Teachers Praise A Mom's $85 'Teacher Gift' Idea But Other Parents Lash Out At Her
People claim that the expensive gift is not practical for most families, but it is the thought that counts.
Derek Hatfield / Shutterstock After a mother took to social media to share her creative gift idea for teachers this holiday season, she did not receive the positive feedback that she was expecting.
Instead of taking inspiration from her, many other parents criticized the mother for her costly gift idea, arguing that not all parents had the luxury of being able to purchase their children’s teachers such gifts.
The mother shared her $85 holiday gift idea for teachers which consisted of gift cards, hand sanitizer, lip balm, and candies.
It is no secret that teachers work tirelessly throughout the school year to give children the best educational experience possible. Since their workload often extends beyond the classroom, it is important to let teachers know just how appreciated they are.
The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to do so!
Taking to her TikTok page, Alyssa Fluellen shared her creative gift idea for her daughter’s teachers which included Stanley FlowState H2.0 Quencher Tumblers, (stainless steel bottles that keep your beverages cold all day) filled with confetti, mini candy canes, lip balm, hand sanitizers, and gift cards to various well-known stores such as Starbucks and Target.
To top it all off, they attached a festive little note that read, “Thank you for being my teacher!” laced with red and green ribbons.
While the gifts were aesthetically pleasing and something that teachers would undoubtedly love, many parents pointed out that they were over the top.
“This is so unrelatable,” one TikTok user commented. “This is not feasible for the normal person,” another wrote.
The combined total of the Stanley bottle, candy canes, lip balm, hand sanitizer, and gift card added up to $85, a price that many parents, even those who work, expressed that they could not afford.
Many families have multiple children, who all have more than one teacher they need to buy gifts for. Not to mention, parents also have to buy Christmas gifts for their own family members, and the expenses can quickly pile up.
Fortunately, Fluellen shared how other parents could put together a similar more affordable gift for their children’s teachers. “I did not think that this teacher gift would be just about the most controversial thing [I’ve ever posted],” she admitted in a follow-up video. “I’m going to show you guys how this was an idea, and how you can modify this idea on a budget.”
Even though Fluellen’s original gift idea totaled $85, she revealed how you can put together almost the exact same gift for just $15!
To replace the candy canes and original ribbons she used, Fluellen took a trip to the Dollar Store to pick up some candies and decorative ribbons for the cup.
Since the cups at the Dollar Store were not the best quality, Fluellen stopped by three more affordable stores before finding better quality cups at TJ Maxx for only $5. Instead of using $25 gift cards like she had for the original gifts, she used $5 gift cards.
Back at home, Fluellen organized all of the goodies into the cups, which cost just $15 each and we must say, they came out even better than the original ones!
Fluellen reminded her followers that the gifts were simply an idea, and it was the thought that counts.
“Everyone is in a difficult stage of life. I love giving back to anyone I can and feel extremely blessed to be able do so,” she wrote in the caption of her video.
What most people were unaware of was that Fluellen herself used to live paycheck-to-paycheck, making just $7 an hour. Now that she was in a better place financially, she shared that she loves to give back by giving gifts to those important in her life, including her children’s teachers.
Many teachers flocked to the comments section of Fluellen’s video to thank her for her thoughtful and creative gift idea.
“Teacher here! Her teachers are going to be so grateful. Y’all are sweet for that!!” one user commented. “As a teacher, thank you for sharing and spoiling your children’s teachers if you can,” another user wrote.
“If you can afford it why not? Teachers deserve a Stanley! And if it’s not I’m sure they’ll be very grateful,” another user noted.
Even if you are a parent who is struggling financially and cannot afford to gift your children’s teachers with extravagant items and high-quality beverage cups, Fluellen was right, it is truly the thought that counts.
A Stanley Cup means just as much as a $5 gift card. No matter what gift teachers receive from their student's parents, it is a token of gratitude for all they do for their kids no matter how expensive it is.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.