Teachers’ pet hate

AM I alone in thinking that the trend of pupils giving gifts to their teachers as an end of term “thank-you” should be actively discouraged?

Many of the teachers feel overwhelmed and cringe at receiving numerous bunches of flowers, boxes of chocolates and increasingly trashy knick-knacks and trinkets, often passing these on to relatives, donating them to charity shops and gifting them as fundraising raffle prizes, when suitable.

Of course, supermarkets and other shops are cashing in on this in a big way, and I hear that some teachers have even received vouchers for “experience” days out, spa-day gift vouchers and dinner vouchers for Michelin-star restaurants, as some parents strive to outdo each other.

Surely it is time schools take the initiative, and request parents stop gifting these increasingly excessive presents, and instead suggest that they give the money they would spend to school funds or to the school’s chosen charity. Who will be the first head teacher to enforce this?

Judi Martin

Maryculter

Aberdeenshire