‘I’m a teacher and there’s a Christmas gift we all hate – here’s what I really want’

As December approaches, parents will be considering which gift to buy for their kids’ teachers – one has spilled the beans on the one present all school staff dread

The supermarket shelves are stacked with Quality Street tubs and our TVs are lit up with festive adverts, which can only mean one thing: Christmas is fast approaching.

As December rolls round, many parents will be looking for gifting inspiration – not just for the little ones, but for their teachers too. As school staff help children learn, stay safe and develop all year round, it’s a lovely gesture to show appreciation for them at the end of term. But it can be difficult to know what to buy, particularly when money is tight during a cost of living crisis.

Luckily, one teacher has spilled the beans on the gifts she’s totally ‘sick of’, and instead has offered up some alternative options for parents looking for ideas.

Taking to TikTok to share her opinion on her most dreaded gift, a special education needs (SEN) teacher named Mel explained her preferences in a funny skit – using a viral background audio on the platform which usually sees interior experts share their thoughts on decorative styles and designs.

The clip, posted on Mel’s account @mellew06, shows her looking rather disapproving – before moving onto a series of images of the gifts. It has the words “How I feel about certain teacher gifts with little to no explanation” written across the front.

First up are two gift cards, one for Amazon and another for Target, which the voiceover simply replies “yes” to. It’s easy to see the appeal of a gift card, as teachers can choose their own present or put the voucher towards a larger item they’ve had their eye on.

Mel then shows the main culprit that she absolutely hates: teacher-themed mugs. An image pops up of a white mug with a red apple on, featuring ‘worlds best teacher’ scrawled across the front.

The SEN teacher’s video is captioned “Sorry, we’re sick of ‘world’s best teacher’ mugs” so it’s safe to say you should avoid picking one of those up in the supermarket.

Interestingly, the video then shows a T-shirt which reads “teach, love, inspire” which the voiceover declares is a ’50/50′ – showing that Mel might not be against all themed gifts.

Her favourite present out of the lot is a personalised, glitzy stapler and Sellotape holder – complete with the teacher’s name and bright gold and pink glitter. When the bold gift is shown, the audio says “yes and I don’t care that it’s impractical”.

Many people flocked to the comments section on the video to criticise Mel for her gifting demands, including other teachers.

One wrote: “Um wow! Teacher here and I am thankful for anything a child brings me. Handmade, or an ornament to put on my tree in my room are my favorites [sic] though!”

Others argued that Mel is being insensitive towards parents’ financial situations, as one said: “This makes me sad. I have been a teacher for 18 years and have gotten zero gifts. My families are just trying to keep their heads above water”.

Some parents chimed in, with one commenting: “Ugh when I see these videos makes me nervous to even gift my son’s test anything so he just doesn’t take anything! problem solved”.

Mel replied with some advice, writing: “Don’t overthink it! But if you don’t know much about your child’s teacher… don’t buy something too specific!”

Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at [email protected]