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Teachers - what gifts do you enjoy getting at the end of the year? I hate the idea that I may give something that teacher's do no enjoy or don't want/use.
I think the only thing my son will want is to not have any kids in is way that he might hurt while running out the door. Visualize the ending to "Grease" except it's teachers and not the kids.
Seriously, the gifts that he most appreciates are letters of thanks. When he gets one from a student, he is always touched.
I don't really like or get material things. What I do tell my Seniors is to let me know how they do.
Teacher appreciation week was a couple weeks ago and I got an anonymous note from a kid thanking me for my positive attitude and humor. I enjoy those, too.
We're not allowed to accept gifts from parents. That said, I have had a parent essentially offer me a bribe to pass her son so that he could graduate. I reported it to the principal. I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting a gift for doing my job. A card or a box of candy would the most that I would accept. My reward comes when the students come back after they graduate to let me know how they are doing and "to talk to the little kids" for me. Of course the irony of that is that once they have gone to college they are "grown-ups" and the little kids won't listen to them either!
Seriously, the gifts that he most appreciates are letters of thanks. When he gets one from a student, he is always touched.
I totally agree with this. I still have saved ones that were clearly heartfelt from the kids themselves that are over 25 years old. I've had parents write letters to the principal too, which was really nice.
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My neighbor was a 2nd grade school teacher for 35 years and after the first couple years she finally had to set the "No gifts for teacher rule". It is always a nice and appreciated gesture however, with so many children in each class and the number of years one teaches it gets overwhelming quite rapidly.
Over the years she did receive a certificate a few times for a tree planted in her name, a donation given to a bird sanctuary or a box of seeds donated to the public park or a donation sent to the botanical gardens but nothing tangible or material for her to keep.
Any acknowledgement from a parent was always nice. But, my favorite "gift" has been a thank you note from the parent (I taught EC-EEN and CD students so they couldn't really write one themselves)..
I frequently had students for multiple years (about half for 3 or 4 years) so I got to know the children and their families quite well. A few parents over the years sent a letter to the principal or director of special education stating how much they appreciated my extra efforts and how happy they were at the progress that their child made in my classroom. That was especially great.
One of the reasons I asked was I have often heard from teachers that they have drawers full of gift cards that they forget to use.
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