What to Give Teachers/ Moros

Della

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 10:34 am

I usually give the Rebbes a bottle of wine and chocolate and a check.

As there are so many more teachers/moros than Rebbes, I don't do checks for them. I simply can't afford it when there are 15 teachers per DD. (Please don't criticize/take this off on a unappreciated teacher tangent). But I feel just homebaked goods is not enough. And many people don't eat homebaked goods from outside their home.

Sometimes I give wine and chocolate, but do women appreciate wine? I,for one,would not.

So...what do you give your kids' teachers and moros? TIA!

Chayalle

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 11:22 am

I'm not at the point yet where there are 15 teachers per kid. I will be next year (high school)! I don't know if I'll be giving Shalach Manos to all the teachers then. It wasn't done when I was in high school. I'll see what others are doing.

For now, 2 DD's have 2 teachers each, and my older DD has 4 teachers - 1 Hebrew and 3 for secular studies.

I give my standard shalach manos (this year it's being Challah, dips, and grape juice) plus a gift certificate to a Judaica place. I vary the amount of the gift certificate - more for the Hebrew teachers (who are the mechaneches and are more involved with the students), the main afternoon teacher, and less for the teachers that teach one subject.

I give what I can afford. Some years I've given $25 and some years it's $18, and for the teachers that teach one subject I might just give $10. I appreciate them all - but we still gotta pay our bills next month.

Shopmiami49

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 3:57 pm

In my hometown, there is a program where you can make a donation to tzedaka in honor of somebody else. Many people do that for teachers because you can do a minimal amount and it is still respectable. I am pretty sure that there is an option to leave out the amount from the card that the organization sends to the person informing them about the donation as well.

There is also a program where you are sent a list with community members and you can check off who you want to send to. The organization prepares a mishloah manos for each person and the more people that checked off that certain person, the bigger the mishloach manos becomes. The mishloach manos is sent to the recipient with a list of those ppl who sent to him. But you still pay the same base amount.

Does your community have anythign like that?

mommy27

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 8:50 pm

I teach (an English subject) in high school and sometimes get shalach manos. I don't expect it, knowing how many teachers the girls have. Having said that, the baked goods are the MOST appreciated in my house! My husband still remembers some rugelach we got a few years ago and is very happy to hear I have that girl's sister this year!

As far as giving goes, my daughters are still in elementary and we give cartons of Tropicana oj and nuts and other nicer food items that we hope might be appreciated and somewhat more practical than yet another bottle of wine to their teachers.

flowerpower

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 9:43 pm

I give a good box of chocolate with a grape juice wrapped nicely and a check. They don't need your mm.The thought and the nice card is what is really appreciated.

Della

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 9:48 pm

yksraya wrote:

instead of the wine give some chocolates and a $5-$10 dollar bill it will be more appreciated.

You don't think $5-10 is insulting, like too little?

boysrus

Wed, Feb 08 2012, 11:49 pm

Personally I would not give money unless it's a minimum of $18, it seems rude to give less.

Anyways, I usually give wine and chocolate and a $18 check to a Rebbi, and wine/grape juice and chocolate with no check to a Morah. It can really add up when you a have lots of kids in school.

As a Morah myself, I appreciate the beautiful notes more than anything else. That said, I still felt good about receiving a bottle of really good wine last year from an exceptionally appreciative and kind parent. The most important thing IMHO is to write a heartfelt note to all Rebbis and Morahs.

LisaS

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 5:24 am

In Israel the entire class gets together to give the teachers mishloach manot. I wonder why they don't do the same in the US? Instead of 20 bottles of wine, the teacher gets one beautiful complete mishloach manot with an appreciative letter/poem. We usually assign the poem writing to the most talented mom ;-)

Raisin

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 7:53 am

wine is always useful in our house. we use a bottle a week, and a lot over that other holiday beginning with P that starts a month after Purim.

I don't give my kids secular teachers, since they are not Jewish, but my kids teachers get whatever I give, plus a nice bottle of wine. People here give super simple MM so I can't be too fancy.

no cheques.

sim

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 11:11 am

I'm a teacher. What I really love is to see my students all dressed up, coming to my door. Whatever their parents have prepared for them to give is great. Occasionally I'll get a gift (candy in a nice quality candy dish), or an expensive MM (fancy chocolates, high quality candies, wine), but our favorite, hands-down, is the home baked stuff. I've never gotten a check, nor have I ever expected one. But the real fun is seeing my students in their original and sometimes hilarious costumes. The fact that they came to see me is the whole point; what they bring is just icing on the cake.

groisamomma

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 11:26 am

Wine and a box of chocolates for the rebbe with check and a nice thank you note. This year for the first time we can afford to give the teachers something--not sure what/how much but dd already told me she's writing the card for her teachers on her own (not sure if that's Smile

but whatever works goes so she'll write that.

Ruchel

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 11:38 am

I don't give anything to them as they are not close family or close friends. As a teacher I also received only my pay not gifts or poems. I certainly do not give/get money, teachers are already paid and parents pay more than enough! I also do not visit/get visits at home, it's a bit intrusive as it's not on work time.
That's the mentality in my world. Suits me well.

Barbara

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 11:45 am

LisaS wrote:

We do in our school. No poems, though.

Della

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 1:14 pm

OK, so what I'm hearing is teachers appreciate the kids coming in costume, sincere thank you note, home baked goods, maybe chocolate and/or wine too.

I can handle that!! Now I actually have to start shopping, baking, etc....

cbsmommy

Thu, Feb 09 2012, 5:24 pm

Teachers appreciate the kids coming into class on time, behaving, not disappearing for 25 minutes to go to the washroom, and not speaking out of turn during the class.

Oh wait...that's everyday.

We still appreciate that for Purim!

But a Purim card saying thank you is never unappreciated!

Ruchel

Fri, Feb 10 2012, 10:14 am

Anyone else wouldn't even be sure what hechsher to buy for each teacher, and as a teacher wouldn't eat the homemade stuff of families I don't know?