Expressing gratitude will make you happy. Don’t believe me? Check out this short video from Soul Pancake and their ‘Experiment in Gratitude.’ According to Greater Good, based at UC Berkeley, “Researchers studying gratitude have found that being thankful and expressing it to others is good for our health and happiness. Not only does it feel good, but it also helps us build trust and closer bonds with the people around us.”

If you are thinking of expressing gratitude and thanking a teacher this Teacher Appreciation Week, here is the best way to craft the perfect thank you.

The three-part thank you comprises three components that, when layered together, make for a detailed and sincere message that is much more powerful than a simple ‘thank you‘. Since discovering this method, my gratitude messages are now more sincere and have a greater impact on both the recipient and myself.

Part 1 – Describe what the recipient did that makes them deserving of thanks. You might start your thank you like this: “Dear (insert name), thank you for being such a wonderful teacher, and for taking the time to plan engaging lessons that include all students. Your patience with students is appreciated, and I know that I can come to you when I find concepts difficult to understand“.

Every teacher is different, has different strengths and prioritizes different aspects of their craft. Our hope is that every student in the building can make a connection with at least one adult. The fact that you have made a connection with a particular teacher is a good thing.

Part 2 – Acknowledge the effort that the recipient has made. They didn’t have to do the thing, but they did, and that’s why you are grateful. You might continue your thank you like: “I know that our class can be a little lively, and that teaching our class at the end of the day might be tough. I also know that you have a family at home and that you would probably prefer to drive home and be with them than spend time after class to help those students needing clarification. I haven’t always had teachers willing to go the extra mile, so I appreciate all that you do“.

Teachers wear many hats, students do too. While we hope that every lesson is engaging, every joke is well received, and every student feels welcome in teaching space, we know that this isn’t always the case. Acknowledging the efforts that a teacher has made can be very powerful.

Part 3 – Describe the personal impact that the recipient has made on you. There’s a reason why you singled out this teacher as someone who you appreciate. Tell them why. You might finish your thank you like this: “I never really enjoyed your subject before this year, but as a result of being in your class, and the support that you have given me and my peers, my motivation is better, my grades have improved, and I actually look forward to coming to class. I have already decided to continue with this subject again next year as I think it might be something that I’d like to stick with after high school“.

Many teachers play the long game. They know that the results of their (and your) efforts aren’t always immediate. If a teacher knows that they have had a positive impact on you, it will motivate them to continue striving to becoming the best teacher possible.

For the longest time, I have collected thank you notes that I have received and kept them in a box. If I need a motivation boost, I know that they are there for me to read. I do the same with gratitude emails, saving them all in the same folder.

Simple thank yous are nice, but receiving a thoughtfully crafted, three-part thank you is extra special. Writing a thank you and thinking positive thoughts about a teacher floods your brain with those feel-good chemicals, and they do the same to the recipient. If you are a student, please consider writing a thank you message for Teacher Appreciation Week. If you are a teacher, perhaps you would consider sending a positive message to a student.

More #PraisePostcards being sent to students this weekend.
Remote teaching means that we have to be more intentional with our relationship building.
Next week…..postcards for co-workers! pic.twitter.com/wBJCEa0OGO

— Andrew Milne (@carmelhealth) November 7, 2020

This microblog post was a featured post in #slowchathealth’s #microblogmonth event. You can search for all of the featured posts here. Please do follow each of the outstanding contributors on social media (including Andy Milne, the author of this post) and consider writing a microblog post of your own to be shared with the global audience of slowchathealth.com

Pair this post with the following:

The Happiness Boomerang by Dale Sidebottom

Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 by Andy Milne

Positive Phone Calls Home by Mike Chamberlain

What Is The Most Fun Thing You’ve Ever Done? by Mark Housel

Do Thank-You Notes Still Matter? from the New York Times

Have you read the latest Book of the Month recommendation?