Can definitely vary by school. I'd get in contact with your PTA reps or the admin, it's usually agreed upon by the faculty and PTA.
I have never worked at a school where we could not accept gifts for holiday, but I have worked at a school where gifts and appreciation events were financed and organized by the PTA and room parents. The issue wasn't ever teachers taking money from kids for the room and spending it on themselves (I teach in an area where it's common for teachers to spend hundreds/ thousands annually out of pocket), but that there were equity issues. For example, one year a parent actually paid for a teacher to go to Hawaii... so... that was the end of free for all gifts.
As a teacher, I never expect gifts but they're always nice. Who doesn't like gifts? I don't announce it or open them in class. I just say thank you and put them behind my desk quickly. If the child wants to see me open it, they have to stay during recess or after school because I don't open things in front of other students. I always write a thank you card, and I will quietly slip it to the child as they're leaving.
I know this post has passed, but if anybody comes across it and wants to have some ideas:
- Personal gifts are always sweet: I usually get mugs because I drink a junk ton of coffee haha, but I love the ones that have orcas or puns or a travel theme because it just shows that my students listen to my random rants about things I like haha
- Gift cards: Kind of taboo but in the teaching realm we love them. I have used gift cards for personal items or for the classroom, depends on the context. You can also always get a gift card to a teacher supply store in the area or a teaching tool (like Teachers Pay Teachers)
- Homemade cards: Make a card at home! Art Hub for Kids is a Youtube channel where a dad and son make these really cool drawings but with kid friendly directions. Talk about how to write in a card beyond just thanks for being my teacher. Sometimes, we're having an awful day and a really thoughtful handmade card just brightens everything. I also like to keep a wall of my handmade cards near my desk each year, the kids love seeing their cards up on the wall.
I don't tend to get edible gifts because the kids know I don't keep sweets in my house because I lack self control hahaha.
And as far as teachers getting paid more, again. I'm not sure how things work everywhere. I make a decent salary. But I don't get any health insurance paid. So after taxes and health insurance and dues, I actually don't make enough to afford my house payment and daycare. If I don't get child support that month, I have to borrow money from my parents to just pay bills and food and necessities get charged on the credit card. There have been years where the only reason I could even get my son Christmas presents was because of the gift cards I got from families during the holidays because I didn't have any cash and my credit cards were maxed out. I make 95k a year. I have skipped meals to feed my son. I have many friends who are teachers that always work summer jobs or have second jobs in the evening/ weekends because we can't afford the cost of living where we teach. I have one teacher at my school who commutes 100 miles every day one way because she can't afford to live near the school. She barely gets to see her daughter. She gets to school usually at 5 or 6 to avoid traffic and sleeps in her car in the parking lot before work.
Also just want to point out, this teacher didn't do something unique to make things normal and fun and loving and warm for her class this year. That's the level of dedication she and her colleagues put forth every day at work. It's just now in a fishbowl for you to see it. The absolute best gift you can give a teacher is to let them know you appreciate what they are doing and talk to them with respect because really sometimes all we need is that verbal fistpump from a parent unexpectedly to remind us why we love our jobs.
