Thanking high school

[Kleene]

Does anyone have experience with a written thanks to your high school? I have thanked individual teachers after graduation (two years ago) and thanked them in my yearbook piece, but I feel that I want to send the school a letter now that I am getting to the next stage of my life.

You see, my high school prevented me from dropping out by sending me to university early. Thanks to them I am now about to graduate from university and will be leaving the country for a world top 5 university. I owe them my sanity, if not more.

 

What would you recommend? I would like for my former teachers to read it, but also other teachers and staff if they wish since it is as much a testimony to the individual teachers as it is to their collective effort as a school. Therefore, I consider addressing the letter to the teacher's lounge. Do you think that would be the way to go?

 

Thanks!

Edited May 10, 2014 by Kleene

[maelia8]

I would send letters to individual teachers who played a special role in your academic development (it would seem a bit rude to me to just send them a mass email or letter), but also a group letter to the office/administration with the instruction to post it in a public place where all the staff can read it if they wish. Either address it to the teachers' lounge or to the administrative office - the school secretary should know where to post it so that everybody can see it.

[Kleene]

I would send letters to individual teachers who played a special role in your academic development (it would seem a bit rude to me to just send them a mass email or letter), but also a group letter to the office/administration with the instruction to post it in a public place where all the staff can read it if they wish. Either address it to the teachers' lounge or to the administrative office - the school secretary should know where to post it so that everybody can see it.

The point is that it is not just individual teachers. Okay, it's 4 teachers that did the most for me. It's all my other teachers that also supported me (like, 20 in total?). It's all teachers in the school for doing a bloody good job in guiding and supporting weirdo's like myself. My thanks do not only go to the teachers that helped me in particular, but to all teachers (including some new ones I may not even know) that make this school as awesome as it is.

 

May be I should send the 4 teachers a personalized letter and have one posted in the teacher's lounge.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Kleene

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Do you know that they'll really care? They probably have thousands of students every few years. Were you really as big a part in their lives and they were in yours? 

[Kleene]

Do you know that they'll really care? They probably have thousands of students every few years. Were you really as big a part in their lives and they were in yours? 

They were my teachers. I was their student. I had 15 teachers, they had a 150 students. That's it. Although my school was not too big (100 students per year) and the teachers and students were generally quite close. I was a bit of a guinea pig, since I was the first student they allowed to do the things I did. If I had been my own teacher, I would have wanted to know how that turned out, because in some way they took quite a risk. I have contacted some teachers, and some teachers have contacted me after graduation for one thing or the other. Last time I spoke a teacher was two months ago and he wanted me to keep him updated. Last year they posted something on the school website about an award I had won.

 

On top of this, I think any teacher would be happy to receive a sincere thanks from any student. Honestly, I am not worried about that. And even if they don't care, no harm is done.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Kleene

[GreenePony]

Do you know that they'll really care? They probably have thousands of students every few years. Were you really as big a part in their lives and they were in yours? 

It wouldn't matter if the teachers remember the OP or not. Knowing that they made a difference in a student's life is important and appreciated. Coming from a family of teachers, I've seen how many students they remember and how keeping in touch and running into students later on in life is enjoyed.

Kleene- an option could be to write a note to a teacher you have a closer relationship with and ask them to post the letter in the teacher's lounge so that everyone has an opportunity to read or a similar space if they don't have a lounge in the school. I think it's a thoughtful gesture.

[mandarin.orange]

Do you know that they'll really care? They probably have thousands of students every few years. Were you really as big a part in their lives and they were in yours? 

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a teacher who wouldn't appreciate this gesture, no matter how fuzzy their recollection of the student. I taught HS for 6 years (prob. 720 students total) before I threw in the towel w/ that as a viable career path. Whenever I hear I made an impact, however small or after-the-fact...well, that happens so rarely that it's HUGE.

[psych21]

I was also a high school teacher for 5 years. Dang, we do care.

[juilletmercredi]

I have been trying to find contact information for some of my HS teachers for months.  Not all of them are still at my old HS (in fact, about half have moved on, including most of the teachers I would thank).  I'm about to finish and I wanted to let them know and thank them for their role, but I tried to send an email to one a few months back and got no response.

I think addressing it to the Teachers of X High School is probably the way to go, and just sending it to the high school's main address with a request to post it in the teacher's lounge might work.

Also, yes, teachers have thousands of students every couple years, but it's largely a thankless job and I think teachers are touched when you give them thanks and recognize them for the grueling job they do.  I went back to my high school and visited about 5 years after I finished, and my old teachers remembered and hugged me and seemed genuinely happy to see me.  And I've gotten personalized cards from students as well as e-mail updates on their life after my classes and it's always touching to see that I made an impact on their life.

[Ciarrai300]

I would recommend you address it to the principal/head of school and the faculty. For Example:

 

Dear Mr./Mrs. Leader, faculty, and staff,

 

yada, yada, yada

 

Then send it initially to the principal who will then be able to disseminate it.

 

As a teacher, I can attest that these letters are extremely meaningful not only to the individual teachers, but to the staff as a whole.  All of those who work in schools work incredibly hard and care deeply about their students, often with little thanks and low pay. Letters like this remind them why they do what they do and cause them to swell with pride. 

 

Also, I'm sure you've done this, but make sure that the teachers/staff who helped you most are still at the school. If some have left you should write them individual notes and see if the school could help you get in contact with them.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Dear High School, 

 

Remember me? Everyone used to think I sucked. Well, I'm kinda awesome now, so, uhh, spread the word. 

 

Joe