Inside: Spread kindness and appreciation for our teachers and school staff with these kindness thank you notes for educators.
When I taught third grade years ago I wanted to start the year off by building up their self-esteem and get them into the habits of giving and receiving compliments.
Each week during the free time, the students could write notes to anyone in the class, including me.
And then on Friday afternoon right before the school bell rang, I read through all the notecards and the person who was receiving them got to come up and get it and take it home.
Some of the notecards were anonymous and some were signed.
The notes those sweet 8 and 9 year olds wrote me and put in the box made my day and sent me off to the weekend in a great mood. In hindsight, I should have read them on Monday morning.
Those sweet notes I got all were special.
But my favorite one-and the only note I have kept 15 years later- was from my severely special needs student Ashley and it said, “Mrs. Black, I love your lipstick.”
And because I know how special even the simplest of notes can make a teacher feel, I encourage my kids to write thank you notes for their teachers.
Why appreciating teachers is so important
Teachers are the most underappreciated people in our communities. And I’m not just saying it because I was one for years.
Educators work harder and longer in a classroom of supplies they had to purchase out of their small paycheck.
So it’s crucial that if we don’t pay them enough or give them the right supplies to do the job, then the least we can do is thank them and thank them well.
So every May we celebrate our teachers.
Related: 22 Sweet and Meaningful Ways to Appreciate Educators
But we don’t have to wait for May to show them why we appreciate them.
We can encourage our kids to thank the staff at their school for the small, everyday things they help our kids with…
Finding the library book they love.
Helping them with a math assignment.
Bandaging up a cut from recess.
Helping solve a disagreement on the playground.
Finding a lost sweater left out on the yard.
And we could let the little things go, but instead, we can help our kids show their appreciation.
Related: Send in your Kids’ Teachers’ Favorite Drink with this Starbucks Drink Order Form
How to use these Thank you Notes for Educators:
1. Download and print out a sheet in your kids’ school colors.
You can choose from red, orange, green, blue, purple, silver/grey (download them below)
2. Cut the cards.
3. Have your students write a note to their teachers. They can thank them for something specific or write them a more general reason why they appreciate their teacher.
4. They can also write notes for their aides, school nurse, librarian, principal or custodian. These are the school staff employees who don’t get thanked often, or really ever.
5. Have your kids deliver the notes to their teacher or the employee as a just because or as a thank you for something special.
It’s a tiny note of appreciation that could mean the world to a school staff member…even if it’s just a compliment about their lipstick choice.
Because there’s no need to wait for May to start appreciating our educators.
Download the Thank You Notes for Educators here.
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