So your kids prep school teachers have not only provided academic instruction, but they have stood in your place, as parents, served as mentors, been there in the evenings and on weekends. What do you do to say “thank you” at the end of it all? Do you give a gift? What kind? To which teachers? What about dorm advisors? school advisors? class advisors? college advisors? class dean? mail room staff? and so on.
Our kid did the thank yous which included notes.
They were primarily folks he’d had closer relationships with. For a handful, he selected a consumable gift he knew they’d like (restaurant, museum membership, etc.)
Where there were folks whom we (parents) felt had gone way above and beyond, we let the HOS know through an email (with the teachers on copy.) Parents are quick to escalate complaints, so we hoped to counterbalance that a bit.
@gardenstategal we did the exact same thing…there were three standouts, and we not only gave them a small Texas token with a thank you note from DS, but I sent an email to the HOS about their amazing impact on my son!
DD wrote thank you notes to each but I cant help but wonder how deeply personal they would have been, given end of a senior year brain mush. We ended up assembling summer fun packs-soft coolers w sunscreen, bestselling (like a Grisham) novel, s’mores fixins, beach towels, puzzle book or travel magazine, water bottle, just to say “You have worked so hard, now enjoy your time off”. It didnt feel adequate but giving money doesn’t either. It just seemed to me like SOMEthing was in order. I will make sure to send letters of commendation to the HOS for their files. Thanks for the suggestion.
@dowzerw I love that idea! I did something similar once for local teachers but had forgotten…I bet the teachers loved that! I hope I can remember and have time to pull that off next year!
Parents, please don’t overlook thank yous for the dorm parents… those faculty members take the challenge of “in loco parentis” seriously and you will never know how much time and energy they have spent supervising, guiding, and in some cases rescuing your kids! A heartfelt note of thanks for their work would mean a lot to them… they really care about your kids!
@cameo43 our dorm parent was amazing!!! We did our best to send her thank yous throughout the year, especially since she had a newborn! She caught me on move out day and said the tokens were much appreciated!
We gave handwritten notes to the teachers that were important to us. We also gave the college counselor a 6 pack of good craft beer, since he did some serious heavy lifting to help get DH into the school he’s attending.
One of the invisible folks at many BS is the person who runs the mail room… They handle all that mail order shopping and returns, even when stuff is improperly addressed…
@gardenstategal You are very right. My D had a particularly close bond w her mailroom worker. I will make sure she remembered her.
Call me a nerd, we send books. We like to send letters to HOS or department chair for exceptional performance as well.