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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Thanking secondary teachers at the end of Year 11 - how?

26 replies

Parisbanana · 31/05/2013 20:17

Dd goes to a local comprehensive. She has had over the years some fabulous teachers. During her GCSE courses she has had some truly amazing teachers, inspirational, fun, caring, I could go on and on with the superlatives. Dd is a clever girl who has, with the help of said teachers, been predicted some great GCSE results.

I want to thank these teachers. Dd knows this and agrees with me. However she is staying on in 6th form so I don't want to do anything to embarrass her Blush I want to say a special thank you to probably 5 or 6 of the teachers.
What would you do? A hand written individual thank you card to each of them plus a letter expressing my appreciation to HoY? Presents?
In primary, where I still have children, it is commonplace for thank you presents. In secondary not so, I think.

Anyone else done this? Or any secondary teachers...opinions please Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Parisbanana · 31/05/2013 20:20

Meant to say also, dd adores these teachers and she and friends have made giant cards for them all which they have all written in. I am just so pleased she has had such a positive experience in her secondary education.

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 31/05/2013 20:22

I am a secondary school teacher. In 9 years of teaching I have received 5 cards and every one I've shed a bit of a tear over and kept as special.

I would be overjoyed with a card.

INeedtoDrinkLess · 31/05/2013 20:23

oooh, how lovely, I am delighted that your DD has been well looked after by her school.

I have had lovely cards from students before which tell me how grateful they are, and I have kept these. Even one from a 6th form student saying she will dedicate her first academic book to me (still waiting to see it, mind!). I love looking back at these letters, especially when it gets tough. Never had anything from a parent, but I know I would feel the same about these. So yes, definitely write to show your appreciation.

And most of us like wine Grin

Ilovegeorgeclooney · 31/05/2013 21:19

Last week my lovely Year 11's left, I had taught them since Year 7, they gave me a hamper of presents they had bought, all personal, all thoughtful and all wonderful! I was reduced to tears, to their delight. From a parent a card is lovely. But you would be amazed how gorgeous your truculent teenagers can be!

bigTillyMint · 31/05/2013 22:15

Bottles always go down well with DHWink

cardibach · 31/05/2013 22:53

I am a secondary schoolteacher. If your DD said thank you I would be overjoyed. If you sent me a note, likewise. A note tot he Head saying how fab I was ( :) ) would be fantastic. Also, we all like chocolate. A big box of e.g. Celebrations in the staff room with a note saying what it is in appreciation of would be very well received.
I am delighted your DD and you feel this way about her teachers.

ravenAK · 31/05/2013 23:54

My absolute favourite is a thank you card with an individual & obviously genuine message in it, tbh. & yes an email to the Head is fantastic!

Other than that, a naice bottle of waine is always very acceptable.

The one which actually made me mist up was last year, mind you.

One quite bright lad had been in a whole world of trouble all year - he was obnoxious, & whenever he did deign to attend he spectacularly disrupted the whole group. By the Easter of year 11, I was the only one of his GCSE teachers willing to have him in lessons, & even I cracked a couple of weeks later & kicked him out.

He subsequently got a B, which was his target - mind you, he could actually have got an A.

A week after the exam result, I found a message on Facebook (I have an unusual surname, so not too hard to track down).

'Dear Mrs Raven, thanks, & sorry I was such a c*nt in your lessons'.

I appreciated the sentiment.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 31/05/2013 23:56

Oh, will watch this as I've been in a similar quandary! Seems so unfair that we all send presents at the end of every year all through primary, but the poor sods at secondary get nothing in case it is embarrassing!

mumslife · 01/06/2013 23:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Nehru · 01/06/2013 23:04

a lovely letter is best, I would love that COPIED in to my boss..

OOH yes

Nehru · 01/06/2013 23:05

wine is nice. but a letter to the Head trumps wine

Sommink · 01/06/2013 23:13

my class brought my form tutor a weeping willow for her garden when we left school. Hiding it in the school all morning was quite difficult...

nothruroad · 01/06/2013 23:24

A couple of years ago a parent wrote a letter to my headteacher about me - I was so touched that I cried. This year a parent sent in a couple of huge cakes for us on a training day with a thank you note, was a lovely gesture.

EvilTwins · 02/06/2013 18:43

One of my Yr 11 boys came to see me the other day, looked a bit shifty, waited until all the other kids in the room had gone, and then pulled out a box of Roses, said "thanks for getting me through the course" then legged it before I could respond. I was very VERY touched.

BellaBearisWideAwake · 02/06/2013 18:51

I have a copy of a letter written to my Head about me from a parent on my noticeboard at home because it was so nice to receive. (and nice to know the Head had seen it!)

(on a related note, with the new appraisal framework, our Head keeps suggesting letters from parents as evidence of being generally a good teacher, which I feel is a bit unfair if you happen to teach kids whose parents would never do this)

BellaBearisWideAwake · 02/06/2013 19:02

Also, in our school, if you write a letter to the Head about your daughter's happy experiences and maybe mention the particular teachers then a copy goes up on the staff noticeboard which is nice.

AViewFromTheFridge · 02/06/2013 19:10

EvilTwins, one of the boys in my form did exactly the same thing when he left! It was so awkward and so cute!

Picturepuncture · 02/06/2013 19:11

Letters to the head is the best thing.

Wine and chocolates also nice.

If I teach your DC you can't go wrong with Pinot Blush Wink

Original poster
Parisbanana · 02/06/2013 19:20

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply.
I will definitely write a letter to the head (nice woman who I'm sure will be very pleased to hear all I have to say about dd's school experience...it is a new school, open just 6 years so dd a bit of a guinea pig really as there was no track record when we applied. I am so glad we did)
I will then write individual thank you cards to the teachers that dd has really raved about and send them into school with wine and chocs I think.

I have always been a great believer in complimenting people where it is due as so many people only bother to give any feedback if it is a complaint.

OP posts:
smugmumofboys · 02/06/2013 19:24

I just received a bottle of champagne, chocolates and a little cute ornament from some of my yr 11 students (nothing from my yr 11 form, mind). This was lovely but the cards that came with them were so touching that they were much more appreciated than any gifts.

INeedtoDrinkLess · 02/06/2013 21:15

Parisbanana I am about to head back into full time teaching in my comprehensive school, and am a little worried, despite years of success there with GCSE and A Level results, pre-DS.

It's great to know there are parents out there kind enough to spare the time to demonstrate their appreciation for the hard work that good teachers do.

Never feel embarrassed.

And thank you.

Original poster
Parisbanana · 02/06/2013 21:26

Good luck Ineedtodrinkless

I am just so astounded by the job they are doing...they definitely go that extra mile. Dd's English teacher for instance bought in croissants etc on the day of their lit exam as they were encouraged to come in early and he wanted to make sure they had something to eat.
They seem to genuinely enjoy their job and like teenagers and don't appear jaded. Maybe they are well treated and appreciated from the top? I have a great feeling from the head/deputy/HoY etc.

OP posts:
INeedtoDrinkLess · 02/06/2013 21:42

Teaching is the best job in the world, anybody who says otherwise shouldn't be doing it!

Bati · 02/06/2013 22:18

Ds is in yr 11, he recently went and bought some thankyou cards for some of his subject teachers. He just wrote a couple of sentences in each to thank them and took them in on 24th may as this was his last day (just got to go in for some exams and some revision lessons now)
There was just 2 teachers he couldnt track down so he left them on their desks

nts24 · 03/06/2013 20:46

Out of all the presents I have received over the years, I always keep all the cards from the students telling me how much they like me as a teacher and my subject. A letter to the head or head of department would be nice too.