Gifts for Teachers
To Give or Not to Give...That is the Question
Is a teacher gift a bribe?
With the holiday season approaching, there is the highly debated question of whether or not it is appropriate to purchase and give a gift to your teacher. This goes beyond just being nice and courteous to some extent because purchasing a teacher’s gift can be seen as a persuasive action. Teachers are responsible for giving out grades and also in some cases writing college recommendations for students. If one student gives a larger gift than another student, or not every student gives the teacher a gift, is this biasing the teacher in some way? In my ethics class we covered a similar topic with corporations giving gifts to purchasers to perhaps bias them in some way to buy from their corporation. Essentially what was determined was if a reasonable gift was given (not money or any absurdly superfluous gift) it was understandable and would not be expected to alter the purchaser’s decision. Similarly, I think with teacher’s gifts, if you are giving them a small token of thanks for the work they put in over the school year, or for writing a recommendation for you, it is acceptable. What do you all think? Is it reasonable to give a teacher a gift or do you think that it is unnecessary or in some ways immoral?
posted by Mike-Blog @ 12:48 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
I think that if you want to give your teacher a gift, you should. It is a nice and courteous thing to do and lets your teachers know that you appreciate their work. As long as it is a reasonable gift, and students do not try to outdo each other but rather find a reasonable gift independently, it would be appropriate. Giving a gift to your teacher might bias them towards you in some cases, but this depends on many factors and most likely will just show them that you are grateful for them teaching you.
No I don't think that giving my teacher a gift is a bribe. I haven't given very many gifts, but when I did it was because I "knew" something about that teacher. If a teacher shares what they like I tend to find small things for them because I like to make them smile. One time a gave a middle school teacher a bag of chocolate kisses because she loved chocolate. I have given gifts that were mostly edible items because they aren't as expensive.
Personally for the holidays, I did not get anything for my teachers. A gift to a teacher is not a bride if it is genuine, from your heart and doesn't cost you that much money. As usual, I'll give my teachers a Christmas card from my family this Christmas.
I think it's bribery because the teachers like those students who appreciate them. By giving them thing the teachers like then the student is getting on their good side. I myself don't give anything to my teachers beside respect and my attention, it's enough.
As a teacher, I always tell my students that if they feel compelled to give me something for Christmas, to please make a donation in my name to a food pantry or other notable charity. I once had a student actually do it and I have never forgotten that student for their kind act. That being said, if a student did want to bribe me, a 10 dollar Dunkin Donut gift card wouldn't do it.
I think it's okay to give teachers gifts. Any gifts that I give my teachers aren't bribes, they are an expression of my gratitude for all the work they do.
As for the opinion that giving teachers gifts makes them like me more, that doesn't mean much. Should I not say "Thank you" after a teacher stays after school with me to explain something I didn't understand because "that will make the teacher like me"? It's all showing that you recognize what the teacher does for you.
And if you say that giving gifts is different than saying thank you, why shouldn't it be? If a teacher likes me because I'm courteous and grateful, that shows that the teacher has gotten to know me and likes the kind of person that I am. Isn't it ideal to have a close relationship between a teacher and a student, with respect and appreciation?
As long as a gift isn't completely out of proportion with the service the teacher has done for the student, there's no reason not to give it.
I think that the best gift you can give a teacher is putting as much effort and interest in their class. However, if for a holiday you want to give your teacher a small gift in appreciation for their efforts and their teaching, I think its fine. It also depends on the attitude before and after the gift.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to give your teachers a gift. After all, they put in so much time and effort through out the year to help us learn, that I believe it is the least we can do. During the holidays a nice little gift can never hurt and it shows that you are genuinely grateful for what they have done through out the year.
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