Teachers' presents

[Lush]

Pretty sure it stops at secondary school as you don't have a form teacher who's with your child all day like at primary school.

 

[El Presidente]

Rubbish Tim, you didn't have your first girlfriend till you were 28!

..........and she charged by the hour

 

[beorhthelm]

i didnt do this or see it to my recollection. I wouldn't engage in this bribary/pretenuous bollocks either.

 

[Springal]

That's another thing, where does it stop? I was going to ask does this go on at secondary school, college, uni? It obviously does and are there no guidelines on it.

When does a present become a bribe?

It's all new to me. I left school in 1975 and no teacher ever got a yearly present. The world's gone mad, I tell you, the next thing is that we'll get people suggesting Leon Knight should be given another chance.

I remember doing it in first and middle school, but you'd have got crucified for doing it at high school

 

[sten_super]

That's another thing, where does it stop? I was going to ask does this go on at secondary school, college, uni? It obviously does and are there no guidelines on it.

When does a present become a bribe?

It's all new to me. I left school in 1975 and no teacher ever got a yearly present. The world's gone mad, I tell you, the next thing is that we'll get people suggesting Leon Knight should be given another chance.

I left school as recently as 2002 and while we often organised a christmas card/end-of-year thank you card (that's one from the entire set of 30 kids) we never did presents as far as I can remember.

My missus (a secondary school teacher) now gets presents twice a year, and granny weatherwax's story of maltesers sounds very familiar! The most hilarious one is when these 14/15 year old kids bring in a bottle of wine for her...

 

[Thimble Keegan]

I left school in '92 and this was never common practice in all years I was at school. I am guessing it is another one of these things created/exaggerated by greeting card companies like they do with everything else!!

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Rustington BHA

 

[Deleted User X18H]

..........and she charged by the hour

You don't want girlfriend who charges by the hour surely?

You want a filthy, try anything whore if that's the arrangement.

 

[Gwylan]

i didnt do this or see it to my recollection. I wouldn't engage in this bribary/pretenuous bollocks either.

I think that's easy to say (and it's a view I have sympathy with) but kids hate being the odd one out. If everyone is giving presents to the teachers and your kids aren't, they'd feel very left out. Kids have strong desire to conform and go with their peer group - they'd be very upset to feel left out.

 

[FamilyGuy]

My Mrs tends to get prezzies , chocolates, wine etc at Christmas and end of year.

She has been getting this for at least 15 years. - she is a TA

It is not expected and the teacher and TA do not expect it....in fact a card written by the parents or the child saying thank you is appreciated sometimes more than a box of maltesers ( not by me obviously who can clear a box of maltesers in 3.942 seconds!!!)

My wife's a TA too and no doubt today she'll come home loaded with chocs and "cute" teddy bears and smelly things.
The chocs will be very welcome - particularly as she doesn't eat them

 

[The Large One]

Three bottles of wine and a box of chocolates presented to my missus - they've evidently got her sussed.

Doubtless the evidence will be gone by the end of the weekend.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I don't think it is "bribary". In her case, its really a thankyou and is taken as that.

When you have a class of 30 4 year olds with 25% of the children being ones of "special needs" of which due to councils closing Special Schools and not issuing statements ( so allowing funding by way of extra staff support) then any little thanks is really appreciated.

 

[Gwylan]

And that's another thing - when did schools start having teaching assistants. There were none at my primary school and none at Mrs Gwylan's school (and we left in 1968 and 1972). Now, all schools seem to have masses of them. Do secondary schools have them too? When did schools start getting TAs?

 

[The Large One]

I don't think it is "bribary". In her case, its really a thankyou and is taken as that.

When you have a class of 30 4 year olds with 25% of the children being ones of "special needs" of which due to councils closing Special Schools and not issuing statements ( so allowing funding by way of extra staff support) then any little thanks is really appreciated.

My partner has had no end of difficulties with that aspect of teaching. Special Needs is - quite disgustingly - a political and financial issue.

With the new government, there is one good and one bad thing about their policies (or intended policies). The good thing is that they intend to finally instill the concept of the money following the child. It was an idea promised 25 years ago, and LEAs are still syphoning money for other purposes.

The bad thing is that CMD wants to encourage more parents with children with Special Needs to send their children to separate schools, which goes against the majority of parents' wishes.

 

[Dave the OAP]

My mrs has worked for 17 years as a TA and a year or two before that as "unpaid paint pot washer"

TA's are actually highly qualified these days, ex teachers who dont need the stress etc etc.

My Mrs is looking at the qualification to become a D grade which is a 3 year intensive course. Some councils will assist in paying for the course BUT it is really something that is down to the individual

 

[Dave the OAP]

The bad thing is that CMD wants to encourage more parents with children with Special Needs to send their children to separate schools, which goes against the majority of parents' wishes.

The problem is, statements are not given out and to get one, the child needs to be assessed and monitored and the councils cannot afford them - especially these days

An example is where a child , who may have very serious behavioural problems. violent towards other children, staff etc who has attended a private nursery ( where the council have no input), or has just moved to this country ( and can't speak the language, and has lived in a war zone so speaks with his fists) turns up at school with no statement.

That is the reality that people do not see

 

[El Presidente]

My partner has had no end of difficulties with that aspect of teaching. Special Needs is - quite disgustingly - a political and financial issue.

With the new government, there is one good and one bad thing about their policies (or intended policies). The good thing is that they intend to finally instill the concept of the money following the child. It was an idea promised 25 years ago, and LEAs are still syphoning money for other purposes.

The bad thing is that CMD wants to encourage more parents with children with Special Needs to send their children to separate schools, which goes against the majority of parents' wishes.

Have to agree with the first issue. My son was diagnosed with higher functioning autism in 1999, but had no learning difficulties. As a consequence he attracted no extra funding, so the headmaster at his school engineered his exclusion because he needed extra attention but brought in no extra income to the school.

The head managed to find him a special residential unit in PLYMOUTH (we live in Manchester) and presented this to the Board of Governors as a solution to the problem. The potential emotional and developmental impact on a 7 year old child was brushed under the carpet.

Fortunately I managed to find my lad another school which specialised in being inclusive. This school was then closed down two years later by the LEA as it was not 'efficient', according to the twattish accountants that make these decisions.

I ended up paying for his secondary education myself as the system is so flawed.

 

[The Large One]

The problem is, statements are not given out and to get one, the child needs to be assessed and monitored and the councils cannot afford them - especially these days

An example is where a child , who may have very serious behavioural problems. violent towards other children, staff etc who has attended a private nursery ( where the council have no input), or has just moved to this country ( and can't speak the language, and has lived in a war zone so speaks with his fists) turns up at school with no statement.

That is the reality that people do not see

'Attended a private nursery'. You've hit the nail on the head.

Without saying too much, my partner has had times when a child ideally needed a statement, and the Council (one of the many members of the committee who decides whether a child is statemented) delay and faff and move the goalposts to suit their own agenda. In a recent case, they finally admitted that they will not agree to a statement because the 'nursery' (it's a school really, not a nursery) was a fee-paying one, irrespective of the child's needs.

Appalling.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

I went to Falmer in the early 80's, all we ever gave the teachers on the last day was verbal abuse and/or the threat of violence.

 

[Tooting Gull]

There is a lot of state involvement in even private nurseries though, they have to comply with all sorts of things.

Also, some very good friends have just gone through the dilemma over where to put their daughter, who has special needs and has been statemented. The mother was distraught at the recommendation she should not go to mainstream school. But after many weeks of agonising, she was finally convinced by the education professionals in the (very big ) team of people working on the case that her daughter's needs would be best met in a separate school.

It went against her initial wishes - but very experienced professionals who had dealt with such cases not just once, but many, many times and know all the pros and cons, were able to demonstrate despite the emotions raised that this was the preferable option IN THIS CASE.

So I think to say the wishes of the parents are the only criteria is wrong. If you have the expertise to tap into, why wouldn't you? You would if it was a solicitor or accountant you needed.

 

[Dave the OAP]

'Attended a private nursery'. You've hit the nail on the head.

Without saying too much, my partner has had times when a child ideally needed a statement, and the Council (one of the many members of the committee who decides whether a child is statemented) delay and faff and move the goalposts to suit their own agenda. In a recent case, they finally admitted that they will not agree to a statement because the 'nursery' (it's a school really, not a nursery) was a fee-paying one, irrespective of the child's needs.

Appalling.

Actually I am not playing the immigration card at all, however schools in the area are becoming increasingly worried about children who are arriving at schools unannounced with quite severe behaviourable( I can't spell) problems, especially from the Middle east. The council is not providing translation services ( or maybe for an hour every two weeks - i kid you not) and expecting the teacher and her/his TA to deal with their issues as well as trying to control 29 other children.

In reception years the council policy is "free flow", where the children are not taught to read/write etc, they are taught to "play" and are observed playing. Many qualified teachers are looking to move out of this as they are not teachers, they are paid nursery staff