'A thank-you goes a long way toward making anyone feel appreciated'

Gracias. Merci. Tack. 谢谢. Asante sana. Thank you.

How we show appreciation to others is important in every language and in every culture. Choosing the right language is, of course, important, but so too is the timing and context. I have a personal habit of signing off my emails with ‘thank you’ – am I equally sincere with each response? I caught a taxi to work this morning. Typically, I sit in the front passenger seat and chat with the driver; there is always some common ground to find. I like to think that I give a little back, a sense of gratitude, in the conversation, rather than just a transactional relationship.

By some chance, and it is quite long odds, a parent at my school attended the same secondary school as me at the same time (it's 150 miles away in West Yorkshire, so some coincidence that we share this). Periodically, we chat about ‘our school’ from the 1980s and 90s and share memories. It was therefore a delight when she brought in photographs of our teachers taken recently from a social media post. We could name all of them as if it were yesterday; moreover, we started sharing stories of our schooldays and the difference these teachers made. I realised then that I had never thanked these teachers for helping shape me into who I am today. At least, not gratitude that has been shared in a meaningful way. We can all name at least one teacher from our school days – probably many more – and their name and memories don’t fade with time. By contrast, I can remember only a handful of children's names in my class.

At each staff briefing, I always start with thank-yous. However, arguably of greater importance are the post-it ‘shout-outs’ that staff write anonymously about their peers. These are read out by a staff member each week. This week, it was a thank-you to ‘Rob’ for always smiling and welcoming the staff each day as they walk into school. The appreciation was heartfelt and shared by all in the room.

National Thank a Teacher Day is on Wednesday, 17 June. It is an annual celebration of teachers and support staff across early years settings, schools and colleges. Last year, you may have been one of over 100,000 people to receive a Thank a Teacher Day personalised e-card. Of course, context is relevant – does it mean that the other 1.7 million people who work in education don’t deserve a thank you? And how sincere is an e-card, rather than one which is handwritten and delivered in person? These are questions for another time. For my part, I think the occasion is wonderful and should be marked by every school, college, nursery and education setting. A thank-you goes a long way toward making anyone feel appreciated. My school, Heathfield Knoll, celebrates the occasion with food (with all dietary needs catered for!) This year, there are some rather large personalised cookies.

So… thank you, Mr Ball and Mr Wilkinson, the geography teachers at North Halifax High School. You inspired my love of geography that has lasted a lifetime and led me to a 30-year-plus career in (geography) teaching. And P.S. – I probably should have thanked you much sooner.