It's the first day of the last week of teaching before Christmas, and already I've had some lovely gifts. A box of cookies that came in a wind up musical box that plays "Silent Night", a beautiful necklace with a white stone that has a treble clef in the middle surrounded by tiny kangaroos, and

...an angry birds cookie jar. Now I, probably like many of you, have been through a period of being addicted to the game. It's a great time waster. And the cookie jar is really cool. But, seeing as it was picked out by a student/teenager I don't have a great rapport with, I can't help feeling like it's a bit of a backhanded present lol. My partner thinks I'm being overly sensitive, which I probably am. Any of you ever had a present from a student where you've gone "hmmm..."?

To be quite honest, I think if a student remembered to give their piano teacher a Christmas gift at all, it's a bonus! I've had some students for 4/5 years, and have yet to receive even a Christmas card. I've had some strange gifts though... antique-style scarves that I would never wear (I'm in my early twenties), and many others...

Most of my students are smart though... I usually wind up with about $300-worth of Tim Horton's gift cards, so that my coffee addiction will never go unfed

Oh no, don't get me wrong, gifts aren't expected, and I too have kids I've taught for years who don't give me a card. I guess I just thought it was kinda funny, in a profession that is stereotyped as being full of grumpy people, to get something "Angry Birds" themed. Maybe it's just my brain that makes those kinds of connections. I love it though, it's a quirky fun gift.