Yes, it is very rare. And that simply highlights the action of the people who DO send such notes and makes them look even more impressive.

Happy to help, Jill!

It’s worth the effort, though.

And I so appreciated your “break down” of the proper steps for a thank you note.

Your work is such an asset to me in the classroom! Thanks again for everything you do to help me do what I do!

It’s indeed a lot of work to teach students to take the time to say thanks. I’m a debate club coach and I make all my students (grs 8-12) hand write thank you notes to the judges who’ve taken the time to come to competitions we host. It’s a bit of an ordeal to get these handwritten notes out of them but I know it’s such an important message for them to learn.

I believe in being thankful all year ’round, and I’m obsessed with teaching my students to express their gratitude through old-fashioned thank-you notes. They should be hand-written, stamped and delivered by USPS, timely, thoughtful and specific. I encourage my students to find opportunities to say “thanks.” Whether someone took time to look at a résumé or have coffee right after an interview, personalized thank-you notes set the sender apart. I make thank-you notes part of a classroom exercise by distributing packets of Dollar Store notes [six for $1] when guest speakers come to talk. I try to model that behavior, too. In fact, there are three sitting on my desk right now headed toward the mailbox.

Wow! So. Impressed!

Glad you enjoyed the post, Gaye. Thanks for writing!