Presents for teachers - salt dough or Swarovski??

I have a rather sore neck from packing gift bags. 30 gift bags for the children in the class I teach once a week. I hope they like them - its probably not what they imagine in their wildest dreams, but I wanted to get them a token of my affection after the year we have spent toether.

I tend to try and make something for the children - gingerbread glittery Christmas trees for Christmas, shredded wheat Easter egg nests at ... Easter and last Summer I watercoloured portraits on book marks which I laminated.

Apologies for the awful photo.

I don't spend lots of money on these things, but I do take time and care. It made my day today to see one of last year's boys using the bookmark I made him a year on.

I am so fortunate each year that children and parents give me gifts too. Part of me feels very embarrassed to receive them, after all - how many people are given gifts for just doing their job? Another part of me, and this is the larger part, feels very grateful and incredibly touched that people take the time and effort to think of me and give me a gift. I am not the teacher after all, but the T.A and although I think I do a decent job I am definitely the oily rag as opposed to the mechanic!!

I certainly don't expect it and am usually pretty gobsmacked to be given anything. I feel bad that parents these days sometimes feel that they have to give. Its certainly not the case for me and I would rather people didn't spend money on gifts - although who would say its not lovely to receive them?

To be honest I appreciate the small things more than the extravagant. I am so touched to be given a hand made card by a child, a Christmas decoration made from salt dough - something that will always remind me of that particular child. Something that I know they have spent time on for me. I have a special box filled with cards and drawings from over the years and I could tell you who gave me every little ornament or picture.

I know some people get quite cross at the thought that they are expected to give presents to teachers and teaching assistants. I would feel cross too if I felt it was expected. I would hate anyone to feel that way and my advice to any parent would be that you shouldn't feel that way. No teacher or T.A I work with expects anything. Why should we be bought gifts or vouchers?

I remember feeling quite stressed out when my boys were little. I had no money and coming up to Christmas the last thing I needed was to have to fork out for yet more presents. Some of the mums in the playground who obviously had more money than me seemed to think that putting £5 in the collection was reasonable. For me it was a point of extreme embarrassment as I couldn't afford it. I remember instead making a box which my son decorated and which I filled with homemade chocolates. I so wanted to show my appreciation for my sons' teachers and teaching assistants and I think that my gift ended up meaning a lot more than a fiver thrown in a collection.

Of course I might be wrong! It may well be that they preferred the John Lewis vouchers!! But I was always brought up to believe that its the thought and care that counts - not how much something cost.

Please don't feel you have to buy presents for school staff. Its a really lovely thing to do, but you will not be thought of badly if you don't. There should be no pressure. 

I thought you might like this, my love ...

You are just not going to believe what my husband did for me today... He popped out to the shops or so I thought  and came back with a package... Then he gave it to me and said that he had bought me something because he was proud of me. He said he had watched me work on my Open University course all year... watched me write my blog.... and he said that he knew how frustrated I got with our wind up clockwork computer...

And he had bought me my very own ... laptop!!! Blimey O'Reilly!!! I just burst into tears! You could have knocked me over with a feather and I shook as I unwrapped it.It is just beautiful.

I cannot believe he has done this.He didn't need to, but he did.He is so kind and so thoughtful. There have been times when I have not been able to get to the computer because he is in bed ( he works nights ) and I have needed to write an assignment, so this will be a massive help to me this year.

I feel thrilled to have it, but also a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable. I know this is silly, but nobody has ever bought me anything like this before. It seems so massive...

I am so grateful and so touched that he is so proud of my efforts. It spurs me on to work really hard. There will be no stopping me now!!! Thank you my darling.

An Unbirthday gift from my brother - I will be the Allotment Queen!!

I arrived home from work today to find a parcel on the mat.I assumed it was for my hubbie as its his birthday next week... but no... it was for me!! How exciting!! I love pressies.I abandoned all thoughts of any other activity and immediately ripped it open. I am not one of your 'feeble, dainty, save the wrapping paper types'. I am a full blooded' rip the thing open as quick as you can and see what's inside' types instead.

And inside... joy unbounded... was a book.It was from my brother and his wife and is called 'Keeping an allotment' by Kevin Forbes.(Yes - I know... not this one, but I couldn't find my book anywhere for a picture...be patient!!)

I crumpled slowly onto the sofa as I started to read, dropping car keys and hand bag and any idea of lunch that I might have entertained...What a fab book! It is an 'unbirthday present' - so named because of a book we used to read when we were little, called 'The Unbirthday Present'. My brother and his wife had listened to me warbling on about an allotment I am going to see on Friday and had seen the book and thought ... 'perfect!'

And perfect it is. I know nothing about allotments or veg gardening, but this will help me through.At the moment its pages are creamy and pristine, but I imagine that in a few months time it will be dog eared, slightly muddy in a chic kind of a way, with remnants of allotment sandwich crumbs and tea stains from my new allotment flask...

How marvellous!! And how kind!! I am going to have to take that bloody allotment now...