How to thank teachers

[kmg1]

The 'teachers' thread has left me feeling really fed up.

My boys attend a fantastic (state) school, and the staff there are ALL absolutely BRILLIANT. I want to thank them and encourage them and make them realise they are appreciated by me. I try to do this - obviously we sent Christmas prezzies and cards with notes in ...

Clearly teachers get some satisfaction from seeing the progress the children make, but I hate to think that my boys' teachers might think that we regard them in the way some posters on here regard their teachers.

So ... on Thursday ds1 came home with a little leaflet about the forthcoming term's work (Year 2). And it was fantastic - brief, but extremely informative, and very well put together. Both dh and I commented how helpful it is. ... Also on the first day of term he had written a book review for her (unrequested), and she read it, and wrote 3 or 4 really inspiring sentences for him about it, and about books/reading in general - on the first day of term - I'm sure she had plenty of other things to do with her time ... I don't see ds1's teacher at all during the week unless I seek her out specially. Should I seek her out specially to thank her and comment, or is that too creepy? I could put a note in his reading book, but that seems even more formal and uncomfortable.

So you teachers out there - do you get thanked/encouraged enough/at all by parents. What do you think?

[popsycal]

THanks kmg - but when i saw this thread title my inital reaction was to think someone was taking the piss
glad to see that you are not though!!
I have a wall in my cupboard where i have posted 4 really lovely letters/cards from parents that i look at when i am feeling totally shit and feel like jacking it all in
i have taught for 7 years and teacher approximately 150 children in total each year
7 times 150 - brain is dead - you do the maths
4 nice thank you letters
percentage anyone
in answer to your question kmg
no
but the ones who do make me want to cry and i treasure those cards
and stick them on my cupboard wall

[Hulababy]

I rarely get any thanks at all (don't expect either though) but on the odd occasion I have I have really appreciated it. It is hardly ever from the ones you expect either. The last time was last summer. One of my GNVQ foundation lads brought me a thank you card and a box of chocolates as he was leaving. He knew he hadn't passed - not done the work and didn't come to the catch up sessions I ran - but his card said that he was grateful that I hadn't given up even though he'd been hard work. He was going to go on an aprenticeship course instead and he is now doing well.

[hmb]

I teach in secondary, so I don't get to see parents that often. One girl's parents did tell me that she realy liked my lessons, and i was well pleased. The kids sometimes tell you themselves, and that is so good when it happens.

I tell my kids teachers how much they have helped them. All of the teachers they have had have been good, and 3 out of the 5 have been exceptional. Ds's teachers have helped him so much with his speech problems, and I just keep telling them what a difference they have made to him.

[Jimjams]

recently went to a school meeting and the heads said that occasionally parents email to say thank you and its very much appreciated. I'll do it at the end of the year, or maybe when ds1 starts to go full time.

[Jimjams]

When I taught the kids used to say thanks themseleves and sometimes the parents would write. However we were teaching exam retakes in 1, 2 or 3 terms so everyone was leaving at some stage in the year- so there was a natural time to say thanks iyswim. Plus my students were 19 so a bit more grateful than your average 15 year old

[tigermoth]

I wrote a thank you note to my son's year 4 teacher. My son helped me write it.

Well, we already had quite a dialogue going via comments in my son's behaviour book. At times it felt like we were sharing a diary. Mutual commisserations and support at times when my son had been very trying, followed by relief and encouragemnet when he had been good. I found it theraputic. I hope she did too.

She had suffered a bad time healthwise during the year - she missed about 3 weeks of school in all and looked really ill sometimes when I saw her. I got the feeling she had had a very tough year. I know she was a committed teacher - my son said she was the strictest teacher he had ever had, but also his favourite. So I felt a thank you letter was the least I could give her. We thanked her to her face as well.

[cazzybabs]

Please tell your teachers they are doing a great job as with moat things people generally only get told when they are doinjg a crap job. What about a letter to the chair of govenors and/or the headteacher saying how great this teacher is and the school. It will make their month if not term! Please do it - it will really motivate your ds teacher.

[Dmum]

On the rare occasions that it has happened, (hope that's not a relection on me as a teacher ) a thank you really makes a difference, be it a card, a letter, or a verbal thanks. Sometimes you feel like nothing you're doing is making much difference and some parents have had negative experiences of their own teachers and so they treat you accordingly.

kmg1, I think it's brilliant that you want to thank you ds's teacher and, however you decide to do it, I'm sure she'll be delighted. It's great that you're saying such positive things about teachers.

[JanH]

What I have done a few times is have the child concerned either make a personal thankyou card or write a letter - have never made a point of thanking the teacher personally - and that's just at primary school, I don't think we have thanked secondary school teachers at all - it never occurred to me.

[sykes]

The teachers at my elder dd's school have been brilliant with emotional support- it's pre-school, really, but since my h left have noticed if she's been down and told me/her nanny, always ready to talk) also helped so much when she had to start wearing glasses (her teacher who wears contact lenses is wearing glasses for a bit to encourage her). Must send a thankyou card. Have thanked them personally, but must send a card. Feel bad now. The support has been and is brilliant.

[maddiemo]

I have been surprised by many of the messages on the thread below and also on this thread as to how little thanks teachers have received.
My children have had around fifteen teachers so far and I have only found one to be disappointing. All of the others have been good and four have been exceptional. My ds1 had a year3 teacher who would often give lessons to parents to enable them to help their children. She gave me good advice about literacy and would photocopy papers and explain how she taught the children. My ds3 has special needs and during his diagnosis and statementing his teacher was incredibly supportive,way beyond any job description.
We have always thanked our childrens teachers. We usually as a class take our teachers out for dinner or a drink at least once in the school year.
Again I am amazed at some of the comments below.

[popsycal]

maddiemo - do you want to bring your kids to my school

[maddiemo]

I read what you had said about making books to help parents on the other thread, I think that is wonderful.

You can come and work at my kids schools, the parents are very generous

[popsycal]

i may just do that!!!
where in the country are you??????

[Hulababy]

Can I come to?

[maddiemo]

Bromley, Kent

[popsycal]

oh bugger - too far to commute....

[Hulababy]

Not very close then - I'm in Sheffield.

[robinw]

message withdrawn

[fisil]

I agree that it's better not just to do it at Christmas/end of year etc. I do get verbal thanks from students occassionally at these times of years. But like Pops, in 7 years of teaching I have received a couple of thank you notes from kids at other times of years, and none from parents (except for when I was leaving).

The strange thing is that we have a policy in school to make regular positive phone calls home, so that parents don't only hear bad news, or so that good news doesn't have to wait until reports. I hadn't thought about it before, but I guess it would be nice if parents had a similar policy!

However, the greatest feedback I have ever received comes the most unexpected quarters. I was very chuffed on Friday when I was teaching in our special unit for GCSE students who can't cope with main stream school, and one boy (busy finding the intersection of loci at the time) put his head up and said "you know, we've had you since September Miss, and we haven't done one bit of maths in all that time." And I knew how much of the syllabus he had actually covered! Another time I received profuse thanks from a girl who was upset so I let her work in my office, and when I went back to her a quarter of an hour later to find out what was up it turned out her mum had accused her of stealing money. We could both see my purse sitting next to her, I took all my self will and ignored it and didn't move it or check it. Somehow it didn't need to be said, but by leaving it there I had paid her a big complement, and she couldn't stop thanking me!

Oh, and when an ovarian cyst was discovered during pregnancy, a parent who works in the hospital booted me up the waiting list so that I could have the op during my maternity leave. That was a real thank you.

I don't get thank you notes, but I don't feel bad about it. I think I get thanks in other forms.

[eidsvold]

In my 15 long years of teaching I have had very little thanks from parents - have had comments at parents evenings from parents thanking me for helping their children very few though - but it seems at the school where I am now - very little thanks from parents - only had the odd moan from a parent of a child who ( through their own laziness and lack of commitment) not done well in exams.

Have had thanks from kids for their help - cards and that - thanking me for helping them through GCSE exams etc.

Had a few emails from past students a few years after they had left school - wondering what I am up to and sharing their news as well as thanking me for helping/teaching them. One in particular acknowledged that he might have been a 'trying' pupil and he appreciated that I had not written him off and had in fact stood in his corner on the odd occasion - that is always nice.

Perhaps I need to look at my teaching - maybe it is because I am a crap teacher

[Luckymum]

I'm sure you aren't a crap teacher eidsvold......I think its more us parents who are unappreciative. I have 3 children who are a good way through the education system and I can honestly say that they have only ever had a couple of 'poor' teachers in all that time. I hold my hand up to being a parent who has not said 'thank you' often enough.......I think I feel a late New Year resolution coming on

[SueW]

Perhaps it's more a case of not being a bad teacher but not expecting thanks for doing a job iyswim. That isn't meant to be rude or offensive although I can see it will come across in print as being so. Sorry no time to put it more subtly as on way out.

Most people don't get thanks for doing their every day job and only a few do when they go the extra mile.

I have never written to thank any of my daughter's teachers but I have remarked to them in conversation how delighted she is to be in their class/how sad she is to be leaving/how much she enjoys x, y or z. And (I know she's only 7yo and I don't know how she comapres with other children) but I think it's lovely to see her run up to her teacher and throw her arms round her although I'm not sure she's doing this in Y2! I hope it gives her teachers as much of a positive stroke as it does me to know that DD obviously thinks v highly of them.

[popsycal]

I don't expect thanks - that is why it is so amazing when it happens....
it makes my day....term and year even!

[fisil]

I agree, SueW, I wouldn't expect the praise. You're right, most other jobs wouldn't get praise from equivalent parties either. But then, there aren't that many professions that are as widely and generally condemned by politicians, the media and others. When I became a teacher 7 years ago I felt that there really was disrespect for the profession, not least from my contemporaries and former teachers who felt that I could use my Oxford degree better than that! Now I feel like a
get tonnes more respect from the population at large.

At parties people no longer just turn to the next person hoping they do something more interesting, but now say "wow, I couldn't do that" and then turn away!


I agree with what you're saying, but we shouldn't therefore say that teachers don't deserve the praise, we should say that everyone does.

PS have we praised Justine, Rachel and Carrie recently?