The Editor,
Re. “SD43 should not allow gifts to be given to teachers” (Letters, The Tri-City News, July 4).
I was saddened to read the letter in which a reader suggested a solution to people feeling compelled to give a teacher a fancy gift is to stop giving gifts to teachers entirely.
Now, I have to admit that before my children were in school, I did wonder why teacher gifts had become such a big deal. I mean, we don’t all get gifts just for doing our jobs, so why are teachers so special?
Well, now that my son has been through kindergarten, I know.
I watched a woman pour her heart and soul into a classroom of kindergarten kids day in and day out.
I watched her make her job harder than it already was by going over and above the norm to organize fun activities and adventures for the class. I watched her see my son struggle with writing letters and words and try tactic after tactic until she found a way to help him.
And by the end of that year, you bet I was ready to show her my appreciation in the form of a gift.
The writer mentions how low-income families may feel forced into buying a gift they cannot afford, and that other kids may feel inadequate seeing the teacher receiving a larger or “better” gift from someone else.
If this is a problem in some schools, perhaps not opening the gifts in front of students (which I assume is the norm for most classes anyway) is a better solution than not acknowledging the hard work these men and women put into educating our kids.
Teachers are underpaid as is and they work darn hard for those well-deserved gifts.
Naomi Thomas,
Port Coquitlam
Wednesday’s letter on this topic drew a lot of attention from readers, who left dozens of comments on Facebook, including these >>>
“We gave gifts to my son’s teacher, EAs, the school secretary and the custodian. I truly believe in the value of reminding someone that their efforts are both noticed and appreciated, and will continue to give gifts of thanks to teachers and other staff.”
SAM LUPIN
“What’s wrong with a simple sincere thank you? Lots of us work hard everyday and receive nothing more than a paycheque!”
DAVE SHEPPARD
“If I choose to give my children’s teachers a gift to thank them for all they do, that’s my prerogative... For those who cannot afford, it takes minutes for a child to make a thank you card and the cost is small. If they wish to give something but cannot afford it, there is no expectation.”
victoria schuetze
“The gifts get more intense, elaborate and costly every year as parents try to one-up the others. Don’t say it doesn’t happen.”
ROBIN TURRIFF
“I think the best gift I have ever received as a teacher was a booklet made with the handprint of each student and a little handwritten thank you message. I still have it.”
LISA GRILL
“It is one thing to say trustees should not be given travel vacations as gifts (I agree with this). It is quite another thing to say that teachers/CUPE staff should not be given small gifts of appreciation, many of which students make themselves!”
JANINE LEHMANN
