Write An Appreciation Email To An Old Teacher
Tell the teacher who changed something for you that they did - most of them never find out, and it lands harder than you'd think.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- 20-30 min
- People
- Solo / Duo, Small Group (3-6)
- Where
- Home, Café
- Bring
- Nothing in particular
Why this matters
Teaching is one of the few jobs where the results arrive years later, usually somewhere the teacher will never see. Most teachers spend decades never learning which lessons landed or which offhand comment changed a student's direction. Being told, specifically and unprompted, is genuinely rare - and it's one of the highest-impact things you can do with twenty minutes.
How to do it
Think of a teacher, lecturer, coach or mentor who made an actual difference - not necessarily your favourite, but the one who changed how you thought about something or gave you a push at the right time.
Find them. School and university websites list staff, and LinkedIn covers most of the rest. If they've retired or moved on, the school office will often forward a message.
What to write: - Be specific. "You were a great teacher" is nice. "You told me my essay was lazy and that I could do better, and I still think about that" is unforgettable. - Say what happened afterwards. Where you ended up, what you do now. That's the part they never get to see. - Don't ask for anything. No favours, no catching up, no reply needed. Make it clear the email is complete in itself. - Keep it short. Four or five sentences is plenty.
Do this as a group over coffee - everyone writes one at the same time. It's oddly moving to do together, and it means everyone actually sends it rather than leaving a draft open for a month.
Works equally well for an old boss, a sports coach, or a neighbour who looked out for you as a kid.