Many seniors have asked me, how do I say thank you to my teachers who have given so much to me, including letters of recommendation that got me into college? A bottle of wine? A box of candy? Some cookies and a handwritten note?
My answer is: none of the above.
I do know what your teachers want, so in that sense I have the perfect thank you gift. Respect. Requires no money, no gift wrapping, no baking, and you don’t even have to write a note. All you have to do is keep one little thing in mind: I am not the only person in the school, in my class, or in this room who matters. I may have been accepted to college and no longer care about getting an A or a B or even a C. Heck, all I want to do is pass and get out of here. OK, so that’s your situation. But some of your classmates do care, and they still want a good grade, they still want to get into college, and heck, some of them still want to learn. Your indifference leads to distracting behaviors in class, which prevents your classmates from learning and is disrespectful to them. But most importantly, it is disrespectful to the people every year, senior class after senior class, who never give up second semester: your teachers. Day in and day out they prepare lessons, strive to educate you, write letters on your behalf—and more letters when you don’t quite make the college of your choice. They bend over backward for you and they really care about you.
And all they want in return is your respect so they can teach. They don’t need you to feign interest, to praise them, or even to do all your homework, though that would be nice. They just want an atmosphere of tolerance and respect so they can do what they do best, and so that those who do want to benefit have the opportunity to do so.
In other words, the best way to show your respect is not to let your indifference, your lack of enthusiasm, your boredom show. It is really ok to have those feelings, but your teachers are working really hard under a different set of assumptions. Other unacceptable behaviors are more tolerable: don’t do all the homework, turn in mediocre work; however, don’t ruin the classroom experience for your friends or for your teachers. You have free periods, you have breaks, you have lunch, you have after school, and you have weekends to socialize and ignore school. For a few hours each day we simply ask that you continue to show respect for the ones who have partnered with you, every step of the way, on your road to learning and college. It has the double advantage of being respectful to your classmates who do want to continue learning. So keep it simple: no sleeping, no gossiping, no distracting behaviors. Just sit quietly, do what you are asked to do, and the time will pass.
Believe it or not, you did not invent senioritis or the senior slump. It happens every year to lots of kids. But it doesn’t happen to everyone and it almost never happens to teachers. So, this is not a criticism or an insult to you: we know how you are feeling and we understand that for many of you, the push is over. But common decency and respect simply asks for some cooperation and a polite nod and wink so that we can all finish the year as the friends we have worked hard to become.
This is the best way I can think of to show your gratitude.
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