It's rude to ask if they got the cards & gift cards, right?

[ourbabygirl]

So, last spring and this week, I gave nice cards and gift cards to my kids' teachers, but never heard back from them acknowledging that they received them. Last year it was with DD's main preschool teacher (I think about $40?), and her two helper teachers (I think around $15 or 20 each?). I gave them to one of their coworkers (another preschool teacher) in the hallway during VBS, as the teachers were in the middle of teaching another class. I never heard anything from those teachers, and that other teacher didn't return this year, so she may have kept them?

This week I dropped off a few books ("Oh, the Places You'll Go!") for my kids' teachers to sign a quick note (I do it each year, to give them the books at graduation, eventually). There were nice, long handwritten thank you notes in envelopes peeking out of the books (written by myself and my kids) with gift cards inside. For the preschool teacher, I handed her the card and book at the little 'graduation' ceremony, but with the elementary kids, I had to leave the books outside the main school doors since we weren't allowed in the school. I e-mailed the one teacher letting her know I'd dropped off the book, and I texted the other teacher (she'd asked me to do that when I dropped it off so she could come grab it). I got one of the books back today when I went to pick up the kids' supplies from their desks and lockers, but didn't get the other books, and again, no mention of any cards or gift cards. It's not that I need/ expect to be thanked, I just would like to make sure they got the cards (which I know are often meaningful to teachers) and gift cards ($20-25 each). I'm just paranoid that someone else might have pulled the envelopes out, and could feel that there were gift cards inside. And I'd also like to get the two books back so I can give them to my kids eventually.

I'm assuming I should just let it go, right? I write out cards (and have the kids do the same) and give gift cards at Christmas time, too, and believe they've gotten them. I just feel bad, because I want the teachers to know how much we appreciate them, but don't know that I should call attention to this, because it will make them feel bad, one way or another.

Thoughts?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Our teachers have always been so quick to send thank yous!
For what you left outside, yes, I’d follow up and tell them to check inside. Though I would have emailed them that when I dropped it off. I might just drop them an email setting up a time/place to retrieve along with a reminder that there’s something inside for them too.


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[ezcc]

I think I would let it go. Hopefully they received them and they are just overwhelmed with wrapping up a weird spring. But you are right, asking them will either make them feel badly for not thanking you, or if for some reason they didn't receive them- make them feel badly for not letting you know right away.

[mommy111]

Our teachers always send us nice thank you cards/emails

[KpbS]

I would just send a quick email/text letting them know about the cards and gift cards to make sure they weren’t overlooked.

[HannaAddict]

I wouldn’t ask. Teachers have it rough and they don’t need to send a thank you for your thank you. It isn’t like a birthday gift. And they have lots of kids. It is always wonderful and nice to receive a thank you and I consider it a bonus. But I know how hard they work and cut them slack, and your gift is a thank you to them so no need for them to thank you unless they are able to.


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[HannaAddict]

I would just send a quick email/text letting them know about the cards and gift cards to make sure they weren’t overlooked.

That seems a bit passive aggressive and I would assume it got to them. And usually the intent of those inquiries is acknowledgment/thanks more than actually worrying the item didn’t get to the intended. Just how it feels.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I wouldn’t ask. Teachers have it rough and they don’t need to send a thank you for your thank you. It isn’t like a birthday gift. And they have lots of kids. It is always wonderful and nice to receive a thank you and I consider it a bonus. But I know how hard they work and cut them slack, and your gift is a thank you to them so no need for them to thank you unless they are able to.


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Normally I’d agree but the way she dropped off the gift cards leaves uncertainty of their receipt.


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[HannaAddict]

Normally I’d agree but the way she dropped off the gift cards leaves uncertainty of their receipt.


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I guess at our school I wouldn’t be worried at all someone took the gift cards. I have noticed that on this board there is more distrust and worry than I experience in my general life. If I’m really worried, I do online GC too, even for Starbucks, so people have them when they need them. We have an insane amount of unused physical gift cards that we don’t use as don’t tote them around.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I guess at our school I wouldn’t be worried at all someone took the gift cards. I have noticed that on this board there is more distrust and worry than I experience in my general life. If I’m really worried, I do online GC too, even for Starbucks, so people have them when they need them. We have an insane amount of unused physical gift cards that we don’t use as don’t tote them around.


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Things fall out in transit. Things get overlooked when they aren’t handed off directly. Plenty of reasons to want to confirm receipt that aren’t accusatory...
I know your school(s) is some perfect utopia but it’d be naive to think that someone wouldn’t get sticky fingers even there. The rich kids were making sport of shoplifting a shopping center near their fancy school here- the one store gave up and closed. Kids from all sorts of backgrounds make poor decisions sometimes.


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