No. Your child can give her a small (under $10) gift at the end of the school year to show your appreciation for all her hard work. This is entirely optional.

Only if you are attracted to them :o)

Christmas, sure - something small. Birthday? That just seems creepy to me. How exactly would you know when the teacher's birthday is? Everyone likes to feel their work is valuable, and rewards help in this regard.

i always did. it is a kind thing to do for what they have taught us. they are not only teachers they are friends too. that is the way it was with me.

Are you sure they celebrate Christmas? That could be touchy. And how do you know the teacher's birthday? I'm with Wide Awake Phoenix on simply giving a small gift at the end of the year as a thank you.

you can..... but if you dont its no big deel

My mom always gave my teachers a gift at Christmas and it embarrassed me. Made it seem like I was bribing the teacher. So my advice is - no if it's from an individual. One idea would be to have the whole class contribute something towards it and made it a group effort. That's just my person feelings, though. Get one NICE thing instead of a lot of little doo-dads.

If you feel like it and you have the means to. You shouldn't be expected to do so.

While sweet, I can tell you from experience that those gifts are usually "re-gifted" or put into a box and forgotten until years later. The MOST appreciated are home made treats or gift certificates. I loved getting Christmas cookies. It made the holidays easier for me because I didn't have to bake.

I am always very touched when a child gives me a present - whether it is for Christmas or for any other reason. Each gift I have ever received has always been treasured and never re-gifted. I am, however, torn between whether or not it is the right thing to do. I do not want children to spend their money on me, when they have so many other things to spend it on. However, it is good that they realise that giving and saying Thank you is a good thing. To be honest, I am just as happy with a Thank You as with any gift - no matter how expensive!. I am also unhappy with the greetings cards manufacturers producing ranges of cards for teachers - Thank You cards, Christmas cards, Best Teacher cards etc - in a way, seeing those cards in the shops just provides more pressure on kids when they see them, to nag mummy and daddy into buying them, which is a little unfair on parents, who may have other priorities. If a child (or parent) wants to say Thank You, I would rather it was a genuine response, not a response to peer pressure, kids pressure or marketing pressure. Finally, another respondant has said that some teachers may not celebrate Christmas - yes that can always be a difficult situation, however, bear in mind that teachers are not in the job because of the money *L* - they are there because they care about the educational progress of the children. I would find it very strange if a teacher would refuse a gift given from a child in their care because it offended their sensibilities. I understand that part of the curriculum may deal with responses to different cultural identities, but if a kid gives you a gift, are you likely to turn it down?

As long as it doesnt say "teacher" any where on the gift. I have a friend who is a teacher and she has 15 coffee mugs that say that.

thats up to you