All high school seniors know how stressful it is to apply to colleges. But most don’t realize the pressure teachers have, too. Many teachers are asked to write recommendations for students and the amount quickly adds up. The question is though, once everything is finally squared away, how are teachers thanked?

“I get lots of Starbucks cards, I get lots of Barnes and Noble gift cards,” Bucco said. Teachers appreciate it most when it’s something more personal that speaks to the teacher to show just how helpful it was to the student.

“One student went to a poetry reading and got it signed by a poet that I love,” Bucco said describing her favorite gift.

Senior Ashley Manalel decided to give her previous English teacher something much more universal: food.

“I decided to give her chocolate because, come on, who doesn’t like chocolate?” Manalel said.
Manalel wanted to go with a gift that could be shared with multiple people, rather than have the gift be limited to one person, in case her teacher wanted to share with others.

Unfortunately, sometimes students end up doing nothing for teachers who were kind enough to write recommendations.

“The thing that is most frustrating is when we write a college recommendation then find out through the grapevine that the kid has gotten in,” Bucco said. “The student finds out in April and I haven’t seen them since October, then they don’t come and tell me. So thank you notes are the best thing you can do.”

So remember, a little appreciation can go a long way.