Should teachers be given gifts?
BarcelonaJune arrives and the topic of whether it's necessary to give gifts to teachers comes up again. I even asked ChatGPT what he thought, and he said, "It's a nice gesture if it's something simple and done with respect." Of course, give a gift to whoever you want, that's all that's missing. You can offer a thoughtful gift to the yoga teacher, the neighbor who keeps your packages, or even give some flowers to the teacher. bun From the recreation your son loves so much and this year he says he's folding. The fact that we're questioning the art of making others happy makes me seriously consider what we've become. I sincerely tell you that giving makes me very happy. Even happier than receiving gifts because I never know what face to make, and it always makes me suffer that the other person thinks I didn't like it. Am I in favor of giving gifts? Always, yes.
What I don't like is seeing what teachers' gifts have become. We've reduced everything to a dynamic of tansemenfotism call bizumI'm sorry to proudly say, with a half-snicker, things like, "Oh, I have no idea what they got him, I just paid and that's it." It's fine for us to let the motivated mother on duty take care of it (sorry, but it's usually a mother), and the rest of us will just send the five euros, at best. I can somewhat understand that the capitalist system has stolen our time, but stealing our enthusiasm for doing something nice is a huge problem. It gets to the point where we don't care whether the gift is a massage or a weekend at a budget hotel. We go through life like a Teletac train: pay quickly and move on. Sorry, but I don't want to PAY for gifts; I want to GIVE gifts to people I'm grateful to.
That's why I fully understand why some schools recommend against giving gifts to teachers, thus avoiding those group chat debates that can be a source of conflict. Giving a gift just because it's necessary doesn't make any sense if we don't feel like it or if we can't afford it. Perhaps we end up doing it just out of obligation or so our child's name also appears on the card. And seriously, it's not necessary.
What I got
Now, if you want, let's get to the juicy part and tell you what gifts I've received over the years. In many cases, I don't remember, but you don't have to worry; I remember the students perfectly. I know that in secondary school, it seems like there isn't as much of a bond, and it's quite the opposite. It's a very delicate stage in which we try to support them in every way we can and listen a lot because that's when they need it most. Secondary school is precisely where we receive the fewest gifts (and that's okay, right?), but I fondly remember the year each student gave me a bookmark because they knew I love reading. Last year, a student gave me the red can of soda to give me "energy" for the last few days of the school year. There was even one year when a group of families made a small donation to an NGO in my name. Yes, I'm also a real eye-opener.
And now I'm taking advantage of the fact that I have you here to ask for a special gift: that you help us restore dignity to our profession. May the teachers' gift not be followed by the refrain of our vacations. Too often, we feel questioned or undervalued by families. We understand that the challenge of educating is not easy, and it's very important that we work together and pull in the same direction. We're not going to focus the debate or make ourselves the protagonists of June's gift: we're seeking your complicity 365 days a year.