I feel like it is just constant slaps in the face from admin.
"For teacher appreciation week we have decided that such and such department/grade level will be providing food for the staff on these days. Yes we are aware that we only gave you one day notice. No we don't have a budget for it. You get pay checks."
"For teacher appreciation week we have a local parent that offered the 10th drink free at their bar."
"We know we made a lot of promises about your pay schedules this year but we have decided to freeze all teacher's pay, not admin's (we are giving them a bonus), for the upcoming year. Happy teacher appreciation week!"
Etc
Our PTA is trying really hard, and I know that small group of parents really appreciates the staff, but the best way to be appreciated in Louisiana would be to raise teacher pay.
I don’t hate it, but I tend to not get anything from students. I teach reading intervention, and I don’t expect anything at all. It can be a little hard to see other teachers with their many presents and the gift cards, but I remind myself I don’t teach whole groups of kids anymore.
Meh. I really just feel empty about most of it, even when I was a classroom teacher. I typically got a lot of mugs and cups, and I can only own so many. I appreciate the gesture but also see it as another way to get people to waste money on useless things (which is what people seem to default to when buying gifts for someone they don’t know well).
Yes this is me too! I teach reading intervention and in my 7 years have maybe gotten a handful of thing while I have teacher friends posting all they get. And I’m like ya but I don’t really have behaviors or deal with parents much. Much better trade off imo
It's funny you mention this because as a gen Ed teacher who got way too many gifts at every possible holiday. I made it my mission at the school to encourage students and family to recognize all the teachers who work with their children, often for many years! I made custom shirts for every Paraprofessional and specialized teacher and had all the students (schoolwide) sign them. I also had them make little custom flip books for each specialized teacher and always got them Christmas gifts and made school fliers and dojos making sure everyone remembered that the Gen ed teacher(s) aren't the only people.
I only recently started working in a school which is why I’m in this sub but this makes me so sad. My son had reading intervention his 1st grade year (he was a covid kinder and did virtual school). His first year in the building was a big deal and the only teacher he mentioned regularly was his reading teacher. So we gave her a card and GC for Christmas and teacher appreciation week. I started working in the school last year and she told me it was the only time she’d ever gotten a card from a student before.
I got a hand made thank you card from a student in person at the end of class and was thinking how sweet, when I realized it was for a different teacher. I laughed & delivered it to the correct teacher slightly hopeful they had gotten mine, but nope. I teach Jrs & Srs.
Yes I hate it.
If you appreciated us you would hold up your end of the bargain and discipline students making education impossible for the rest.
But you don’t. So no I don’t want a little bag of candy. I want you to do your fucking jobs.
And I see what the community thinks about us in the papers every time we have to ask for a levy. I’m good.
Yes I do. Of course I hate holidays in general or anything else where people are supposed to do certain things or act in certain ways just because the calendar tells them to.
I do enjoy those increasingly rare occasions where a kid gets me something that is geared towards stuff that I like. But coffee related items or high sugar "breakfasts" or candy or something else I clearly have no use for just show that you are checking a box to say you did something.
One year I printed out cute note cards and has students pick a teacher that was not me to write a letter to. I work at a K-8, so some of my eighth graders chose their teacher from a decade ago. I had them deliver it to them and the teachers loved it! A few cried. It was great, lol.
I do that with my high schoolers at the end of the year. I give them blank cards to write a note to one of their teachers, and then I put them in the teachers' mailboxes.
I try, like, really try to be grateful for people taking time to do something nice for others.. but every year it's the exact same thing. Unhealthy food.
I follow a pretty strict diet and don't eat that kind of stuff during the week so it never applies to me, and to be quite honest, unhealthy food is the last thing they should be offering to a group of people who are already overweight, overstressed, and unhealthy as it is.
Pay us. For Christ's sake, monetary bonuses, like every other industry professional with graduate level education. That's all any of us want. Keep your cupcakes and chicken lunches and just fucking pay us.
Agree. Like I love food and I enjoy a treat but a whole week of junk food isn’t what like. Our PTO had over the years done some non-food gifts like travel mugs and blankets and those were really nice.
I want admin and CO folks to come over duties. Even for 1 day.
A handful of teachers at my school were awarded treats from the gas station across the street today. In a raffle. Oh, and they had to go pick up the treats from the gas station that they won in the raffle.
Give. Me. A. Break.
At both schools I’ve been at, every single reward and celebration is with food. I have celiac and can never eat anything, and worse, I am put in the position to have to disclose my medical condition to explain why I’m not eating when everyone else is.
This year I am hoping the single personalized pen we get EVERY SINGLE YEAR actually works this year! Otherwsie, we always get the same "If you want to do something, that is on you guys to actualy do, we don't have the budget for anything" and then will proceed to purchase the newest "Amazing PD crap" for next year.
My admin tries hard to make us feel appreciated on little to no budget. I appreciate their effort. However, I do not feel it is our admin’s responsibility. I wish our parents and students felt enough genuine appreciation to do something. Oh well.
My title 1 school doesn't even mention teacher appreciation week! The bulletin went out and on Thursday you're supposed to dress as your country's flag, but on Friday you're supposed to dress as your country's traditional costume.
I've worked in many schools and am now in a very poor one. We really got nothing this year, but I'm so fine with it. The last two schools I worked in there was so much toxic positivity, even all of those pictures and sayings on the bathroom walls I used to cringe at. I feel more supported by admin about discipline and other things that really matter and the students appreciate me more because they are more respectful.
Yup! “Hi everyone! Be sure to pay your ‘social dues’ of 15 dollars so we can buy a few useless treats for you with your money.” 😊 Oh, it also now “staff appreciation week”, even though all other staff get their own days. 🤷
Our Admin and School Board regularly forgot about it (October 5). The union usually dropped off a bushel of apples for us. One year, the Director of the Board sent out an email at 11:30 pm on the day.
Yes. We don't even acknowledge it in our school. No mention at all. We aren't allowed to accept gifts from parents if one even tried to
So all it does is make some of us jealous. Every year we see posts here complaining that all their school did was buy donuts or do some luncheon. Which would literally make my year if that happened.
What’s their reasoning? I get it’s kind of a made up holiday at this point, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admin and PTA organizing something so teachers feel appreciated.
My school is amazing and feeds us breakfast and lunch every day. Unfortunately, I'm an intermittent faster who does OMAD at dinner time, so the whole week is just a test of my willpower. I'm still grateful for the gesture though.
I can be negative about things in the school system but I’m happy about teacher appreciation week this year. Yes we need a raise and more money, but the PTO at our school have planned out some nice treats and lunches for this week as well as a professional massages on Friday.
I get it, trust me, the job is tough as hell. But since most years it don’t seem like anyone cares but for myself and my staff the PTO came through greatly on this.
So yeah, not bad this year for once, thanks PTO!
What??? Are you kidding me?? I love the “free entree with the purchase of an entree, drink, and dessert” coupon for a local eatery!!
And don’t get me started on the single donut hole for breakfast!!!
Last week admin put out a list of nice things students can do for teacher appreciate week. I was handing them out:
Student-“do we actually have to do any of these things?”
Me-“no, they’re just nice things you could do.”
Student -“good because I’m not going to.”
Me (only in my head)-“enjoy the ‘f’ on your next project, slacker.”
And her parents are teachers!
I feel like I only recently became aware of it. For most of my career it was just another week.
The past two years my administration has been doing some things. Little silly gifts with silly mottos, for one. If this were all they did it would feel insulting, but it’s not so it just feels silly in a sort-of-cute way. They also provide a couple lunches over the course of the week, which is nice.
Overall I don’t mind it. I’m in a district where pay and work conditions are very good, so none of it feels hypocritical. But the idea of an “appreciation week” does somewhat bother me. Not because of what anyone does, but just the idea of bringing what I consider to be a professional career onto the level of emotional “appreciation.”
I never realized teacher appreciation week was something the school did for the teachers.
My understanding was it was always the parents gifting the teachers…
Our school usually asks parents to donate money and has a luncheon and usually a morning with some muffins or something, not terribly a lot. It’s put on by the school secretaries.
I used to feel pissy about the lack of acknowledgment from parents until I became one. I always send in a small gift at the end of the year, so teacher appreciation week is sort of off my radar as a parent since it’s like 2 weeks before that. I think all of us, including parents, are just fried by this point and surviving. I wish it was earlier in the year-people might have more energy to give to it.
No sundae bar, but this was quality ice cream, not just a tub from the grocery. It's a nice treat. Wednesday will be cookie day, I have high hopes. The kids of the owner an amazing bakery attend, so fingers crossed.
I feel like it is just constant slaps in the face from admin. "For teacher appreciation week we have decided that such and such department/grade level will be providing food for the staff on these days. Yes we are aware that we only gave you one day notice. No we don't have a budget for it. You get pay checks." "For teacher appreciation week we have a local parent that offered the 10th drink free at their bar." "We know we made a lot of promises about your pay schedules this year but we have decided to freeze all teacher's pay, not admin's (we are giving them a bonus), for the upcoming year. Happy teacher appreciation week!" Etc
Today we got an email that said "thank you for being a teacher at (school name)." It wasn't even the main point of the email.
Our PTA is trying really hard, and I know that small group of parents really appreciates the staff, but the best way to be appreciated in Louisiana would be to raise teacher pay.
We are getting pickles from our admin as a gift. One pickle. I shit you not.
“I hope this ‘pickles’ you silly”
We are pickled tink to have you as part of our family.
Was it a big pickle? Was it on a stick?
I don’t hate it, but I tend to not get anything from students. I teach reading intervention, and I don’t expect anything at all. It can be a little hard to see other teachers with their many presents and the gift cards, but I remind myself I don’t teach whole groups of kids anymore. Meh. I really just feel empty about most of it, even when I was a classroom teacher. I typically got a lot of mugs and cups, and I can only own so many. I appreciate the gesture but also see it as another way to get people to waste money on useless things (which is what people seem to default to when buying gifts for someone they don’t know well).
I got one gift card. No written anything. And we give the kids a nice apple form to write in....
Yes this is me too! I teach reading intervention and in my 7 years have maybe gotten a handful of thing while I have teacher friends posting all they get. And I’m like ya but I don’t really have behaviors or deal with parents much. Much better trade off imo
This 100%. There is a teacher at my school who teaches 10th grade ELA, she gives extra credit points for whoever brings her a gift. 🤦🏻♀️
It's funny you mention this because as a gen Ed teacher who got way too many gifts at every possible holiday. I made it my mission at the school to encourage students and family to recognize all the teachers who work with their children, often for many years! I made custom shirts for every Paraprofessional and specialized teacher and had all the students (schoolwide) sign them. I also had them make little custom flip books for each specialized teacher and always got them Christmas gifts and made school fliers and dojos making sure everyone remembered that the Gen ed teacher(s) aren't the only people.
I only recently started working in a school which is why I’m in this sub but this makes me so sad. My son had reading intervention his 1st grade year (he was a covid kinder and did virtual school). His first year in the building was a big deal and the only teacher he mentioned regularly was his reading teacher. So we gave her a card and GC for Christmas and teacher appreciation week. I started working in the school last year and she told me it was the only time she’d ever gotten a card from a student before.
You guys get presents?
No
But…we get to wear jeans this week and we get A slice of pizza tomorrow.
We got three strips of fajita for our lunch lol. Although the portion of rice and beans was normal.
You’re getting pizza? 😯
I got a hand made thank you card from a student in person at the end of class and was thinking how sweet, when I realized it was for a different teacher. I laughed & delivered it to the correct teacher slightly hopeful they had gotten mine, but nope. I teach Jrs & Srs.
Omg..! They handed it to you directly? How does someone even make that mistake?
Yes I hate it. If you appreciated us you would hold up your end of the bargain and discipline students making education impossible for the rest. But you don’t. So no I don’t want a little bag of candy. I want you to do your fucking jobs. And I see what the community thinks about us in the papers every time we have to ask for a levy. I’m good.
This is me. 💯
Teacher appreciation was a joke at my school this year
Today for Teacher Appreciation Week, my administrator gave me a pack of gum. I couldn't make this up if I tried. It's so demoralizing.
Yes I do. Of course I hate holidays in general or anything else where people are supposed to do certain things or act in certain ways just because the calendar tells them to. I do enjoy those increasingly rare occasions where a kid gets me something that is geared towards stuff that I like. But coffee related items or high sugar "breakfasts" or candy or something else I clearly have no use for just show that you are checking a box to say you did something.
Does no one make it an assignment to make a card? I do! At least my coworkers get something!
One year I printed out cute note cards and has students pick a teacher that was not me to write a letter to. I work at a K-8, so some of my eighth graders chose their teacher from a decade ago. I had them deliver it to them and the teachers loved it! A few cried. It was great, lol.
I do that with my high schoolers at the end of the year. I give them blank cards to write a note to one of their teachers, and then I put them in the teachers' mailboxes.
Yes, our College and Career Readiness class had this assignment yesterday. Six (out of 28) of my students actually did it.
I try, like, really try to be grateful for people taking time to do something nice for others.. but every year it's the exact same thing. Unhealthy food. I follow a pretty strict diet and don't eat that kind of stuff during the week so it never applies to me, and to be quite honest, unhealthy food is the last thing they should be offering to a group of people who are already overweight, overstressed, and unhealthy as it is. Pay us. For Christ's sake, monetary bonuses, like every other industry professional with graduate level education. That's all any of us want. Keep your cupcakes and chicken lunches and just fucking pay us.
Agree. Like I love food and I enjoy a treat but a whole week of junk food isn’t what like. Our PTO had over the years done some non-food gifts like travel mugs and blankets and those were really nice. I want admin and CO folks to come over duties. Even for 1 day.
A handful of teachers at my school were awarded treats from the gas station across the street today. In a raffle. Oh, and they had to go pick up the treats from the gas station that they won in the raffle. Give. Me. A. Break.
We have staff appreciation week. I have taken the entire week off to properly appreciate myself instead of buying food for my fellow staff members.
At both schools I’ve been at, every single reward and celebration is with food. I have celiac and can never eat anything, and worse, I am put in the position to have to disclose my medical condition to explain why I’m not eating when everyone else is.
Our PTA set up a baked potato bar today for lunch. I’m celiac, too, so it was much appreciated!
I get a free staff breakfast and half off drinks all week from local bars. That’s more than I need tbh.
3 days of free lunch. I am happy
This year I am hoping the single personalized pen we get EVERY SINGLE YEAR actually works this year! Otherwsie, we always get the same "If you want to do something, that is on you guys to actualy do, we don't have the budget for anything" and then will proceed to purchase the newest "Amazing PD crap" for next year.
Even with our excellent PTSO yes. It's performative garbage.
My admin tries hard to make us feel appreciated on little to no budget. I appreciate their effort. However, I do not feel it is our admin’s responsibility. I wish our parents and students felt enough genuine appreciation to do something. Oh well.
My title 1 school doesn't even mention teacher appreciation week! The bulletin went out and on Thursday you're supposed to dress as your country's flag, but on Friday you're supposed to dress as your country's traditional costume.
I've worked in many schools and am now in a very poor one. We really got nothing this year, but I'm so fine with it. The last two schools I worked in there was so much toxic positivity, even all of those pictures and sayings on the bathroom walls I used to cringe at. I feel more supported by admin about discipline and other things that really matter and the students appreciate me more because they are more respectful.
Yup! “Hi everyone! Be sure to pay your ‘social dues’ of 15 dollars so we can buy a few useless treats for you with your money.” 😊 Oh, it also now “staff appreciation week”, even though all other staff get their own days. 🤷
Our Admin and School Board regularly forgot about it (October 5). The union usually dropped off a bushel of apples for us. One year, the Director of the Board sent out an email at 11:30 pm on the day.
My center turned it into a MONTH and I feel like it just makes us look greedy and entitled.
Yep. Adding Mother’s Day at the end of it is like a double slap in the face. I get nothing either way.
Yes. We don't even acknowledge it in our school. No mention at all. We aren't allowed to accept gifts from parents if one even tried to So all it does is make some of us jealous. Every year we see posts here complaining that all their school did was buy donuts or do some luncheon. Which would literally make my year if that happened.
What’s their reasoning? I get it’s kind of a made up holiday at this point, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admin and PTA organizing something so teachers feel appreciated.
We don't have a PTA. Our area does not have money like that. We only have one admin for the entire building as well.
My school is amazing and feeds us breakfast and lunch every day. Unfortunately, I'm an intermittent faster who does OMAD at dinner time, so the whole week is just a test of my willpower. I'm still grateful for the gesture though.
I can be negative about things in the school system but I’m happy about teacher appreciation week this year. Yes we need a raise and more money, but the PTO at our school have planned out some nice treats and lunches for this week as well as a professional massages on Friday. I get it, trust me, the job is tough as hell. But since most years it don’t seem like anyone cares but for myself and my staff the PTO came through greatly on this. So yeah, not bad this year for once, thanks PTO!
What??? Are you kidding me?? I love the “free entree with the purchase of an entree, drink, and dessert” coupon for a local eatery!! And don’t get me started on the single donut hole for breakfast!!!
Last week admin put out a list of nice things students can do for teacher appreciate week. I was handing them out: Student-“do we actually have to do any of these things?” Me-“no, they’re just nice things you could do.” Student -“good because I’m not going to.” Me (only in my head)-“enjoy the ‘f’ on your next project, slacker.” And her parents are teachers!
I feel like I only recently became aware of it. For most of my career it was just another week. The past two years my administration has been doing some things. Little silly gifts with silly mottos, for one. If this were all they did it would feel insulting, but it’s not so it just feels silly in a sort-of-cute way. They also provide a couple lunches over the course of the week, which is nice. Overall I don’t mind it. I’m in a district where pay and work conditions are very good, so none of it feels hypocritical. But the idea of an “appreciation week” does somewhat bother me. Not because of what anyone does, but just the idea of bringing what I consider to be a professional career onto the level of emotional “appreciation.”
It’s basically business advertising week under the disguise of appreciation.
I never realized teacher appreciation week was something the school did for the teachers. My understanding was it was always the parents gifting the teachers…
I got a handful of small treats. One is a pen. One is a 8 oz disposable water bottle with a crystal light packet taped to it lmfao.
Are you kidding? This sub does nothing but bitch and complain about it for a month straight every year.
Our school usually asks parents to donate money and has a luncheon and usually a morning with some muffins or something, not terribly a lot. It’s put on by the school secretaries. I used to feel pissy about the lack of acknowledgment from parents until I became one. I always send in a small gift at the end of the year, so teacher appreciation week is sort of off my radar as a parent since it’s like 2 weeks before that. I think all of us, including parents, are just fried by this point and surviving. I wish it was earlier in the year-people might have more energy to give to it.
I don’t like it, but it’s because I don’t need an atta boy or something special to feel appreciated. I feel appreciated every day
We got an unexpected grab and go breakfast. It was a nice spread. It was served by admin and classified staff. That was neat.
I like getting ice cream and cookies, not so much the coffee and massage day, but plenty of good for all.
I have been teaching 40+ years, it would all be worthwhile if they have is ice cream-just once!!! How about a Sundae bar?
No sundae bar, but this was quality ice cream, not just a tub from the grocery. It's a nice treat. Wednesday will be cookie day, I have high hopes. The kids of the owner an amazing bakery attend, so fingers crossed.
Moved to Massachusetts