Holiday gifts for teachers....do you give them ALL something?

[Lisoula]

My son is in 1st grade, but has many teachers. Should I give all of them something?

Homeroom (main) teacher
Music teacher
Art teacher
Gym teacher
Enrichment teacher
Librarian


And, although the school is big, the office secretary and principal are both AWESOME...so I feel I should give them something. And what about his bus drivers? This is his first year riding a bus....do they usually receive gifts, too?:

[Justmee]

Speaking as a former teacher, where I worked it was usually just the main teacher and not the special teachers, unless he has enrichment every day then I would consier that teacher also a main teacher. I would only give to gym / art / etc if he had a special relationship w/ teh teacher involved. No clue about hte bus driver, sorry.

[CarrieMF]

I decided this year I"m done with the gifts for teachers. i have 3 kids in public school.

My oldest(grade 4) has 2 homeroom teachers + music teacher + french teacher

My middle dd(Grade 1) has 1 homeroom teacher, 1 student teacher + social/science teacher + french teacher

My youngest has 1 homeroom teacher + french teacher.

It is actually not as many teachers as the 3 of them had last year. I had 13 teachers last year.

If anything donating something to the staff room for their snack as recess would be easier & cheaper.

When we were in school teacher gifts were not given. We rode the same bus with the same driver & they were not given gifts either. Though I think we may have given them something after we graduated & were no longer on the bus.

[Hannahsmummy]

I am having a similar dilemma. My daughter is in kindergarten and has a main teacher so that one is a given. There is also a main assistant who is there everyday and teaches on Fridays which is main teacher's day off so, that's a given as well.

The problem is that there are three other assistants who are there a day or two a week a piece and alternate schedules.

I'm thinking of a bigger gift and a box of cookies (I own a baking business) for the teacher and main assistant and just the cookies for the other assistants.

If it was me, I don't think I'd do gifts for special teachers or the bus driver unless (as someone else said) there is a special relationship. It could end up getting crazy with the amount of gifts you'd end up buying.

[ChristaN]

My 2nd grader's regular (homeroom) teacher is the only one of her teachers for whom I am buying a gift. We aren't doing the specials teachers b/c it would get too expensive and they aren't with them every day. My older dd (4th) has her homeroom teacher and then a reading teacher to whom she goes every day. We will get both of them something, although I am really at a loss for her homeroom teacher b/c he is a male and I don't know what to get a male teacher. Lotions, etc. just don't seem appropriate.

I am also contemplating getting something for the principal and office staff, but again it would get expensive. The only reason I am even considering it is b/c they've really gone out of their way in regard to helping us with dd#1 who is a bit hard to serve educationally.

[s_kristina]

I'm not sure yet if we will do anything at all for any of dd's teachers. As the dd of a teacher who is working on a degree so I can teach I hate saying that. Until we know more about dh's work situation I just can't plan anything though. If we do anything it would just be for her main teacher and her speech teacher. She sees her speech teacher several times a week and she has made so much progress with him that I couldn't do something for her main teacher and not him.

[smeisnotapirate]

My parents are both teachers, and I can tell you honestly that most teachers prefer nice cards to gifts. I remember as a kid coming home and having my mom take 3 or 4bags out of the car, and my brother and I sorting through them and picking out gifts for our friends from the gifts she was given.

The things my mom kept: teas & cocoas, gift certificates to bookstores, and maybe one or two of the candles she was given.

The things she gave away/gave to us: food, anything having to do with apples or #1Teacher stuff, most candles (some of the smells were too strong/she hated), most ornaments & tschotchkes.

I think it's nice to give anyone who you or your DC thinks is special a gift, but it's never required. Most teachers, like I said before, will appreciate having a nice card rather than a thing that they'll either have to store somewhere or give away. They just get so much stuff every year.

Just my $.02.