clementine Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Do you give a gift to your child's teacher at the end of the year? Part of me feels like we should and part of me doesn't....I'd love to get some input :confused: Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I didn't at first, but my dd would always feel embarrassed that the other students had a gift for the teacher, and she didn't. I also found out the hard way that many parents arrived at the end of the year end recital/show with bouquets of flowers for their young dancers. :tongue_smilie: Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 I also found out the hard way that many parents arrived at the end of the year end recital/show with bouquets of flowers for their young dancers. :tongue_smilie: Been there, done that ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 My daughter's first performance/recital is tomorrow night. Dancing is a new sport for her. I didn't even think of a gift for the teacher or for that matter flowers for my daughter (which would make her so very happy). Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 No, but I'm not a big gift-giver anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CactusPair Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 No, we don't. There are so many kids at our studio and if everybody gave a gift, the poor teacher would be swamped with stuff! Plus, we have more than one teacher for our classes, so that would mean multiple gifts. Too much stuff, too much cost. We pay a decent amount of tuition, come to classes, work hard, smile & tell the teachers thank you frequently for their efforts and time. We love our studio and teachers and talk them up whereever we go. Next year my 2 dc are signing up for 3 classes. I think these signs of appreciation are enough. If I really felt compelled to show thanks with a gift, I think a pretty thank you note or card, and maybe a gift certificate for a dance shop or book/music store would be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Not usually. At our school, it's perfectly acceptable, but by no means *expected*. Occasionally during Nutcracker some of the moms will put together a group gift, and when that happens, I'll participate (though there's no requirement to do so, and I don't know if the teacher even knows exactly who paid into the pot or not). A card and/or a small gift card are always nice things. But it's not necessary. As others have said, flowers at recital *are* a big deal though! lol... The vast majority of girls get flowers (ranging from a single rose or carnation to ridiculously large bouquet), and while some girls just don't care about that, some feel left out if their parents do not participate in that particular ritual. When ds was younger, he wanted something too, so I would try to make sure he got a Playmobil person or something small like that. Now that he's older, he doesn't seem to care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Do you give a gift to your child's teacher at the end of the year? Part of me feels like we should and part of me doesn't....I'd love to get some input :confused: Thank you! She has gotten so many dance ornaments and figurines etc over the years. Really more than she can enjoy. She did mention once that she'd rather not get gift cards for a music store since she can write music off as a business expense. She'd probably enjoy a small gift card to target or a bookstore. And I think that she'd also really appreciate a nice card with kind words about how enjoyable the year of dance had been. Especially at recital time, the stress of juggling routines, music, costumes (which don't always arrive on time as promised by the company), students who suddenly discover a conflict, and parents who don't read the letters she sends and posts all start to add up. I know that my MIL was picking out dance music and costumes all the way back in October. Her vacation windows revolve around shoe day and picture day and recital and the week that money for costumes is due. I think that she would just love to have a nice note that showed her time and effort was appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Last year after recital, the moms in DD's dance class (4 girls) gifted their teacher with a nice framed photo of the entire class, and had each child sign her name on the mat with acid-free ink. The teacher really seemed to appreciate it, and it was relatively inexpensive. I took the photo & had it printed, another mom bought the pens, another bought the frame & mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maisy Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 At Christmas it's homemade cookies in a pretty tin or a gift card. After recital it's been anything from a bouquet of flowers to a Target gift card to airline flight passes. It's not required by any means, but we spend a lot of time at the studio and are close with the teachers. Plus, my hat's off to anyone who can wrangle a class of 12 3-year-olds for longer than 15 minutes! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Just as a matter of note, most believe that flowers should not be given to the dancers, but rather to the teacher. IF you give flowers, protocol as I know it, is to give the flowers to your children off the stage. Our ballet teacher suggests charms for a bracelet/necklace. If you think of between 2-3 performances for say....14 years....that's 28 "somethings". Just a thought. Since we sell Klean Kanteens....we gave our teacher a Klean Kanteen this year...Pink, of course! Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 by not getting flowers. If the studio suggests that to everyone, it may not be a big deal. At the recitals that I've been to, most of the dancers get bouquets of flowers and my dd would have felt left out. My big tip is to go to the grocery store flower area and get a bouquet of bright flowers. Much cheaper than roses and my dd loves all of the colors. No gift from us for the teacher. We did little things at Valentines day and, honestly, this recital thing is SOOOOOO expensive that I'm tapped out. And with all of the end of year stuff, I'm a stage mom for the recital, etc.... I'm too frazzled to think of and make a meaningful homemade gift. I might have the girls make a nice homemade card to mail to their teachers in a few weeks, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 Thanks for all of the input :) I think we'll go with a flower for dd and a nice handwritten thank you from both of us to the teacher. I feel good about that :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Just as a matter of note, most believe that flowers should not be given to the dancers, but rather to the teacher. IF you give flowers, protocol as I know it, is to give the flowers to your children off the stage. Yes, dancers are given flowers when they're greeted by their families *after* the performance. Certainly not on stage! (Except *maybe* the senior girls, as a group, in their last recital before going off to college / professional programs.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Most years, my dc have made a gift for their dance teachers/coaches in December, and I've given a gift card at the end of the year. One of the teachers has a special box at home for her gifts made by her students (she loves kids--has 5 of them & then teaches kids from 3-10).When I taught piano I never expected gifts or treated anyone differently who didn't give me a gift, but since I wasn't making a high income, thoughtful gifts, even small, were helpful. However, one can only use so many mugs, etc, so I understand what you mean about teachers getting overwhelmed. I stiill use a couple of good toiletry bags, an address book and a few other things I received from students before I was married, and it helps me remember them. But, again, not everyone gave me gifts and I never expected them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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