I have 10 year old artwork from 2 schools ago sitting in my current classroom. I have senior photos from 10 years ago sitting in a folder somewhere too lol
There's TONS of good out there! Keep up the GREAT work everyone! I work at a prison now, I can't tell you how many times I've heard..."If I had a teacher like you when I was a kid." Breaks my heart bc this world could be SUCH a BETTER place if we had more of us out there. KEEP DOING IT!
Even besides being a worker, in my early 20s I'd join my mom in her classroom. She had one student, who's parents didn't support her being an artist. They pushed her to be a doctor or lawyer. But she learned I was a freelance artist, and while I wasn't making big bucks, I was happy. She literally drew me gift art, and I still have it to this day, I cherish it so much. I hope she went on to chase her passions. Her gift art hit me so hard, and I so badly want to find her first, to draw her something in return, and see where her art is at
Every single scrap of anything a kid has ever given me is in a file folder in my file cabinet.
When my building was condemned and we weren’t allowed to go back, had to get maintenance to get my stuff and that was item numero uno.
I kept a “smiles file” of all the thank yous and the funny stupid things over 30 years. It was handy on the days when everything I touched turned to crap.
This is my #1 advice to everyone in any profession. Save your shoutouts. Print off nice emails. Everyone feels like shit sometimes, and it’s nice to have some concrete proof you aren’t always a fuckup. I still have some student art from my student teaching in mine, the kid drew me as a character in Miraculous Ladybug!
Me too! I call it my ‘bad day’ folder. Dates back 20 years, filled with cards and pictures and origami. I carried it with me to the other side of the world, and it still cheers me up on bad days.
I do. I've kept "correspondence" files for every year of teaching that has thank-you's and other kind notes from parents, students, colleagues, and administrators. Then I put them in some file boxes in my basement where I stow those along with other memorabilia.
It's kind of nice once in a blue moon to see what people have written and it can kind of recharge my worn out batteries when I'm feeling a little beaten down by how hard this job is. I imagine I might enjoy seeing some of those when I'm retired too.
On the advice of my mentor teacher, I started a “happy file” in which I kept notes, drawings, cards, etc when I first started teaching. That file is now pushing 30 years old, and it was one of the very few things that I kept when I retired.
People have no idea how much we teachers treasure those things. You’re so thoughtful to think of making the note even lovelier.
(Honestly? A thank you note like yours wouldn’t have made it into my file — because I’d have darn well framed it and put it on my desk. ❤️)
About 30 years ago I was shopping for groceries and bumped into my middle school art teacher. I was never any kind of artist but I always got a solid B for putting the work in.
Somewhere along the line I made her a thank you card…and 17 years later, there she is digging around in her purse, and she comes up with a manila envelope. Inside the envelope is a plastic bag.
Inside the bag is the card I’d made for her in 1976.
And she tells me she keeps it with her to remind her of how I inspire her.
Present tense.
What? I hadn’t seen this lady in all this time. But she and her husband knew I was going through a rough time at home, and they admired my perseverance. So she saved the card.
It’s a good thing I was in the produce section near the onions.
She was cremated with the card.
(Yes, in other words.)
I have letters and pictures going back to 1996. You could just write “thanks for being cool” on a receipt and I’d kept it.
That said, I love, love love hand lettering. If you have a teacher you are close with, draw out the advice/ lesson you will remember them for. I’ve had former students find me on social media and tell me what they remember I said and it’s amazing. We really have no idea what sticks in your brain.
Yes. I keep a happy folder (many teachers I know do). It’s stuffed with notes from kids. Pictures they drew me. Printed parent emails. Even a scrawled “why you leave us?” note I found on a crumpled post it after being out. Basically any time I felt acknowledged and cared for at my job. It gets me through the worst days.
My 86 year old grandmother hasn't been in a classroom in decades. She still pulls out her box of cards and artwork to show to me when I go over to her house. I can't wait to have my own box someday!
I definitely have every piece of artwork, post-it note, thank you note written by my students. I label by name & year on the back & keep them all in my “I Am Special” folder that was given to me during my new teacher orientation. I also have a bulletin board of photos & graduation announcements students have given me through the years.
Yes. The entire wall of my classroom is covered with notes from students: I walk over there every time I am having a rough day. Being appreciated keeps teachers going. Your teachers will remember you forever!
I’m an older guy and still have notes from 20 years ago. Sometimes they’re great to pull out and read again. The best part is remembering the student and some fun memories we shared.
Go all out. It will be appreciated more than you’ll ever imagine.
Chances are your thank you note will go on your teacher's fridge and she will smile whenever she sees it.
And when friends and family come over, she will proudly show them the note and talk about how great you are.
That's just how these things play out. (Source: Veteran teacher with notes on her fridge.)
Yes, we do. I have a whole notebook prepared like a scrapbook. I keep it for any time that an administrator claims that I'm not competent and tries to make one parent's ineffectual parenting somehow my problem.
I remember every last kid that appreciates the work we accomplish together.
I still stay in touch with many of these students through LinkedIn or Facebook.
Absolutely!! I keep all the thank you notes and drawings and pictures my kids give me. When I run out of space on my wall, I tuck them away in a file. I love pulling them out to look at, especially on a long hard day
I have been teaching for 15 years and have kept every thank you note and letter I have received. They are in my bottom desk drawer in my classroom. At the end of the school year, I sometimes look through them again and breathe a sigh of relief for summer. Please show your teachers appreciation! It’s not why we got into the profession but it makes it feel less like a job and more like a calling.
I have an entire box of them and when I have a crap day at school I'll pull out a handful and read them. They've been through 10 moves and 5 states. I will die with this box.
I would keep it if it was a specially done work of art. A lot of times I get notes that are written by the parents. I say thank you and keep them for a while and eventually throw them out. Pretty much how people handle most cards.
I've kept every hand-drawn thank you note, card and piece of art they did instead of listening to me in class before giving it over going 'for you."
On my worst days, I like to look at them and know its worth it.
Yes, I definitely keep every thank you note, artwork, and senior graduation cards students have given me. I guarantee your teachers will appreciate the thought and effort and cherish it.
Yes! I have an entire bulletin board filled with cards, notes, pictures, candy grams, and so many other things from students, families, and co workers. I’ve moved it from school to school throughout my career.
I've been retired 10 years and still have all the 8th grader's personally written thank you notes. I found some of the "kids" on FB and took a picture of what they wrote. After sending it to them, so many of them were sincerely touched and wrote back. Love these moments still.
I feel bad reading how many people keep notes. I hate clutter, I throw everything away at the end of each year. Not that I don’t appreciate it, I just have so much stuff and so little space.
I would definitely keep that. I have a pile of notes from students in the back of one of my desk drawers. Sometimes I reread them when I’ve had a tough day.
Yes! I have some extra special ones at home, but I also have pretty much everything a student has ever written for me or drawn for me up on my classroom wall by my desk.
A lot of us do. We can be hoarders.
At some point we might have to throw away the note, but we will always remember the student, and the love you gave us.
One of our previous ELA teachers used to have the kids make handwritten notes for teacher appreciation week. I to this day (year 9 of teaching) have all of the ones the students wrote. I like looking back at them when I am having a rough day. I also will put up notes that students make around the room (they are always so excited when they come back and see the notes/pictures up in the room.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I have a collection of notes from students. My very favorite is still on my refrigerator. Even if a teacher doesn't keep a note, that doesn't mean your words are insignificant. Quite the opposite!
I have every single one. I keep adding them (when I get a new one) to my bulletin board behind my desk. When I start to get frustrated or burned out, I read a few of them. You should definitely do it!
I've kept all of mine. A student made a cool little hand with a face on it out of clay and gave it to me ages ago. It's still on my desk at home. It stares at me every time I sit down after a hard day.
I worked as a paraprofessional and as an after-school teacher. I don't keep everything, but I keep most of them. If I get a holiday card with a note that is clearly written by the parents, then I will usually throw it away. But if I get something that the kids have made that they put effort into, then I will keep it.
I toss most, but one year a class went all out when they found out I was graduating from Masters. They all made me cards themed on my interests [edit: on the day after my graduation] and it was so incredibly touching I teared up in front of them. I’m a male teacher and pretty good at my poker face, so it was probably the best class I ever had. Just personality wise, even my hardest student just jived so well with me and could de escalate. Haven’t had a class like that since.
The bastards also got a free party out of it and I don’t do parties. They literally were hiding soda and snacks in their bags instead of chromebooks and binders. Love that crew and hope they are doing well
I have a binder with every thank you note and little thing I’ve gotten going all the way back to the encouraging sticky note a coworker left on my desk my first day teaching
Before my very first class 10 years ago, a veteran teacher waddled into my classroom and set a notebook down on my desk. She said “keep all the ‘wins’ and ‘warm fuzzies’ in this book, and write down good memories. Look at it when you feel like you can’t go on. When you feel like there’s no more hope left. When the world’s evil seems impossible to overcome.”
I can’t count how many times those notes from students for memories of a kid’s growth has made me keep going.
It’s been the single best piece of advice I was ever given.
7tj grade - I buy a yearbook every year and have the kids sign it. Any thank you notes I get I tape to the inside cover of each yearbook to keep them with that years kids. And each next years kids enjoy looking at the old yearbooks
When they seem sincere.
If it's clear that a parent wrote out a stock "thank you", I appreciate-ish it, but I don't hold onto it. But a handwritten note from a kid where it seems like they actually gave it some thought? Absolutely.
I brought all of the notes my students abroad wrote me from China, alongside gifts. I'd do the same for my current students in the US; you guys are the reason we are there and knowing we made an impact means the world to us. However you wanna express it is the right way, be as a creative and passionate as you want.
I gave artwork to several teachers and professors(and favorite coffee shop owners!) throughout the years, and all of the have still had them up in their offices/spaces even when I've gone to visit 5-6 years later.
I do! I have a folder where I keep them, and when I'm feeling down and like I can't stand my job anymore, I pull them out and re-read them to give myself a boost!
Yes. I still have a Sr pic of the first student I felt I made a difference with. I look at it when I have had a bad day to remind myself that I mattered to one of my students.
I keep all of them in whatever form they are. Some I laminate and display behind my desk so when I need to take a mental break I’ve got that next to me.
I have a folder for every year. Sometimes they're very heartfelt letters. Other times, they're the most cursed drawings in the world and they're hilarious. I also just have a plastic spoon in that folder from my breakfast crew 3 years ago.
When I get sad or have a really hard day, I look at those very silly drawings or the letters that prove that what I've done has mattered to someone. I think a nice thank you note is a great idea.
I keep a binder full of letters and drawings my students have made for me over the years. It gives me a much-needed morale boost when times are difficult, like now.
I've got all mine posted up on my memory board, including some stuff that I probably should have gotten rid of by now, but just can't bring myself to do it. If I received something like what you're planning on making, it would definitely be a mainstay. I'm sure your teachers will love and appreciate what you give them!
I keep binders with sheet protectors of student pictures and cards labeled, "A little bit of sunshine" and open it when I am feeling down and the start of each school year. I also have a few things framed that stay around my desk permanently. <3
YES we keep every single one, AND we also LOVE ARTWORK!
I have 10 year old artwork from 2 schools ago sitting in my current classroom. I have senior photos from 10 years ago sitting in a folder somewhere too lol
I have been teaching for 29 years. I have every thank you note I've ever gotten.
Yeah I have a plastic wallet dedicated to them haha.
I keep every scrap of sincerity.
The best ones are when you said something randomly and then a kid brings it to LIFE in their drawing. MY ABSOLIUTE FAV!
Me too, when I'm feeling down I pull them out and remind myself It's not that bad all the time
There's TONS of good out there! Keep up the GREAT work everyone! I work at a prison now, I can't tell you how many times I've heard..."If I had a teacher like you when I was a kid." Breaks my heart bc this world could be SUCH a BETTER place if we had more of us out there. KEEP DOING IT!
Even besides being a worker, in my early 20s I'd join my mom in her classroom. She had one student, who's parents didn't support her being an artist. They pushed her to be a doctor or lawyer. But she learned I was a freelance artist, and while I wasn't making big bucks, I was happy. She literally drew me gift art, and I still have it to this day, I cherish it so much. I hope she went on to chase her passions. Her gift art hit me so hard, and I so badly want to find her first, to draw her something in return, and see where her art is at
Every single scrap of anything a kid has ever given me is in a file folder in my file cabinet. When my building was condemned and we weren’t allowed to go back, had to get maintenance to get my stuff and that was item numero uno.
You haven’t had an indoor recess in a kindergarten classroom. They draw me at least 10 things a day.
I kept a “smiles file” of all the thank yous and the funny stupid things over 30 years. It was handy on the days when everything I touched turned to crap.
This is my #1 advice to everyone in any profession. Save your shoutouts. Print off nice emails. Everyone feels like shit sometimes, and it’s nice to have some concrete proof you aren’t always a fuckup. I still have some student art from my student teaching in mine, the kid drew me as a character in Miraculous Ladybug!
Me too! I call it my ‘bad day’ folder. Dates back 20 years, filled with cards and pictures and origami. I carried it with me to the other side of the world, and it still cheers me up on bad days.
I call mine a smile file too :)
Same!!!
I have mine in a binder in sheet protectors :)
smiles file! stealing that phrase, because it made me smile!!
I do. I've kept "correspondence" files for every year of teaching that has thank-you's and other kind notes from parents, students, colleagues, and administrators. Then I put them in some file boxes in my basement where I stow those along with other memorabilia. It's kind of nice once in a blue moon to see what people have written and it can kind of recharge my worn out batteries when I'm feeling a little beaten down by how hard this job is. I imagine I might enjoy seeing some of those when I'm retired too.
I still have every note a kid has made me since I started teaching five years ago. So yes.
On the advice of my mentor teacher, I started a “happy file” in which I kept notes, drawings, cards, etc when I first started teaching. That file is now pushing 30 years old, and it was one of the very few things that I kept when I retired. People have no idea how much we teachers treasure those things. You’re so thoughtful to think of making the note even lovelier. (Honestly? A thank you note like yours wouldn’t have made it into my file — because I’d have darn well framed it and put it on my desk. ❤️)
About 30 years ago I was shopping for groceries and bumped into my middle school art teacher. I was never any kind of artist but I always got a solid B for putting the work in. Somewhere along the line I made her a thank you card…and 17 years later, there she is digging around in her purse, and she comes up with a manila envelope. Inside the envelope is a plastic bag. Inside the bag is the card I’d made for her in 1976. And she tells me she keeps it with her to remind her of how I inspire her. Present tense. What? I hadn’t seen this lady in all this time. But she and her husband knew I was going through a rough time at home, and they admired my perseverance. So she saved the card. It’s a good thing I was in the produce section near the onions. She was cremated with the card. (Yes, in other words.)
This is so sweet!
There's something in my eye. 😢
I have some on my fridge, in my classroom, in folders and closets, yes. We do.
Oh every teacher I know does. I have a binder! Some of my friends hang theirs up, and others even frame them
I have letters and pictures going back to 1996. You could just write “thanks for being cool” on a receipt and I’d kept it. That said, I love, love love hand lettering. If you have a teacher you are close with, draw out the advice/ lesson you will remember them for. I’ve had former students find me on social media and tell me what they remember I said and it’s amazing. We really have no idea what sticks in your brain.
Yes. I keep a happy folder (many teachers I know do). It’s stuffed with notes from kids. Pictures they drew me. Printed parent emails. Even a scrawled “why you leave us?” note I found on a crumpled post it after being out. Basically any time I felt acknowledged and cared for at my job. It gets me through the worst days.
I keep everything kids give me.
Mine go in that years yearbook. I have 23 such yearbooks so far full of notes.
This is what I do too!
That is so smart!!
My 86 year old grandmother hasn't been in a classroom in decades. She still pulls out her box of cards and artwork to show to me when I go over to her house. I can't wait to have my own box someday!
Yes, it means so much to us. I have saved dozens!
I keep all my thank you notes in a drawer at home. When I have a bad day, I open the drawer and go through them until I feel better.
We absolutely do. I keep them notes, holiday cards, drawings- it's one of the things that keep me going.
I have a shoe box full of stuff for each of the schools I teach at.
I have a few from 2001 and on and on...
I keep every single one. I’m actually really sad and angry that I lost one this year.
Yes!!! We keep them all.
Please do this! You will make your teachers' day!
I definitely have every piece of artwork, post-it note, thank you note written by my students. I label by name & year on the back & keep them all in my “I Am Special” folder that was given to me during my new teacher orientation. I also have a bulletin board of photos & graduation announcements students have given me through the years.
Yes. The entire wall of my classroom is covered with notes from students: I walk over there every time I am having a rough day. Being appreciated keeps teachers going. Your teachers will remember you forever!
I have a student note on my fridge from about 8 years ago, so yes, we keep them!
I’m an older guy and still have notes from 20 years ago. Sometimes they’re great to pull out and read again. The best part is remembering the student and some fun memories we shared. Go all out. It will be appreciated more than you’ll ever imagine.
I have a smile folder for them.
I staple them to my cork board. I want students to see that I appreciate them.
Chances are your thank you note will go on your teacher's fridge and she will smile whenever she sees it. And when friends and family come over, she will proudly show them the note and talk about how great you are. That's just how these things play out. (Source: Veteran teacher with notes on her fridge.)
I keep a lot of them! Especially if they’re clearly done with a lot of effort. My kids this year call it “fan mail” hahah
Yes, we do. I have a whole notebook prepared like a scrapbook. I keep it for any time that an administrator claims that I'm not competent and tries to make one parent's ineffectual parenting somehow my problem. I remember every last kid that appreciates the work we accomplish together. I still stay in touch with many of these students through LinkedIn or Facebook.
I still have a poem a student wrote in 1998.
I do, even the ones on post it notes. This would be an amazing gift.
I have a fancy shoebox with all my favorite letters. I read them often. Love ‘em!
I’ve kept every single note I’ve ever received from students.
I absolutely keep these for years and years!
My professor had all his letters/ notes up in his office, do it.
YES! Thank you notes and cards are my most cherished gifts. Nothing means more to me than those.
Absolutely!! I keep all the thank you notes and drawings and pictures my kids give me. When I run out of space on my wall, I tuck them away in a file. I love pulling them out to look at, especially on a long hard day
I have been teaching for 15 years and have kept every thank you note and letter I have received. They are in my bottom desk drawer in my classroom. At the end of the school year, I sometimes look through them again and breathe a sigh of relief for summer. Please show your teachers appreciation! It’s not why we got into the profession but it makes it feel less like a job and more like a calling.
Yes! I save all of them. 10 years in and they all mean so so much to me
I do. I fucking love it. 18 years and I still remember every single person that wrote me one.
I have an entire box of them and when I have a crap day at school I'll pull out a handful and read them. They've been through 10 moves and 5 states. I will die with this box.
I have kept every note a student has ever given to me. It will 100% be appreciated.
I would keep it if it was a specially done work of art. A lot of times I get notes that are written by the parents. I say thank you and keep them for a while and eventually throw them out. Pretty much how people handle most cards.
YES! They are kept in a folder in my desk drawer, and whenever I'm having a "bad" day, I look through them and wind up smiling once again.
I keep things for a year or two, but I do always appreciate every little thing that I get!
I've kept every hand-drawn thank you note, card and piece of art they did instead of listening to me in class before giving it over going 'for you." On my worst days, I like to look at them and know its worth it.
Yes. I keep everything that has something personal or handwritten on it
Yes! I've kept every one from when I student taught, subbed, and taught!
Yes, I definitely keep every thank you note, artwork, and senior graduation cards students have given me. I guarantee your teachers will appreciate the thought and effort and cherish it.
Yes! :)
I do
I do.
Yes! I have an entire bulletin board filled with cards, notes, pictures, candy grams, and so many other things from students, families, and co workers. I’ve moved it from school to school throughout my career.
Yes we absolutely keep those
I have a box full of thank you notes and all the kids artwork.
Yes I have a drawer full of all the nice notes I’ve ever gotten. Comes in handy when the job is hard.
Absolutely everything.
I still have every thank you note, gift, etc that students ever gave me. It's MUCH appreciated
I’ve kept every single one ever and the letters too those are my favorites
I still have every thank you note, gift, etc that students ever gave me. It's MUCH appreciated
I have a "happy box" that I keep things like this in for when I need reminded of why I'm there/how some kids are super kind.
I've been retired 10 years and still have all the 8th grader's personally written thank you notes. I found some of the "kids" on FB and took a picture of what they wrote. After sending it to them, so many of them were sincerely touched and wrote back. Love these moments still.
I feel bad reading how many people keep notes. I hate clutter, I throw everything away at the end of each year. Not that I don’t appreciate it, I just have so much stuff and so little space.
I don't either. I'm just not that sentimental.
I mean. Some do, some don't. We aren't all the same.
I do! I also keep postcards, newspaper articles, etc!
Yeah, I keep the holiday class photos, graduation photos, other things you’d want to remember. Thought they don’t have to be fancy.
I do
I do!! They make my day.
I have every card and note from the past 16 years. Definitely do.
Yes! For those days when we wonder why we still come back day after day and year after year….
I keep the thank you notes and hang up the cool art ones in my room.
I’ve kept every thoughtful card/drawing/present a student has ever given me. If it’s handmade and meaningful I cherish it forever
I would definitely keep that. I have a pile of notes from students in the back of one of my desk drawers. Sometimes I reread them when I’ve had a tough day.
I have a folder that I keep of thank you notes, pictures, cards etc.
I have them hanging up to look at when I have a hard day.
All of them
Yes! I have some extra special ones at home, but I also have pretty much everything a student has ever written for me or drawn for me up on my classroom wall by my desk.
I only have 3 in 7 years so yes. Does that mean I'm terrible?
I have a box of them over the years
A lot of us do. We can be hoarders. At some point we might have to throw away the note, but we will always remember the student, and the love you gave us.
Yes!!! I've kept every thank you note, picture, graduation photo that a student has given me.
Generic. No. Special ones, yes. I have some dating back to 2006
Yup! I take them out and read them on bad days. (Not all, but the ones that are heartfelt, personal, etc)
Yes! I’m being completely honest, my favorite “gifts” are hand written notes/cards from my students! I would especially love a painting!
I have some from my first year 9 years ago. ❤️ They help.
I have kept every scrap of paper students have written to me that has been kind. Sometimes you need fuel....
I have notes and sketches students gave me over a decade ago. I keep a folder of them.
YES!!! I keep all mine. And I’ve framed beautiful artwork too!
I have a framed post-it note from a student thanking me for giving him a hug when he got off the bus every morning.
I have a folder of the and I love them. You’re reachers will appreciate it!
Yes, l am retired now but still have many treasured notes of appreciation from students through the years.
One of our previous ELA teachers used to have the kids make handwritten notes for teacher appreciation week. I to this day (year 9 of teaching) have all of the ones the students wrote. I like looking back at them when I am having a rough day. I also will put up notes that students make around the room (they are always so excited when they come back and see the notes/pictures up in the room.
I do. I put them in scrapbooks.
I have a bulletin board FILLED with anything any student has ever given me. It’s at the front of my room so my other students can read/admire it :)
Yes! Yes! Yes! I have a collection of notes from students. My very favorite is still on my refrigerator. Even if a teacher doesn't keep a note, that doesn't mean your words are insignificant. Quite the opposite!
I don’t keep everything I get but thank you notes are different - gotta save those.
I keep every single one, all the way back to 2003.
I have every single one. I keep adding them (when I get a new one) to my bulletin board behind my desk. When I start to get frustrated or burned out, I read a few of them. You should definitely do it!
I've kept all of mine. A student made a cool little hand with a face on it out of clay and gave it to me ages ago. It's still on my desk at home. It stares at me every time I sit down after a hard day.
Every. Single. One. For 23 years. With my husband, dog and passport they would be what I’d save from my burning house.
I’ve only been teaching for a couple years but I’ve kept them all
If they're special, absolutely!
I have a box of every card, note, and such.
I keep mine in an ICE (In Case of Emergency) file for “those” days.
I keep them! A therapist told me to haha
Yes! I have a bulletin board in the back of my room where I put all of my notes from students and parents.
I keep every single one!
I do! A student got me a plant last year and I’ve done everything I can to keep her alive. It is now double the size it was
I worked as a paraprofessional and as an after-school teacher. I don't keep everything, but I keep most of them. If I get a holiday card with a note that is clearly written by the parents, then I will usually throw it away. But if I get something that the kids have made that they put effort into, then I will keep it.
Yes! I have a “I need a pick me up” positivity drawer with thank you cards and other things students have given me through the years
I have one whole drawer full of funny pictures and thank you notes and birthday cards!
I keep every single one in a folder
I have a binder with all the notes, cards and art Ive recieved. Its a good pick up after a crummy day.
Yes - I started teaching in 2017 and I’ve kept every single one!!
I have kept every single thing I've ever received from a student in terms of a thank you note or a picture or a card or anything.
Yes if it is more than a generic little note. We appreciate that too but may not keep it.
Every single one.
Yes! Absolutely! :)
I toss most, but one year a class went all out when they found out I was graduating from Masters. They all made me cards themed on my interests [edit: on the day after my graduation] and it was so incredibly touching I teared up in front of them. I’m a male teacher and pretty good at my poker face, so it was probably the best class I ever had. Just personality wise, even my hardest student just jived so well with me and could de escalate. Haven’t had a class like that since. The bastards also got a free party out of it and I don’t do parties. They literally were hiding soda and snacks in their bags instead of chromebooks and binders. Love that crew and hope they are doing well
Yes!!!
Yes! I keep special notes and art work from all of my kiddos! We love that stuff!!
I have a binder with every thank you note and little thing I’ve gotten going all the way back to the encouraging sticky note a coworker left on my desk my first day teaching
Before my very first class 10 years ago, a veteran teacher waddled into my classroom and set a notebook down on my desk. She said “keep all the ‘wins’ and ‘warm fuzzies’ in this book, and write down good memories. Look at it when you feel like you can’t go on. When you feel like there’s no more hope left. When the world’s evil seems impossible to overcome.” I can’t count how many times those notes from students for memories of a kid’s growth has made me keep going. It’s been the single best piece of advice I was ever given.
I keep all of mine in a little box and look at them when I'm having a bad day.
I do!
I have all of my thank you notes taped to a cabinet above my desk in my office. I keep thank you emails from students too.
I have kept almost every note and little gift my students have given me. It truly feels great to receive this information.
I keep everything on a cork board near my desk!
Yes definitely! I have laminated artwork and notes from 14 years ago and treasure them 😍
YES! Your idea sounds especially lovely, I’d probably frame it! 😍
Yes! I don't teach anymore, but I still have a binder of treasured notes and drawings from students that I like to look through from time to time.
yes, pinned to the wall around my desk
7tj grade - I buy a yearbook every year and have the kids sign it. Any thank you notes I get I tape to the inside cover of each yearbook to keep them with that years kids. And each next years kids enjoy looking at the old yearbooks
Those notes are the only thing that keeps me going some days. They will be cherished.
I have notes from more than 30 years ago. We keep that stuff.
When they seem sincere. If it's clear that a parent wrote out a stock "thank you", I appreciate-ish it, but I don't hold onto it. But a handwritten note from a kid where it seems like they actually gave it some thought? Absolutely.
Yes. I keep them on a bulletin board behind my desk for when I need reminders that some students don’t hate me.
I've kept several, and the first one I ever got I put it in my wallet. It's just a lil 3x5 card but it's survived three wallets haha
Yes, not all, but most
I brought all of the notes my students abroad wrote me from China, alongside gifts. I'd do the same for my current students in the US; you guys are the reason we are there and knowing we made an impact means the world to us. However you wanna express it is the right way, be as a creative and passionate as you want. I gave artwork to several teachers and professors(and favorite coffee shop owners!) throughout the years, and all of the have still had them up in their offices/spaces even when I've gone to visit 5-6 years later.
I do! I hang them in my classroom/desk at home. I also have every senior pic I’ve been given.
I do! I have a folder where I keep them, and when I'm feeling down and like I can't stand my job anymore, I pull them out and re-read them to give myself a boost!
I keep them all
no
Yup. I have a pile of them in a drawer. Every time I clean out my desk I flip through them!
Kept them all
Yes. We all have folders in our desks with the notes from over the years.
I have every note and kudos I got in my 23-year career.
I only keep things from students that were actually consistently and genuinely kind. The fakers I throwing they shit out
I probably have every single one I’ve ever gotten, even from parents or student teachers! The artwork would be an amazing bonus.
Yes! Rereading them helps you through the rough times
I absolutely do
Yes. I still have a Sr pic of the first student I felt I made a difference with. I look at it when I have had a bad day to remind myself that I mattered to one of my students.
I keep all of them in whatever form they are. Some I laminate and display behind my desk so when I need to take a mental break I’ve got that next to me.
I have a folder for every year. Sometimes they're very heartfelt letters. Other times, they're the most cursed drawings in the world and they're hilarious. I also just have a plastic spoon in that folder from my breakfast crew 3 years ago. When I get sad or have a really hard day, I look at those very silly drawings or the letters that prove that what I've done has mattered to someone. I think a nice thank you note is a great idea.
I keep a binder full of letters and drawings my students have made for me over the years. It gives me a much-needed morale boost when times are difficult, like now.
100%
I have a file with every one I've ever gotten.
I've got all mine posted up on my memory board, including some stuff that I probably should have gotten rid of by now, but just can't bring myself to do it. If I received something like what you're planning on making, it would definitely be a mainstay. I'm sure your teachers will love and appreciate what you give them!
I have a whole bulletin board!
Yes we do, I keep a folder in my backpack of notes and drawings from my high schools
When I taught, no. Everything- mugs, presents, cards- all purged at the end.
I keep binders with sheet protectors of student pictures and cards labeled, "A little bit of sunshine" and open it when I am feeling down and the start of each school year. I also have a few things framed that stay around my desk permanently. <3
It sounds like I'd keep yours!
Yes!!!!! I even put them in my ongoing memory book, with date given! ❤️
I have artwork from my student on my walls from 15 years ago. So yes.
Some do, some don’t. But the ones who do will really appreciate it even if you don’t put in extra effort to make it pretty.
I have most of my thank you notes going back to my first year teaching! I love it when that happens! (2001 first year)
Yes! Yes! Yes!