I'm not wild about tipping either, especially for teachers and other professionals.
Tipping felt a little out of control at my kids' last school: there was a collection at Christmas, a collection to pay for teachers' tickets to the annual fundraising ball, and, of course, the big finish at the end of the year. You couldn't sign the cards unless you left a tip, so of course it was obvious if you didn't.
This was a private school that didn't offer financial aid, and the tuition was a hardship for some people (we definitely wheezed our way through our last year there).
I've read here and there that the teachers aren't necessarily wild about the practice, either (comments from teachers out there?).
Val
