Growing up, there were lots of lessons I should have learned from my mother. But….I ignored some of her sage advice. For example, I should have listened when she told me not to cut my own bangs. However, this is one thing that really stuck with me and that I wanted to share with you.
One thing I absolutely learned from my mom was the value of handwritten thank-you cards. There’s something magical about dropping a quick thank you in someone’s mailbox! A few lines that take you five minutes to write can go a long way in improving someone else’s day!
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For this reason, I keep a box of blank cards in my desk drawer. When I see cards on clearance or at a garage sale, I almost always pick them up. There’s something special about getting an actual card and not an email or a text. No occasion is too small for a thank you! Send them after a curriculum meeting, after a co-worker leads a great PD session, or after a colleague does you a favor. As long as your thanks is genuine, there are no rules–sign your name, sign as a group, seal the envelope, have your students do the writing!
Thank You Ideas for School
Here are some opportunities for using thank-you notes in the classroom:
- When students make presentations in class, ask students to practice a formal tone by sending both invitations and thank-you notes to guests and visitors. This is one of the great ways to use letter writing in class!
- Send brief thank-notes to parents who attend conferences. As an alternative, ask students to write notes after student-led conferences.
- After a co-worker leads an effective data meeting or IEP, send a quick note thanking her for efficiency, professionalism, or great insights.
- As the holidays approach, students may give gifts to their teachers. There is no better way to model gratitude than to give students a handwritten thank you.
Take the Thank You Challenge
So here’s my challenge for you: find a way to thank someone in your life this week! Take a few minutes and drop a line to a past teacher, a fellow teacher, or a member of the support staff. Send a genuine, handwritten note of thanks and let them know you’re grateful!
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
