“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
So yesterday I wanted people to show more courtesy to others. Evidently, we now have monetary limits on this, at least in Massachusetts. (Click Here) to see where an absolute miniscule percentage of parents have to make ludicrous Choices which in turn ruins it for not only teachers who deserve all they can get but create extra work reminding people to use common sense. Forget about $50, who spends more than $20 on a teacher’s gift? This year, my kids will each get their teachers a Christmas/Holiday gift because they want to and we support that 100%. For my middle school son, who has multiple teachers, we did struggle with this but he actually solved it when he told us that every teacher has a homeroom so he would just get one for his homeroom teacher. We will get a $10 gift card either to Dunkin Donuts or Barnes and Noble. Any legislators have a problem with this?
The article brings up some great points as I do like the idea of kids sending their teachers a note but not at the holidays. I would save this for the end of the year as a way of thanking that teacher for all he/she did. Christmas is a time of giving and kids love to shop for others as it helps teach them to think of others before themselves. I also agree that $200 spa treatments or jewelry is out of hand and those parents are probably either trying to show off or have an ulterior motive. Teachers today are vastly underpaid and these state ethics laws were designed for all the corrupt politicians who took anything and everything from their constituents as a way of sealing deals and looking the other way on laws and policies. Parents pooling $5-$10 per family in a classroom to get a teacher something nice is not an ethic's violation; let’s use some commons sense here.
But alas, the pendulum swings to an extreme in some towns where they are forbidding gifts. When did out country turn into a Communist state? Let’s find a win/win solution here and allow kids to help choose a gift for their teacher under some common sense guidance of their parents. Let’s also teach them to appreciate all their teachers do for them and show that appreciation at year end with a nice note. I guarantee those teachers will remember the note more than the gift card but will genuinely appreciate both at the time.
So if your child has one of those great teachers as highlighted in our opening quote from William A. Ward, by all means show some appreciation and give them a gift this holiday season. Good rule of thumb - if you have to give them a W-2 with it; it may be too much.
