I’m mailing out thank you notes today.
All three are going to the school that I just visited;
one is going to the person who hosted me,
one is going to the person who initially reached out to me about the visit,
and the last one is a two for one,
with a separate thank you for the students and the teachers.
These three notes took maybe 15 minutes total.
They’re simple thank you notes I bought at Target,
decorated with washi tape and stickers I had on hand from another event.
Why write them at all though?
Because thank you notes matter.
Sadly it’s become uncommon to receive one in the mail.
This makes me want to write them even more.
I love snail mail.
I love the excitement of seeing a hand lettered envelope
amidst the bills and mailers when I reach into my mailbox.
Seeing someone’s words in their handwriting is powerful too,
much more powerful than an email or a text message.
It’s pretty easy to do as well,
and, I’d argue, necessary if you are an author or illustrator doing school visits.
Why write a thank you to the teachers?
Because teachers work really hard and are so often underappreciated.
And they did a lot of work to get you to their school and work their day around your visit.
Why write a thank you note to the students?
Because it’s fun to let them know how much fun you had with them.
You can encourage them again to keep reading and writing,
and let them know that it was a special day for you as well.
All of that will make them feel seen and respected, which are things kids love to feel.
Why write a thank you note to your host?
Because she made your day easier and set everything up.
I bet she’d love to hear how much you appreciated that.
Why write a thank you note to the teacher who initially contacted you?
Because you literally wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t reached out.
Of course this is going to be good for you long term; everyone likes receiving a thank you note
and you are more likely to be remembered if you write one.
But writing one will also be good for you short term;
you’ll get a boost of good feelings thinking about how great the visit went and expressing that in writing.
So what are you still reading this for?
Get out there and start writing some thank you notes!
Thanks for reading.
Yes, that was on purpose!
Until next time,
Kathy Ellen
