Class gift for 1st grade teacher

[Minnesota!]

where do you live that teacher's get gifts like that.

Well, considering my user name is Minnesota....

Honestly I dont' even understand why kids are giving their teachers a gift. That would be like giving your boss a gift at work to me.

I know when I was in school we definitely never did this. A few kids brought in something but it was generally a trinket. Not some $300+ gift.

HOnestly $20 is more then I spend for some family members for christmas so yeah wouldn't be happening.

We give bosses gifts here, too


Anyway, got the email today from the mom who organizes it. It states "Once again, it is a give what you want. Some give $5 or $10, a lot give $15, and some give $20...totally up to you! It is a gift from the whole class, even if you can't pitch in."

So, I give what I can afford, and other parents give what they can afford. In the end, the mom buys a gift based on what is collected.

 

[kamik86]

Well, considering my user name is Minnesota....




We give bosses gifts here, too


Anyway, got the email today from the mom who organizes it. It states "Once again, it is a give what you want. Some give $5 or $10, a lot give $15, and some give $20...totally up to you! It is a gift from the whole class, even if you can't pitch in."

So, I give what I can afford, and other parents give what they can afford. In the end, the mom buys a gift based on what is collected.

In this case I might give a gift if the teacher was one that I found to be very involved and helpful. I had a few through school I would have given to... even from my own allowance money.

However the OP made it sound like peer pressure makes this something that is expected and not just encouraged.

My office only gives presents to the admins on administrative assistance day. I think its because honestly the job of the admins really seems to be "Do all the stuff us engineers are too lazy and think we are too overpaid and overqualified to do ourselves" they

• Order us food if we have big meetings or late work days for special projects, pick up the food and bring it to us.
• do our expense reports (including calling the rental car company or hotel for another copy of that receipt we lost)
  
• Fix our time cards when we forget to submit them
• Book our travel
• Mail our documents for us (I worked here 3 years before I knew where the mailroom was, before that I just gave it to the nearest admin)

So yeah especially if your an engineer that travels frequently they probably do really save you enough time and hassle to be worth paying an extra $20 each year

 

[kamik86]

In this case I might give a gift if the teacher was one that I found to be very involved and helpful. I had a few through school I would have given to... even from my own allowance money.

However the OP made it sound like peer pressure makes this something that is expected and not just encouraged.

My office only gives presents to the admins on administrative assistance day. I think its because honestly the job of the admins really seems to be "Do all the stuff us engineers are too lazy and think we are too overpaid and overqualified to do ourselves" they

• Order us food if we have big meetings or late work days for special projects, pick up the food and bring it to us.
• do our expense reports (including calling the rental car company or hotel for another copy of that receipt we lost)
  
• Fix our time cards when we forget to submit them
• Book our travel
• Mail our documents for us (I worked here 3 years before I knew where the mailroom was, before that I just gave it to the nearest admin)

So yeah especially if your an engineer that travels frequently they probably do really save you enough time and hassle to be worth paying an extra $20 each year

Many of the teachers I had did nothing at all beyond the normal duties of the job they signed up for. Some of them without even being nice or even respectful of their students... those teachers definitely wouldn't be getting a gift.

 

[scoutie]

.

I just looked up my son's teachers salary, it is $73K a year. Based on her age, I don't think she has been a teacher for more then 5-7 years

A teacher making $73,000 who has only been teaching five years?! Are you sure that's not the TRS, Health and Dental, etc. included in that salary posting? I've been teaching 17 plus years with a Master's and I'm not making anywhere near that much. Whenever I read about these huge teacher salaries, I think I live in the wrong area ha ha! I scraped by on $24,000 a year and had to waitress to supplement my teaching habit for the first five years of my career. I want to add that you'll never hear me complain about my salary now. I feel fairly compensated, and have felt this way for awhile, but those early years were rough with student loans to pay. I know my profession isn't unique to that, however.

In any event, a gift shouldn't be given based on salary. It should be given because you want to give it. I've given a gift to a neurologist as a thank you before (while I was making $24,000).

 

[TheIncredibles!]

A teacher making $73,000 who has only been teaching five years?! Are you sure that's not the TRS, Health and Dental, etc. included in that salary posting? I've been teaching 17 plus years with a Master's and I'm not making anywhere near that much. Whenever I read about these huge teacher salaries, I am extremely confused. I scraped by on $24,000 a year and had to waitress to supplement my teaching habit for the first five years of my career.

The area is important. I live in Northern NJ. The top salaries in my school district for non administration currently are at $81k per year. Or should I say $81k for 185 days? One of the teachers that has been there for 5 years currently makes $61,020. One has been there for one year and is making $54,055.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I've never heard of the term "class mom".
And as a teacher, I would be mortified to find out parents were collecting $20 per family for a gift for me. Thankfully, I've never heard of this.

I've never heard of not having a room mom. This year we have a room dad though.

 

[Disneylover99]

I've never heard of not having a room mom. This year we have a room dad though.

Somebody mentioned earlier that it's an American term. We actually have a parent free school. A parent council group got started a few times over the years, but eventually got shelved due to lack of participation and interest. I guess that's why the whole idea of parents collecting for the teachers seems so unusual to me.

A room dad would be cool though.

 

[shoney]

A teacher making $73,000 who has only been teaching five years?! Are you sure that's not the TRS, Health and Dental, etc. included in that salary posting? I've been teaching 17 plus years with a Master's and I'm not making anywhere near that much. Whenever I read about these huge teacher salaries, I am extremely confused. I scraped by on $24,000 a year and had to waitress to supplement my teaching habit for the first five years of my career.

Just looked up my district and teacher salaries range from $40,000K to $120,000K (1 district on Long Island)

 

[Minnesota!]

Just looked up the salaries of 4 friends that are teachers. Part time elementary art teacher - 52K. 1st grade teacher in a huge district - 44K. High school teacher - 72K, and 4th grade in small town - 40K

Not bad salaries, no matter how many days/hours you work.

 

[MSLRAC]

In districts where teachers make more money, the cost of living is usually higher. So I'd still venture to say that they make less than most professions.

The max non administration salary in my district is $77,035 and that's with 27 years of experience and a doctorate degree. First year teachers with just a BA start at $33,259. It takes 8 years to break $40k a year and 19 years to break $50k a year. A masters will get you roughly $5k more a year.

I also don't just work 8-2:30, 185 days a year. I do 2-4 hours a night of work and planning at home. We go back a week before students and stay a week later into the summer. I am required to take a certain number of credit hours of continuing education and development classes each school year and during the summer on my time.

Anyway, back to the OP, contirbute whatever you want but don't try to justify not contributing at all or contributing very little because you think the teacher makes good money and doesn't work that many hours or days. Good teachers work tirelessly and we appreciate everything that our students give us as gifts.

 

[Allons-y!]

When my kids were younger, there would often be a mom who would offer to collect money for a group gift. I was sometimes that mom.

Although nobody ever named a specific amount to contribute, most parents sent in $20, while a few sent $10.

We would always put it all together and get a Visa or AmEx gift card for the teacher. Some parents liked to do their own gift, so it was never something that people felt that they *had* to do. Any kid who sent in money had their name added to a card.

 

[kandb]

Astronomical used to describe a teacher's salary...never thought I'd see that...ever! Your child's teacher sounds like she truly cares about her students and their success. She makes time to grade papers immediately and I can assure you that she doesn't do all of her planning on the fly before school. You really should be thankful your child has such a good teacher but instead you're here trying to justify why she's not worthy of a $20 contribution from you toward the class Christmas gift. I will never understand some parents!

I will truly never understand some teachers who think they are the only ones who work hard and are the only ones who do work outside of their job.

 

[MSLRAC]

I will truly never understand some teachers who think they are the only ones who work hard and are the only ones who do work outside of their job.

I am not saying that teachers are the only ones who work hard or the only ones who do work outside of their jobs. I know that is not true. You seem to think very little of teachers and the job that we do based on misconceptions that you have about the job. I can assure you that it's not the piece of cake gig that you think it is.

 

[sasywtch]

The teacher in question works very hard every day for the OP's specific child- that's the issue under discussion. $20 is minimal in the context of what the teacher does during (and before and after) the school year. You have no knowledge of the demands of professional teaching. We're not "government workers" who punch in a time clock; we're professionals who have to work extra hours regularly until we get the job done, no overtime pay in the equation. The very fact that you think we get holidays like President's Day off shows that- the kids are out of school on government holidays like those, but not us. Our work day and work year don't end when the child's does.

If the OP thinks her child's teacher does a poor job, she shouldn't give her anything, I agree. But if she thinks the teacher is good, then as I said, that $20 is a pittance in comparison to the amount of unpaid work the teacher is regularly expected to take on.

I don't think you're doing a great job defending why teachers deserve gifts. I am a government worker and I am a professional. I don't punch in a time clock and I work past the clock and before my official time starts. I didn't get overtime. My son has been a 5th grade teacher for 10 years and finds the time to go to DL on President's Day (along with me). I don't think it's a matter of if a teacher is doing a good job or not, it's the expectation of giving a gift to someone being paid to do their job. When my kids were growing up, a few kids brought in a trinket type gift but it wasn't this huge expectation that it is now. I am so thankful they are grown as I would have hated all of the expectations put on everyone now.

I just thought it rude to insinuate that government workers are not professionals. We are an office full of Master and PhD level individuals that don't punch the clock. I just think that gift giving should be because you want to especially now that people are cutting back and electing not to buy for their adult relatives. I'm just not understanding all the expectations of gift giving to everyone. I personally think a group gift is tacky, not thoughtful and rubs me as a "have to" type of gift which isn't meaningful at all.

 

[mjkacmom]

In districts where teachers make more money, the cost of living is usually higher. So I'd still venture to say that they make less than most professions.

The max non administration salary in my district is $77,035 and that's with 27 years of experience and a doctorate degree. First year teachers with just a BA start at $33,259. It takes 8 years to break $40k a year and 19 years to break $50k a year. A masters will get you roughly $5k more a year.

I also don't just work 8-2:30, 185 days a year. I do 2-4 hours a night of work and planning at home. We go back a week before students and stay a week later into the summer. I am required to take a certain number of credit hours of continuing education and development classes each school year and during the summer.

Anyway, back to the OP, contirbute whatever you want but don't try to justify not contributing at all or contributing very little because you think the teacher makes good money and doesn't work that many hours or days. Good teachers work tirelessly and we appreciate everything that our students give us as gifts.

Nope, not in NJ. The average income for a teacher is $57,000 - compare that to an RN here, $61,000, but teachers work only 10 months (plus have great benefits and pensions). I know teachers tend to be underpaid in other places, but do well here - very strong Union.

 

[clori]

We don't officially have class parents past kindergarten. Usually for things like parties the teacher will ask a few parents to help out but its different parents per party as long as enough parents are willing/able. When my youngest was in kindergarten the teacher asked me if I would be a class parent. She said basically it meant I would chaperone field trips. Since kindergarten parents picked kids up at the door I talked to many and all preferred to do their own gifts vs donate to a class gift.

 

[declansdad]

I will truly never understand some teachers who think they are the only ones who work hard and are the only ones who do work outside of their job.

I will never truly understand people who think because they attended school they know how to teach and never fail to let the teachers know.

 

[nugov2]

That amount isn't unusual for a teacher gift. When I taught I definitely was given some extremely generous gifts, but I taught in a very affluent area. The PTA hired a chef to come in twice a year and cook us delicious food among alot of other perks. I also would have never expected anyone to give me anything and my favorite gift was a tree made by a child in my class (and I still put it out at Christmas 13 years later).

Teaching can very much be very demanding and stressful, BUT the way some behave really gives the whole profession the blow back they receive lately in the media. No other professionals complain as loud as teachers do, but I do think that is a small majority it is just their voices are so loud it is tainting the overall public opinion. So many professions make just as much or little and work hard without all the Facebook memes, pats on the back, martyrs complaining. I think teachers can often be their own worst enemy and have caused the view of them to become so negative. It makes my skin crawl when I see the babysitter posts and other popular things being posted all over social media about how unfair teachers are treated. I think there are a lot of areas it does happen, but also a lot that do not. The reality is that this is the way of every job across America. For the days/hours of the average teacher works it comes out to about $20 an hour not factoring in the usually great benefits. The average for professionals with a bachelor's is $17 an hour starting out without benefits when you consider they work a longer year than teachers. Most go to IEP meetings during class time and a floating sub comes in during that time, have a couple of plan periods (30 minutes a day) and probably work 9 hours total a day. Are there some that work in extreme conditions, yes but again that is everywhere in every profession. When you look at averages teachers have a good package.

 

[SparklePixie]

Honestly I dont' even understand why kids are giving their teachers a gift. That would be like giving your boss a gift at work to me.

I know when I was in school we definitely never did this. A few kids brought in something but it was generally a trinket. Not some $300+ gift.

HOnestly $20 is more then I spend for some family members for christmas so yeah wouldn't be happening.

DH has 6 people that work under him. He always gets a Christmas gift from them. They typically all go together and get him something.

 

[SparklePixie]

In this case I might give a gift if the teacher was one that I found to be very involved and helpful. I had a few through school I would have given to... even from my own allowance money.

However the OP made it sound like peer pressure makes this something that is expected and not just encouraged.

My office only gives presents to the admins on administrative assistance day. I think its because honestly the job of the admins really seems to be "Do all the stuff us engineers are too lazy and think we are too overpaid and overqualified to do ourselves" they

• Order us food if we have big meetings or late work days for special projects, pick up the food and bring it to us.
• do our expense reports (including calling the rental car company or hotel for another copy of that receipt we lost)
  
• Fix our time cards when we forget to submit them
• Book our travel
• Mail our documents for us (I worked here 3 years before I knew where the mailroom was, before that I just gave it to the nearest admin)

So yeah especially if your an engineer that travels frequently they probably do really save you enough time and hassle to be worth paying an extra $20 each year

You're an engineer and you punch a time clock?