As a piano teacher I'd give my students little gifts at Christmas. One year I bought a basket of shells for each student and one of them was insulted by it. I overheard her mother tell her I was poor. I don't think they realized they were getting gifts not normally given out by music teachers. Usually we are only recipients. I did get nice gifts from them but I never forgot about that reaction.
Why do teachers have to give their student gifts? Surely It should be the other way around?? In the UK when I was a kid we never exchanged gifts with teachers or vice versa, just cards.
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