kelly8875
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,391
Location: Lost in my supplies...
Oct 26, 2014 17:02:56 GMT
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Post by kelly8875 on Dec 26, 2018 13:20:34 GMT
I think a lot of people do these for the FUN of it. And some people interpret the limit as exactly that... a LIMIT. Meaning they don’t spend more than that, but can spend less.
And in my case, I picked what I thought would be a fun gift for the office white elephant, and it was not received well by the guy who got it. He’s kind of a snob anyway, so I don’t care, but I honestly loved it...and wish I would have bought one for myself at home, lol. So he’s probably whining about this, thinking it’s junk, and I want it.
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Post by 950nancy on Dec 26, 2018 17:04:52 GMT
I just don’t understand why there are people who voluntarily join in on a gift exchange at a certain dollar limit and then either short you on the gift budget or buy you stuff that doesn’t suit you in the least. I spend a lot of time thinking about and choosing gifts that will best fit that person and I try hard to shop with discounts to get the most bang for your buck. Although I don’t expect everyone to try as hard, at least try a little. Right? I mean, a gift card is way better than a bunch of random, thoughtless stuff. And why even participate if you have no interest in the activity? It’s not like they’d be the odd man out in this situation. More importantly: Why don’t people try their best at anything they do? This is one of the MOST disappointing things I find in my fellow human beings, in this and many other situations.Does anyone out there understand? Or am I alone on this island of caring about finding the greatest gift for my recipient? I can't comment on the gift exchange since thankfully I don't have to participate in one of those. But...the part that I bolded in your quote... I say this ALL THE TIME about substitute teaching. I have gone into a new school and sometimes after I'm there only 30 minutes or so (especially if it's a job that's visible to other teachers such as an assistant in a room with the main teacher or a resource teacher who goes into a class where the regular teacher is there) and I'll have teachers saying "oh please leave us your contact info, you're great!" And what have I done to earn this "great" label? I've shown up a bit early, I've said good morning, I've read the plans, if I'm in a room with another teacher I've asked what they'd like me to do to get the day started, I've said good morning to the kids, etc. NOTHING that any substitute teacher shouldn't do. All day long I'll hear this. But really..how hard is it to show up on time and follow the lesson plan that the teacher has taken so much time to put together?? Bonus points if you actually like kids (and of course you shouldn't be doing a job like substitute teaching if you don't like kids). Of course we don't make much money. But we chose this job so it's on us to at least try to do it well. So yeah...I wonder about that all the time when I hear what teachers say about some substitutes. I think most subs try, but running a class of kids who want to run the show IS NOT for the weak. And yes, then there are the subs who bring in a slide show of their vacation so that the kids "can experience travel," teach math the way they remember it being taught, and say the most outlandish things to a kid so that a half a dozen parents call the principal. I think some people think it is an easy gig for the day. Walk in, impart your wisdom, and walk out. You and I both know it isn't. I only subbed for 3 months and no other job was more challenging. Half of my days were at one school (and I live in an area with hundreds of schools). It seems that not reading a newspaper during math or the end of the day was a good thing.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Dec 26, 2018 17:49:46 GMT
I have a feeling we will be processing lots of gift exchange donations at the thrift store next week. (I'm a volunteer). this is exactly why I am glad we DON'T do this kind of thing at my workplace... because it's usually stuff I wouldn't use or don't want. I am also NOT a coffee drinker (I always have a QT cup of diet soda sitting on my desk) and don't know my co-workers all that well outside of work. To address one thing in your OP, though-- "And why even participate if you have no interest in the activity?" THIS is where I used to burn myself- I used to *want* to participate in this type of activity, and it would be fun-- IF I had enough time to do it. I am a procrastinator, so I used to sign myself up to participate in things, then as time dwindled away, I'd be scrambling at the last minute. So over time, I finally wised up and stopped participating, because the participation fun turned into dread and last minute shopping, which wouldn't ever turn out good. And I am one of those people who do NOT like just buying a gift card; to me, they're not really a *gift* that took time and care to choose. If I was giving a gift card, then I might as well just give the person cash. And if they gave me a gift card back, we're just 'trading' cash, so we might as well have not exchanged a gift at all. (just to give you a perspective on why some people do NOT give gift cards.) ETA: at one of the places I worked, we adopted a family through Catholic Charities, and that was some of the BEST fun I've had at Christmas-time. Our entire department would donate a few dollars apiece, we'd adopt a family who had kids, and a couple of us would go out shopping and wrap the gifts. It was so much better than buying useless crap for each other!! Plus, shopping was fun, because it gave me an opportunity to shop for kids- toys, kids' clothes, etc. that I don't ever get to buy otherwise.
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MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,539
Jul 24, 2014 19:51:57 GMT
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Post by MerryMom on Dec 27, 2018 2:55:45 GMT
I would love it if offices would do donations for charity rather than secret Santa or gift exchanges. You're giving gifts to people that you likely don't know very well and that is awkward. What if the entire office voted on a charity and instead of secret santa they asked for donations? I'd be more into that type of thing. If everyone donates $5 that can really help a food bank. This is what we did at work; people bought good quality warm socks, knit thermal beanies, and warm waterproof gloves for men and women. I dropped them off at a local organization that gives them to people who live outside or in their car and won’t use shelters.
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Post by 950nancy on Dec 27, 2018 3:05:25 GMT
I would love it if offices would do donations for charity rather than secret Santa or gift exchanges. You're giving gifts to people that you likely don't know very well and that is awkward. What if the entire office voted on a charity and instead of secret santa they asked for donations? I'd be more into that type of thing. If everyone donates $5 that can really help a food bank. This is what we did at work; people bought good quality warm socks, knit thermal beanies, and warm waterproof gloves for men and women. I dropped them off at a local organization that gives them to people who live outside or in their car and won’t use shelters. I know at our school, instead of kids bringing a gift for the teacher, PTO requests these kinds of things for many in our area. The teachers often find a family or two who need some Santa help. Nothing makes you smile more than seeing a relieved momma or dad come up to gather a bag of hand picked gifts for kids who might not get anything.
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