Christmas Gift for Preschool Teacher

Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

Not sure what to do, as you can tell!
Thanks
Linda
Mommy to Sophie, 3.5
and Eva, 15 months

On 16 Dec 2004 00:08:59 GMT, (GoofeeGyrl)
scribbled:

Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

I did, but it's a small gift I found several months ago. I think I
spent about $3 on it. I probably wouldn't spend more than about $5 a
piece for each the teacher and the helper.

Nan

"GoofeeGyrl" wrote
Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go
ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we
buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?


If you do decide to buy a gift, just a warning. My mother is a pre-school
teacher and ends up with more boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine than
she could use in a month. Candles and the like are popular with her cos
they can be stored and used without acting as dustcatchers.

And, tbh, it's not as though they go through a list of the kids ticking off
who gave a gift and who didn't :-).

Jean


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GoofeeGyrl wrote:
Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

I think it really depends on what you want to do.
Around here, I've seen everything from nothing to very
inexpensive gifts to $100+ gifts. I try to keep in mind
that teachers often get scads of gifts from their kids
and try to do something that doesn't incur a liability
for the teacher (just another thing to store, dust, etc.).
I usually find that teachers really like things that
the students have made, too, even if it's as simple as
some cookies the child has made and decorated.
For an especially favorite preschool teacher
one year I got some polar fleece and got tracings of
each child's hand and embroidered the handprints and
the names on the fleece blanket in pearl cotton (went
pretty quickly), but that's more effort than I'd usually
put in.
I love it when one of the parents in the class
offers to organize a group gift. This year one of the
parents in my 4th grader's class is organizing a group
gift of a basked of educational games (the teacher had
previously expressed that she was wishing she had more
games for the kids to play in class). Last year a
parent organized a group gift of a Home Depot gift
card because the teacher was doing some work on his
house. Other parents have organized things like a
movie basket (popcorn, candy, movie theater gift
certificates, movie rental gift certificates, etc.).
If I know the teacher likes tea, I often
get a gift from Stash tea that has tea and Nutcracker
cookies, especially if the teacher has taken us up
on our offer of tickets to see the kids perform in
the Nutcracker.
I don't think there's any right or wrong amount
to spend, for the most part. Personally, I would rather
make something at home (like cookies or a nice card) than
spend $3 for a gift that won't be useful, but on the other
hand, sometimes you find something great for $3! I also
don't mind spending more for a teacher the child really
enjoys, especially if it saves me time (I'd rather spend
a little more money and be done than kill myself finding
the right thing on a very limited budget).
I also don't think you have to worry too much
about the relative cost of the aide's gift versus the
teacher's gift. Obviously, you wouldn't want to do
something significantly more elaborate for the aide,
but I don't think it's any sort of faux pas if you do
the same thing for both, if that's more convenient for
you.

Best wishes,
Ericka

"GoofeeGyrl" wrote in message
...
Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go
ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we
buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

Well, we don't have preschool teachers to buy for, but we buy for dance
teachers and 3rd grade teachers (and a teachers aide).

For the school teacher and the teacher's aide we bought $10 gift
certificates for Dunkin Donuts (my DD told me that they both usually have a
coffee from there most mornings) and I bought a book for the classroom thru
the monthly book club thing that gets sent home.

The two dance teachers each teach multiple classes to our family members
(one teaches DH and 3 of DDs classes and the other teaches DD for one class
and DS for one class). We debated a long time about what to buy for them,
and ended up spending $25 for a gift certificate from a local department
store (Kohl's) where I know they shop. We only spent that much for them
because they've been teaching us for years and because they have multiple
family members in their classes. Otherwise I would have spent about $10
each.
We figured that the gift certificate would let them get whatever they wanted
rather than yet another set of bath soaps and lotions or more scented
candles.

"GoofeeGyrl" wrote in message
...
Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go
ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we
buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

I chipped in $5 each for a group gift from all the parents but I also gave
$10 gift certificates to a book store. The school is a non-profit and
doesn't have a lot of extra money so I thought they could either buy books
for the school or for themselves. I was a teacher and I always liked gc's
for books or supplies since I spent so much out of pocket. HTH

JennP.

GoofeeGyrl wrote:

Do you buy one?



I usually buy something 5$ or less like a decorative tin of treats or
cookies. I'm quite sure that the preschool (university affiliated, thus
the 'rule') has a policy that there be no gift to a teacher or student
helper that exceeds 10$ or something, so in keeping with that, we go
minimal.

cara

I get small gifts for the teachers. Each year it is different. One year it
was Holiday kitchen towels and a small pottery bowl, one year candles and
chocolates, last year Starbucks cards and insulated mugs. I think this year
I am going to go to Old Navy and buy polarfleece scarves and gloves (they
are on sale for freaky cheap, too!)

Have fun and don't stress about it. Sometimes a really nice note thanking
her for her gift of teaching small children is worth more than any present.

Kelly
"GoofeeGyrl" wrote in message
...
Do you buy one?

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go
ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we
buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

Not sure what to do, as you can tell!
Thanks
Linda
Mommy to Sophie, 3.5
and Eva, 15 months

GoofeeGyrl wrote:
Do you buy one?

We make one :-)

DD has been going since September and loves her teacher. The class has 24
kids, one teacher, and one helper. I'm just wondering if we should go ahead
and buy something? If so, what is a reasonable amount to spend? If we buy one
for the teacher and the helper, about how much would I spend on the second
gift?

Remember that teachers and helpers get gifts each year. I think it means
alot to them to have a small personal item that shows the parent has
worked with the child. This year I bought some shortbread, some icing
pens and little sugar balls and let DS decorate them (he's 5). He took
them into school for the teacher to eat at coffee time. The gift is from
us rather than him and shows that we as a family appreciate all the
teachers do.

Mary Ann

Hi -

Gifts for teachers are always welcome. Any size gift is appreciated.
But do your best to have your child participate, at least in the
creation of a card for the teacher. (And no, you don't have to go
beyond a card!) If you decide to get a gift, a gift certificate is
always good, especially if it's for a store or a bookstore near the
school (so you know the teacher can use it). Food gifts tend to be a
less-good idea, since so many people give them.

Look at your own family income AND how much you appreciate the teacher
in deciding how much to spend on a gift. If you're in financial
straits, send in a card signed by your child and have done. If you're a
multi-millionaire, send in a $100 gift certficate to a local store along
with a book you think the teacher would like, and don't forget a
donation to the school in honor of your favored teachers. Around here,
gifts tend to run in the $5-$20 range; I live in a relatively affluent
area.

I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

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