perspective, doesn't it put them on the same level as a maid or hairdresser?

That said, maybe if bellasdad can get some of the other parents to contribute anonymously to the teacher's book-buying fund, that would be a big help to the teacher and avoid any image of impropriety.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Wow, are we tipping teachers now? I would think this would be against the rules, if not against the law. How is a teacher supposed to be objective if he/she is getting gifts from some parents and not others? And doesn't that put the less affluent kids at a disadvantage? I'm not saying teachers will be consciously biased by a giftcard, but how would one not feel slightly awkward in, say, giving a bad grade to a kid whose parents you'd felt had been extra nice to you? Or disciplining the kid?

I know it's intended as generosity, but it just seems sort of unctuous to me. And from the teacher's perspective, doesn't it put them on the same level as a maid or hairdresser?

That said, maybe if bellasdad can get some of the other parents to contribute anonymously to the teacher's book-buying fund, that would be a big help to the teacher and avoid any image of impropriety.

I actually feel somewhat as you do.

When my kids were in daycare, I definitely bought gift cards for the daycare teachers. Those women were seriously underpaid IMO. At the elementary level, I much preferred to donate to a group gift and that's what we did 99% of the time. The only time I ventured out of that was in a private school where the teacher spent a lot of her own money buying some books for her class. To show my appreciation, I contributed to the group gift ($5) but also gave her a $20 gift card to the local bookstore.

I don't look at it as "tipping" the teachers. At the elementary school level, kids really grow very fond of their teachers and they usually really enjoy giving them a gift.