Leaving School - Teachers Thank You Cards/gifts

[Baby_Sham]

My son is about to leave primary school to go to secondary, and I don't really know what I should get for his teacher.

My daughter will be giving her teacher a thank you card and a bunch of flowers, but I don't really know what to do for the boy's teacher as he has had her for the last three years and will be leaving, so it's a bit different.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[coccinelle]

All teachers I know appreciate books with a little note written inside from the child. If you don't know what book (it could be something your son chooses) a book token would be ideal. Or if you don't want to spend too much, a bookmark. She was his teacher so anything in the education line. He could write a little note to say how he'll try and do his best at secondary and make her proud.

[anneasquith]

where and when did this custom begin, its a piece of nonsense imo. putting pressure on parents to buy gifts for teachers just doing their jobs

[Sqad]

LOL....anne....I must say i agree.
In my day, the reward that the teachers got was to see the back of us.

[Mamyalynne]

I also dislike the tradition - so a simple hand written card will suffice IMHO.

[albaqwerty]

I didn't do anything for either of my sons teachers. They're paid to do a job a simple thank you, take care and a handshake should suffice.

[daffy654]

We never gave gifts at the end of school years or when leaving, not that I could have anyway as I was brought up in council care, none of my classmates did it though.
My kids (25, 24 and 15) haven't done this either, mainly because I have never agreed with the idea.

If you really must do it then try and make it something personal to the child so that when the teacher looks at whatever it is she remembers the actual child. A book with an written note would be ideal.

[Svejk]

If anyone had been daft enough to give a teacher a present in my school he might,just as well, have pinned a target to his back. Or the seat of his pants,maybe.

[Svejk]

This 'tradition' goes a long way to explaining how great numbers of illiterate,innumerate kids were turning up at universities. ;)

[Octavius]

"a simple hand written card will suffice"

Agree.

[Canary42]

If this "tradition" had existed in my day, a bullet in the brain would have been what most of them would have got from me.

[AliceTickband]

I do not hold with this 'tradition'.

If the child does want to make the teacher proud, shake her hand on the last day and say a heartfelt 'thank you' and promise to return once in a while to update her.

[B00]

Drives me bonkers this "tradition", every year it's the same scene on the last day of the school year in the yard in the morning. Children with enormous bunches of flowers, each one bigger than the one before it, as if they're competing.

Mini Boo takes cards in, that's it. Also, it's not just the teachers the kids, well parents really, buy for, there's the teaching assistants too.

The prezzy buying gets dafter each year.

[dave50]

It's got out of hand, the children should be told that no gifts can be accepted by any teacher, that would put an end to it.

[elliemay1]

Coccinelle's idea is perfect or as some have suggested a hand-written card would suffice. As a retired teacher, one of my most memorable presents was a hand-written letter, from an 11 year old boy, who was too embarrassed to give it to me so put it under the wiper on my car! Once, I got a tiny ornamental fish from a little girl who said she had got it at a jumble sale for a penny. I still have it. Another was a fridge magnet made by a little boy which said Thank You and had his name and the year written on the back. Still have it too. So, in other words , something simple which was thought of by the child.

[Tilly2]

A thank you card is sufficient.

[pixie373]

My older ones buy a card for those teachers that have particularly helped them. The younger one makes one for his teacher. I don't get presents, as i have enough to buy throughout the year.

[boxtops]

I agree with everyone who says a card will suffice - the teacher is only doing his job.

[Baldric]

If you really feel the need to do anything, then surely a simple 'Thank You'
card should be enough!

[BlueToffee]

In 18 years of teaching maths at secondary school Mrs BT received, ooooh, now let me see, probably less than 5 gifts in total.

Her reward was seeing the children she had taught achieve the best results they were capable of, even without Mr Gove sticking his nose in!

[whiskeryron]

It used to be an apple, now things have moved on. Buy the teacher an apple tree.

WR.