May 24, 2022

We all know that the best teachers make every student feel seen and valued. But what if part of being great students at the end of this year meant making your teachers feel seen and valued, too? 

This idea feels especially powerful as schools face the Great Teacher Resignation; hard-earned thank-you’s from students can help teachers see their impact. I am not suggesting that a student-driven thank-you campaign become a strategic bribe to keep teachers teaching or a method for shaming teachers who are leaving—the #transitioningteachers swirl on LinkedIn might leap to that—but just as a simple acknowledgment of a difficult job well done. 

Here’s the other thing: asking students to thank and acknowledge the impact of their teachers wouldn’t just benefit teachers. The science of gratitude is real, and the act of thanking teachers can also help students process and punctuate yet another challenging year. 

It has the potential to be a win-win, but success here requires structure. Here are four tips for parents or advisors who want to structure a student-to-teacher thank-you campaign between now and the end of the year.

Choose an hour, a pen, some stationery, and a reward. 

This…