What to Write in Your Teacher Appreciation Card

According to the University of Cambridge, 84% of the British public see teachers as caring, and in general, people recognise the important role that teachers have played in their lives and in helping the next generation to grow and develop.

Well-written thank you cards for teachers can be well-received and appreciated, especially since teachers undertake such a demanding and essential job.

Whether you’re a school student, college/university student or a parent of a child attending pre-school, the Thankbox team has assembled some helpful lists for writing a teacher appreciation card. Let’s dive in!

A picture showing a thank you card and gift wrap

What to emphasise in a teacher appreciation card

Before looking at specific lines and messages you may want to include, there are some overall themes that should apply.

Here are some of the points you should try and emphasise: *

That you are thankful for their work and commitment
Show appreciation for ways in which they specifically helped you (e.g. motivation and helping you build your confidence)
Let them know that you’ll remember them and what they taught you
Recognise their patience and kindness
Mention how they made the school year more enjoyable

*Of course, some points will fit better than others, and you won’t have space to put in everything. But it’s worth choosing from these ideas and taking inspiration when writing a teacher appreciation card.

You may also want to club together with other parents and offer your teacher/child’s teacher a gift card. You could do this as part of a group effort in the form of an online cash collection.

Ready to show some love to your teachers?

Getting the whole class together to share messages of appreciation for their teacher is easy. Create a Thankbox in seconds, share a link and everyone can be adding their personal messages and contribute for a gift card too.

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Pre-school

If you’re a parent to a toddler or young child, we know how big a deal it can be to take that first step of daytime separation with pre-school. This time in your child’s life is critical to their development and learning before moving on to Year 2 and in a sense their first venture with some form of independence.

Here are some ideas for a pre-school teacher appreciation card:

Thank you for offering a safe environment for my child to learn and develop.
Sometimes it feels like [child’s name] prefers you to us! Haha. Thank you for taking such good care of him/her. We truly appreciate it.
We appreciate everything you’ve done to help our child grow.
Thank you for taking care of [child’s name] in a kind and patient way, even when they’re not having their kindest day themselves!
All the gold stars in the world wouldn’t be enough of a reward for the incredible work you do.
Thank you for dealing so well with our child’s tantrums and bad days. We’re amazed by the kindness and understanding you’ve shown [child’s name].
[Child’s name] will grow up smart and strong thanks to you.
To me, you’re a real-life superhero!

Parents with neurodivergent or special needs children

When writing a teacher appreciation card, you may want to tailor it based on how a teacher has specifically helped your child. Teachers who work with neurodivergent and special needs children go above and beyond, displaying care and patience to the Nth degree.

Here are some thank you card ideas for teachers if your child has special needs or is neurodivergent:

Your work is truly exceptional and means the world to us.
The level of patience and care you show is truly incredible.
You’re a rockstar when it comes to teaching!
You’re incredibly talented at what you do.
I don’t know where we’d be without your assistance. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
It’s been an incredible journey seeing [child’s name] grow and develop and he/she wouldn’t be where they are now without your incredible work. Thank you so, so much.
We don’t know how you pull it off, all the tireless work and commitment you put in, but we are eternally grateful.

Primary school

In most cases, primary school kids will want to write a card themselves. If that’s you, we have some ideas for writing the perfect thank you card for your teacher! Pick the lines you like best and add your own ideas if you want. Consider asking your parents to help you write the messages in your own words to make it a bit more personal too.

Ideas for writing your primary school teacher a thank you card:

My favourite part of the school day is going to your class.
When I’m an adult, I’ll still remember how brilliant of a teacher you are!
Thank you for helping me grow and learn.
I’ve been excited to come to school each day, thanks to you!
This was definitely my favourite year of school, thanks to you.
You made me realise that it’s cool to be smart.

Some funny ideas if you want to be a bit cheeky:

You do such a good job that I feel just as happy at the end of class as I do at the start.
Thanks for not laughing when I called you mum by mistake! Lol.
I know I can be chatty some days, but it’s hard to stay quiet when I’m having a good time!
Thanks to you, I can write all of these words correctly.

Secondary school

For older students, here are some tips for writing your teacher an appreciation card:

Thanks for all your efforts. You’re a master at knowing when to push a student more or cut them a bit of slack. And personally, that means a lot to me because I’m trying my best, and you certainly have helped me to achieve just that.
You set the bar high when it comes to teaching. Not sure how anyone else can compete!
You’re a true hero to me.
Thank you for helping me figure out what I want to do after [school or college]. It means a lot to me, and I’ll always appreciate that.
Thank you for the kind and motivational words you’ve given me throughout the school year. I’ll never forget how you improved my self-esteem and made me more confident in general. Again, thank you.
I may not get an A for your class, but as far as I’m concerned, you get an A for teaching!
You made me like [insert class subject] when I never thought I would before.

College or university

If you’re looking to write a thank you card for a college professor or lecturer, this is the section for you.

Our top tips for writing a college professor/lecturer appreciation card:

I’ll remember what you taught me for the rest of my life.
The world better watch out because I’ve learnt from the very best!
Your class will undoubtedly stand out as one of my best memories from college.
Thank you for your support, direction and motivation.
I learned so much from your class and really enjoyed it simultaneously. Your teaching style is incredibly engaging.
While it’s easy to get preoccupied with the tests and assignments, your life lessons were incredibly valuable to me.
It’s been incredible to learn from a true expert in [name of field]. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights in an engaging and entertaining way.

Buying the best card

There are, of course, a wide range of teacher appreciation cards to find in stores and across the internet. You could also consider designing a personalised card.

However, you could take your appreciation card to the next level in the form of teacher appreciation digital cards (which, in turn, are examples of personalised cards).

A digital Thankbox can include a photo, video, GIF or cash. This digital card, offered by Thankbox, can feature messages from the whole class. It has an amazing impact when you group together with other students (or parents in the case of a pre-school teacher appreciation card) and contribute.

The benefits of a digital card include:

The ability to include media or/and interactivity
Cost-effective
Easy to design and edit
Better for the environment
Less hassle for a teacher since they have their appreciation card in a digital format rather than many physical cards

An image of a Thankbox teacher birthday and appreciation sample card, showing personal messages and recollections of school events

What else we offer at Thankbox

Today, we’ve looked at our top tips for writing the ideal teacher appreciation card. Whether it be a card to mark the end of the school year or a teacher appreciation week card, the perfect message can make a real difference. It can show your teacher or your child’s teacher just how much they mean.

You can use Thankbox to create engaging cards for a whole host of occasions.

Examples include: