Grade 12
Saying thank you is important
Read this to get the complete picture…
Introduction
So you finally made it to the end of the IB, what a relief no more IAs due, no more pulling a late-nighter to make a deadline, no more getting up early to go to school, just a long summer vacation and then off to university.
The first thing to realize is it’s your achievement, you have done it. The second thing to realize is you couldn’t have done it without the support of a team of people.
Let’s take a look at the team: your subject teachers, your IBDP Coordinator, your college counselor, your friends and classmates and last but not least, your parents.
It’s time to say thank you.
The people to thank..
Teachers
Write notes to your teachers thanking them for their support and also giving them some feedback, this will be useful to them when they’re looking at how to improve the courses for future students. You could mention a specific topic or unit that you really enjoyed, how it opened your eyes and inspired you; maybe your teacher even inspired you to continue your studies in that subject at university. Perhaps you were struggling in class and your teacher stayed behind after school to give you extra help.
You can also mention your CAS Coordinator who inspired you to take up a project when you had no idea what to do, similarly for your Extended Essay supervisor. And don’t forget your sports coaches and all the others who have helped you in extra -curricular activities.
Your IBDP Coordinator was a key person in helping you choose your IB subjects when you were still in grade 10, keeping you on track throughout the program, reminding you of deadlines, ensuring that your IB results get sent to the universities. Perhaps he or she helped you to change subject when the workload became too much for you. And then there is the next step, university. Your college counselor has undoubtedly played a key role in helping you select the universities to apply to and to ensure that the application process went smoothly; and by the way, you may need his or her help again after the IB results are published in case your scores are not as high as you’d hoped and you didn’t get into your dream university!
And don’t forget the Elementary School!
A group thank you
Make a little video with your friends, maybe sing a song that will be fun
Your class representative can give a speech at Graduation, and then there is the Yearbook.
The Yearbook is something which will follow you for the rest of your life. Before you write or say anything too crazy, just remembered what might seem funny when you’re 18 may not seem so funny when you’re 38 and your own kids are reading this.
Talk to your Yearbook Coordinator and help him or her put together a really nice section so that your class will be remembered for all the right reasons for many years to come.
Friends
School has finally come to an end after all these years, some of your friends and classmates have been with you since the beginning. Where will they go now? Where will you go? This is a time to reflect on the journey you’ve travelled from being a sweet little kid in grade 1 to being a young adult about to burst forth upon the world. No one makes this journey through school alone, while the support of your teachers is vital to your academic success, having friends is equally important while pursuing this journey together and supporting each other through the ups and the downs. The end of school is a time to remember all the fun and crazy things you did together. Maybe you’ve already written something for the yearbook, perhaps you posted something on social media, but it would be a nice gesture to send an old-fashioned card or maybe a small gift to your best friends as this will be something they can keep and treasure through the years to come.
Your Parents
There’s a lot that can be said on this topic and I’m sure you realize that your parents have provided you with opportunities and support to set you up to go out into the world and build your own life. As you think about this, you may have a moment’s guilty feeling as you remember arguments or disputes you may have had; that is all part and parcel of growing up. Your parents have encouraged you to work hard and be successful in school as they can see the importance of education in an increasingly skills-based economy.
Remember the times your parents helped you understand a particularly tricky homework problem, helped you to organize yourself when it all seemed overwhelming; and if you want to think back far enough, all those hours they spent sitting with you teaching you how to read. And then there is the social side, those times your parents were acting as taxi drivers so you could go and visit your friends, all those weekends when they watched you play for the school team. And then coming down to the basics, they provided you with a nice, cosy home with heating in the winter, a refrigerator full of food and your clothes reappeared miraculously washed and clean. Btw. You will have to do this yourself at university ☹.
As this has been a journey of 18 years, it would be nice to give your parents something to remember you by when you have left home, after all this is not just a new beginning for you, it’s also new beginning for them. The house is going to be very quiet without you and your friends around.
How about investing some time over the summer to make a nice photo album of your life together with them and your siblings. As an introduction you could write a nice thank you letter. This will be something your parents will value and keep for the rest of their lives. There are many other ways to say thank you to your parents, be creative.
Some critical questions that need to be asked
Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers.
question 1:
Who do I need to thank?
question 3:
What should I write in the card?!
question 2:
What would be an appropriate present? Is it allowed?
How to say it right
Are you stuck for an idea? Not sure the best way to go about saying thank you? Then take a look at this list maybe one of these ideas will appeal to you.
Card, letter, painting a picture, small gift, video, sing a song, compose the music write the lyrics, small gift – is your teacher a football fan? Buy him or her a ticket for the stadium.
Write a nice card and bake some cookies, maybe you’re into handcrafts they always make good presents. Or if you know your teacher has a particular interest/ hobby, then you can buy a book and remember to write a nice message in the front. Maybe there was something fun and crazy that happened in class during the last couple of years, perhaps a card or gift that will remind the teacher of this happy event.
Parent gift – organize a trip somewhere to one of your parents’ favorite places. It doesn’t have to be expensive; you can just do a family picnic together and you organize the food. You have probably been so busy with the IB diploma that you haven’t spent much time with your parents. They would really appreciate this as they know that soon you’ll be going away.
A few more simple gift ideas:
Frame a picture of you with parents/teachers/friends, lotions or bath oils, a journal, a personalized mug, a nice pen, a photo album or scrapbook with memories included, homemade cookies, spice gift basket – get some small jars and fill them with exotic spices, gift certificate for the person’s favorite shop, a letter hand-written on nice paper saying why you appreciate that person, a small plant, personalized T-shirt, homemade bread, jam, a nice book, make you own recipe book, a video of you and your classmates + teacher, create your own art – sketch, painting, poem or short story, scented candles, box of good tea and a teacup or something unique form you home country – something that you cannot just buy at the local store.
And if you’re still stuck for ideas, ask mom!
Wigsbury Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the important questions
Do I have to give all my teachers a present?
No. If you had a particularly close working relationship with the teacher and that person has gone out of their way to help you, it would be appropriate to recognize this.
Is there a price limit on presents?
You don’t have to give expensive presents, it’s the thought that counts, and that is what your teacher will value. Take a look at the video in links, the one where a choir says thank you to their teacher.
I am the captain of the school soccer team; our coach is awesome. I’m thinking about organizing a trip to the local stadium for all of us. Do you think this would be appropriate?
Definitely. Make sure you include a beer and a hot dog for the coach!
Should I give my teacher an individual present or is it okay if we do a group present?
Either is OK. It is the thought that counts.
Do you think I should give my teacher feedback on the quality of the lessons?
If you think your teacher is open to receiving feedback, then by all means do this. It is probably a good idea to do this on a separate occasion from handing out thank you cards presents etc. It is probably best not to do this during the graduation ceremony as this is just a happy social event and no one needs to be burdened with work-related things.
I have been part of a small tightknit group of friends for most of my school life, and now we’re all going to go to different universities in different countries. What would be an appropriate way to celebrate the end of school and the beginning of a new era?
Take a short trip together somewhere, if possible, build it around some activity that you all enjoy like a sport for example. This is going to be a bonding moment that you can look back on in future years.
