Gifts for teachers? Eh?

There was a woman on the bus the other day stressing about what she was going to get her DD’s teacher for Christmas.

Would chocolates be all right or would the teacher be fed up if she received 30 boxes of Maltesers?

Should she suggest that the other parents club together to get one big thing?

Should she get vouchers for somewhere or was that a bit off?

I sat transfixed and listened to this enlightening conversation, which she was having with a slightly bored looking friend.

And it suddenly stuck me.

Are you supposed to get a Christmas present for your child’s teacher then?

Because in all the year’s my 12-year-old DD has been going to school, I’ve never once bought her teacher a gift for Xmas.

Indeed thinking about it, I haven’t so much as given a card in previous years.

Does this make me a terrible person?

To be fair, I’ve never bought anything for the woman at Tesco’s, the postman, the bin man or the chap at the petrol station either.

But you’re not really expected to buy anything for them.

Are you?

Why should teachers particularly expect a gift anyway?

They’re only doing their job.

Nobody buys me a gift just for doing my job.

I wonder has this lack of present-buying affected my DD’s marks at school?

Or maybe the teachers have all got together in the staff room to slag me off behind my back.

My point is, with two kids of my own, plus four sisters and two brothers who have about seven million kids between them, I think I have enough people to buy prezzies for at Christmas.

Besides, DD is at secondary school now which means she has lots and lots of teachers every day.

I couldn’t possibly be expected to buy gifts for all of them.

Could I.....?