Thanking teacher years later

[LemonsYellow]

Is it odd, inappropriate or completely fine to contact a teacher (extra-curricular) to let them know the influence they had on your child? It wouldn’t be contacting them on social media, but through an organisation they now work for. Imagine it was music - (it’s not) - your child is now a professional classical musician, and this person taught them when they were at primary school. The teacher is unlikely to remember them, but in fact they had a huge influence. I can’t decide if it’s weird or if I’m overthinking it and a teacher might be pleased.

Definitely let them know - they will be thrilled I am sure

The teachers I know who have been working 20+ years still talk about old pupils and where they are now, theyre more likely to remember them than you think!
Definitely get in touch, it would be lovely for them to hear.

Gosh I would love to hear that a former pupil had done well!
It's definitely worth doing.

Do it.

I heard that my favourite primary school teacher had just taken a headship. I wrote to him at his school to thank him for being such an influence and that I was in the process of my teacher training.
He wrote back saying how delighted he was to hear from me and how knowing that he had an influence on people made it worth while.

Sadly he died a few years later. I’m so glad I got the chance to tell him.

It’s not a school teacher. Does that make a difference? More like an after-school music teacher.

That makes it even more important to write tbh!

Do it, everyone likes to be thanked/know when they’ve made a difference.

Do it...anybody would be thrilled to hear they've been an influence to someone else. Imagine how good that would feel...especially in such challenging times, that would make my day/week/month

Would mean so much! When more so because it's years later, and not just at the end of the year, when expected, as a matter of course. Lovely idea.

Definitely do it! I've made two old teachers of mine tear up by thanking them. In a good way, I hope!

I contacted a music teacher after over 20 years after leaving school, she did remember me and some of my friends, we've since been at events together and met, it's a lovely thing to do.

Absolutely! My mum was a primary teacher - goodness knows how many people she taught in her career but to hear bits of news about old pupils or even to bump into them and them still recognise her means a lot to her. To hear how much they appreciated her means even more.

Agree with everyone else - music teacher , sports coach, Scout Leader, whoever. All would love to hear that back in the mists of time something they did or said inspired or helped someone to go on and achieve something great.
Please do it.

OK. Thank you, all. You seem to be all of one mind!

I'm still in touch with some of my daughter's dance teachers from when she was 4-7 years old. She's now training to be a professional dancer and on the whole they love to hear how she is doing.

Do it!!!

I contacted my music teacher after 35 years fully expecting she would have no memory of me. She actually replied 10 minutes later and recalled all my time as her pupil including two music residentials (she has taught hundreds if not thousands of pupils since me). She’s in her 80s now but has not changed one bit.

Long story short but she is now my son’s music teacher. He has been to her residentials for the past three years and loves them.

This person has such a great impact on my life and it’s been wonderful to reconnect and for my son to share what I experienced.

Dd really wanted to thank her first drama teacher when she got into drama school. Sadly she found the teacher had just died of cancer. So don't put it off, do it! I know Miss X would have been thrilled.