another classmom gift/card????

[akhenaten]

I have been class mom in the past and collected$$ for a class gift.... our district limits teacher gifts to about $20... so we only collect 2-3 dollars per child. ( max it would be is about $40 if everyone contributed)
I have always thought of this as a little something from all of the class...
folks are free to send in a separate gift.
I always bought a card and signed it myself... for the entire class...
I never had them all sign separately...
am I a bad class mom???

oh man have I been doing it wrong???
oh well

I can't believe I am reading about classes giving 200 to their teachers.... I thought I was pushing it ...giving our class gift of double the school suggestion

 

[teacups]

IMO You are doing it right!
The other thread makes me think "RECOGNITION" since the kids who dont cough up cash do not get to sign the card. What poor judgement!

And the (individual) gift depends on the relationship with the teacher IMO.
We are taking a gift to my daughters first grade teacher, and she's in the 4th grade now... and we homeschool!
She was an exceptional teacher and a good person so we always think of her. The others? Eh, not so much.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I have been class mom in the past and collected$$ for a class gift.... our district limits teacher gifts to about $20... so we only collect 2-3 dollars per child. ( max it would be is about $40 if everyone contributed)
I have always thought of this as a little something from all of the class...
folks are free to send in a separate gift.
I always bought a card and signed it myself... for the entire class...
I never had them all sign separately...
am I a bad class mom???

oh man have I been doing it wrong???
oh well

I can't believe I am reading about classes giving 200 to their teachers.... I thought I was pushing it ...giving our class gift of double the school suggestion

HI!

IMO, i think you are doing right as well. I think its the perfect amount to ask for from the kids and I think that you signing the card is fine. I can't imagine how you would do it any other way.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Another vote in your favor from me, too! I don't have a problem giving, but I don't want kids that can't to be left off the card. Or the kids who are absent the day the card is sent around. I hope our room mom signs the card from "the class" like you do.

I agree that is seems to be about "recognition", but if you are going to "recognize" it should be everyone, not just some and leave out the rest.

 

[akhenaten]

Thanks for the reassurance...
I would NEVER, NEVER leave any childs name off of a card...

 

[MomofKatie]

I am the Room Mom for DD's 5th grade class this year. I just sent out the holiday party letter today- I specifically stated in it that the class gift would be from the entire class, whether each family contributed or not. We requested $5 per family (class has 19 students)- if we end up with $50, I'll be happy. I totally understand that in this year's economy, some people can't afford to spend $$ on a teacher gift, and I would never dream of singling them out by NOT including their child's name on the card.

I wish we had a ceiling on our teacher gift prices- in years past, when our enrollment was larger and more affluent, some teachers would get embarrasingly high ticket items for gifts (I'm talking in the $500 range!!!), while others barely got anything. Didn't seem fair to me...

 

[EMom]

We live in an affluent town and the school had to put a $50 limit on gifts a few years ago. That's $50 per child, per teacher, per event. The same kid could give a $50 gift to a teacher at Christmas and another $50 gift to her on her birthday. It had gotten out of control, with a few choice families giving gifts worth hundreds of dollars to their children's teachers.

When we take up a collection for a group gift card, we usually get $200 and up for a teacher. She'll get individual gifts in addition to that. DD's teacher got married during the school year and the moms gave her a $250 gift card where she was registered.

Now when I was teaching, I would have passed smooth out if I'd gotten a $200 gift card. It all depends on where you live, etc. But this year, with the economic slump hitting every area, I'd say gifts may be less $$$ than in the past. Teachers understand.

One thing our school does that I like is that they take up a collection for all the non-teaching staff. (cafeteria workers, custodians, etc.) They evenly divide whatever money is contributed and give each one a gift card. These people rarely get a gift at Christmas and they work so hard. We always contribute to that. I'm glad our school makes it a point to recognize their hard work.

 

[teacups]

I like the collection for non teaching staff. When we went to public school the custodian and cafeteria workers usually got two gifts, and one of those was from our family. We also live in a very affluent town... and that sometmes makes people forget the people who make things run smoothly everday and are usually underpaid. Even a small gift is much appreciated.