Some Worrying, "Thank Yous" from Students

I received 25 notes from students thanking me for being their teacher. Last week was "American Educator Week." As part of the festivities, students selected any teacher who had a positive impact on their life from any point in their K-12 experience and wrote a letter thanking them for their work. The school then mailed or distributed these letters to the teacher to whom they were addressed.

Some students said they really had no teacher who positively effected them and wrote letters expressing that unfortunate sentiment. Others had to work really hard to come up with a name. Sadly, one student's comment that I was "the only teacher who has impacted [her] in a positive way" was echoed in various ways in many of the 25 letters I received from a mix of this year's and last year's students.

Obviously, I am pleased that at least some of my students think I did something good for them, but I'm a little bummed that there weren't any phrases like, "I've had a lot of good teachers, but I wanted to thank you especially." Here is a sampling of the norm:

• "You showed that you cared . . . I don't think any other teacher would have done that."
• "Your teaching skills, in my book, are the very best that any teacher has offered me."
• "I never thought I would like an English class until I came here."
• "All my English teachers have been messed up but you." (This from the writer of the "Spangmanglish" post letter)
• "Honestly, you're the only teacher that [sic] listened to me. When I talk to you, it helps, even over the little things."
• "I just wanted to say thank you for making 4th period the only thing to look forward to."
• "When I was given the assignment to write a letter to a teacher I appreciated, the only person I could think of was you."

On the positive side, I also got back some validation that high expectations pay off:

• "Although the work you gave us was overwhelming, I appreciate that you did it. I honestly believe my writing skill have gotten better since I passed your class."
• "You inspired me to like English and to do my best. You taught me the skills I needed to succeed in my writing."
• "Thank you for teaching me how to look deeper into all sorts of writing and how to order my thoughts."
• "Thank you for teaching me new things and for being so strict about turning things in."
• "You helped me realize that high school isn't a joke."

Lastly, I am posting an unsolicited note I received from a student. This was not part of the AEW assignment, she told me she "just wanted to thank me." (click on the letter to enlarge it)

(A final note: I wrote individualized letters back to all the students who wrote me and thanked them for making my day a little brighter. Oh, and I didn't comment on their grammar, punctuation, or spelling.)