It’s that time of year again. The school summer holidays are almost upon us and kids are feeling the excitement…we can all remember that delicious feeling. But wow, what a year it’s been, for everyone! In and out of lockdowns, in and out of ‘isolations’ and the challenges of home schooling! If ever there was a time for gift-giving it’s NOW!
Let’s look at a few occasions to give teachers gifts:
· A simple ‘thank you’ at the end of a school year.
· Appreciation and thanks when a child is leaving the school.
· At Christmas – especially after the very busy first 3 months of the school year.
· Retirement gifts or leaving for other reasons.
· For the hard work involved delivering schooling during lockdowns/isolations.
· Returning after a period of illness, or a get well soon gift.
· For just going that ‘extra mile’.
It is traditional for children to give their teachers gifts but parents should never feel obliged to.
Ask most teachers and they’ll tell you a simple spoken ‘thank you’, a heartfelt handwritten note or a picture drawn by the child is appreciated more than anything and can be kept forever.
Teachers and apples- gift giving in the past
You’ve seen it in films and heard it in songs, a shiny apple on the teacher’s desk!
Where has this link between teachers and apples come from?
Well, the origin is somewhat uncertain but, in the USA, early American children gave teachers apples because the families whose children attended school were often responsible for feeding frontier teachers.
It’s also said that farmers’ children gave struggling teachers apples during the Great Depression. And between the 16th and 18th centuries it is said that parents in Denmark and Sweden gave baskets of apples to impoverished teachers.
Whatever the origin, the giving of apples to teachers was a popular way of showing appreciation.
Did you know?
· There are 32,028 schools in the UK.
· There are 10,320,811 full time and part time students at school in the UK.
· There are 624,520 full time teachers in the UK. (Source: Dept of Education; Welsh Gvt; Scottish Gvt; N.I Dept of Education 2019/2020)
· Teachers in England work on average 46-49 hours a week.
· 25% of teachers work more than 59 hours a week.
· 10% work over 65 hours a week. (Study by UCL).
· Teachers are the 3rd most trusted profession in the UK, behind doctors and nurses.
There are many ideas for gifts for teachers out there but if you’re feeling something foody, why not consider a food hamper from our Teacher Gifts (link) range? They’re something special and a little different from the standard chocolate box and mug.
Our top 5 hampers for teachers
1. Artisan Chocolate Selection - a chocolate lover’s dream!
2. The Thank You Teachers Food Hamper – an interesting selection of sweet and savoury foods.
3. Traditional Treats Hamper – a lovely little box of tasty British treats.
4. The Friday Night G & T Box – fun and full of delicious treats, and probably exactly what the teacher wants after a long week at work!
5. Luxury Family Sharing Food Hamper – brimming with gourmet British foods for sharing.
Our hampers contain food selected from Britain’s finest artisan producers, are hand tied with ribbon and come with personalised gift cards. The teacher will appreciate your thoughtfulness both in your message and the treats.
Check out these fun teacher facts. Famous people who were once teachers!
· Sting – was a teacher at St Paul’s School London.
· Benedict Cumberbatch – taught English overseas in India.
· Roberta Flack – taught music and English.
· Sheryl Crow- taught music.
· Brian May – taught maths.
· Stephen King – taught English before he wrote ‘Carrie’.
· JK Rowling – taught English as a foreign language in Portugal.
· George Orwell – was a teacher at The Hawthorns High School in West London.
And how about some interesting school facts.
· In 1996 a teacher in Italy was suspended for passing students exam answers hidden in salami sandwiches!
· According to Royal Mail ‘School House’ is the 7th most common house name in the UK and ‘Old School’ is the 13th.
· China has the world’s largest classes with over 50 pupils in an average secondary school class.
· The world’s largest school is City Montessori School in Lucknow, India. It has 1050 classrooms with more than 45 pupils per class between its city building and 20 campuses around the city.
· The world’s smallest school is believed to be in the tiny town of Alpette, Turin. It’s an elementary school and has 1 student.
Now, we can’t resist ending on a silly note…..
Some of the most unusual gifts given to teachers (mentioning no names)
· Toilet brush set.
· Nose hair trimmer.
· Used hair gel.
· Chocolates that the student admitted her dad had stolen.
· A gift bag with grapefruit and appetite suppressants.
· Cellulite cream.
· A T shirt with the teacher’s face on it.
· A pack of hangers.
· A Sympathy Card for the holidays.
· A bag of potatoes.
Unbelievable but apparently true!