Teacher Gifts and Thank You Cards

I just finished writing thank-you cards to the kiddos who gave me Christmas gifts: all six of them.  The handful of cards I wote today was a mere fraction of what I used to write during my three years in Georgia.  I wrote thank-you cards two, and sometimes three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and at the end of the school year, in 20 and 30 card sets.  No joke. That many families gave me gifts.  In fact, I have those Georgia families to thank for two boxes of Christmas oranments, and the picture frames, candles, and housewares which have furnished my three apartments these past ten years.

Additionally, families took Teacher Appreciation into over-drive in Georgia.  I carried a huge, double-handled shopping bag - you know, one of those bags one gets, say, at Williams Sonoma - and it was filled up.  The bag would alwayys tear as I made my way to my car.  Sometimes I would have to use storage crates from my classroom for the overflow that wouldn’t fit into the huge shopping bag, and I would make two, even three trips to my car. Straight up.

There aren’t many things I miss about living in Georgia.  But, Christmas Time and June are two.  The giving of gifts to teachers seems to be a cultural phenomenon in the South that is virtually non-existent in the Northeast.  I also believe that there is still an admiration, an appreciation, and yes, even a trust, for teachers in the South that I haven’t experienced in the same ways since leaving there almost nine years ago.

Still, I am thankful to and blessed for the handful of families who have recognized me and my efforts during my three years at BWYA Independent School, and during my six years in NY State.  And, before anyone says, “Well, the families in Georgia could afford to give you gifts,” well, you would be correct.  But, at my former and current places of employ, the families could and can afford it. There is no shortage of socio-economic privilege in either school community.

As for the thank-you notes: They came as no surprise to the students and families in Georgia.  In fact, one had better write a thank-you card, unless s(he) wanted to be the talk of the town and have their ears on three-alarm burn for the rest of the next year.  It was considered a significant “my bad” if one didn’t acknknowlege gifts in writing. A verbal acknowlegement was akin to a fax sent in advance of the receipt of the hard copy edition. And don’t even think about sending an email; it was equivalent to the mud on the bottom of one’s shoe.  And, in the small town in Georgia where I lived, probabably still is.  We’re talking Old-School, Throwback Etiquette down there.

I am sure, however, that my students in NY state and where I reside and teach currently received and will receive, respectfully, those thank-you cards with a mix of confusion, wonder and surprise similar to what they would experience upon seeing an LP for the first time.  To add to to their complexity of feelings, I write my cards in Spanish. I use blank thank-you cards, BTW.

So, the kiddos get a real cultural experience: Not only do they receive a hand-written thank-you card, addressed to them personally, but, they also receive one written in the language they are learning. 

I do what I can to keep etiquette and the L2 learning experience alive. 

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