Thank You Gift for LOR

[Anonymous]

Short thank you email after the applications were submitted. Handwritten thank you note and baked goods that my DS made himself once he decided where to attend.

[Anonymous]

MCPS has a $20 limit for a single gift so any more than that would violate the gift policy. I plan on having my DC write thank you notes and include a $20 gift card sometime after the letters are submitted (before would be inappropriate). The teachers are not paid to write the letters so I think they appreciate gift cards, even if they aren’t much given the ethics rules. But the only thing that should be deemed “required” is the thank you note.

[Anonymous]

You should have your son give the teacher the gift card at the same time (with a wink so they get the message!) he asks them to do the LOR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, that would not be appropriate.

It is part of their job.

Maybe it's not appropriate, but it is certainly NOT a part of the job.

It is definitely NOT a part of my job. I am not required to write a single LOR, and my administration would not force me to write one. These are done on our own time. I write all of mine over the summer, a process that usually takes me over 40 hours (unpaid) to write them all. I’m happy to do it because I want to help my students on their way to college. To be clear, though: this is done as a favor. I usually write 35-40 a year, and each one is unique. I don’t use templates or old letters.

I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I’ve received a total of 3 thank you notes. It isn’t common, to be honest, and I suspect that’s because people believe it’s part of our jobs. I don’t expect them, but I LOVE receiving cards.

My own child is a senior. She wrote thank you cards to her recommenders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We gave a $100 Amazon gift card to each of the recommenders after the college acceptances were announced.

Same

[Anonymous]

We sent a box of chocolate dipped strawberries and a card as a thank you. After all the apps and recs were delivered. No one suggested it was inappropriate.

[Anonymous]

I wrote thank-you notes and hand-delivered them to the teachers along with their favorite Starbucks beverage back in '01.

[Anonymous]

Thank you card. Do not include a gift card at the time because it suggests that you bought the recommendation.

At the end of the school year, give an additional thank you card with a gift card, thanking them for being a good {teacher, inspiration, mentor, etc} Then you are thanking them for all of the work they did, not just the recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We gave a $100 Amazon gift card to each of the recommenders after the college acceptances were announced.

Very unethical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, that would not be appropriate.

It is part of their job.

Maybe it's not appropriate, but it is certainly NOT a part of the job.

It is definitely NOT a part of my job. I am not required to write a single LOR, and my administration would not force me to write one. These are done on our own time. I write all of mine over the summer, a process that usually takes me over 40 hours (unpaid) to write them all. I’m happy to do it because I want to help my students on their way to college. To be clear, though: this is done as a favor. I usually write 35-40 a year, and each one is unique. I don’t use templates or old letters.

I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I’ve received a total of 3 thank you notes. It isn’t common, to be honest, and I suspect that’s because people believe it’s part of our jobs. I don’t expect them, but I LOVE receiving cards.

My own child is a senior. She wrote thank you cards to her recommenders.

I totally disagree. And I say that as a professor who has written countless recommendations for graduate school, jobs and internships. It IS part of your job, if you think like a professional (vs an hourly worker who only does what is spelled out in your union contract).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We gave a $100 Amazon gift card to each of the recommenders after the college acceptances were announced.

Very unethical.

Why? The college acceptances and the amounts of merit aid offered to the child by colleges impacted the amount on the gift cards. The recommenders had no idea that we were going to give them any gift cards, and they were the child's 11 grade teachers and an employer, had no impact on the senior year grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We gave a $100 Amazon gift card to each of the recommenders after the college acceptances were announced.

Very unethical.

Why? The college acceptances and the amounts of merit aid offered to the child by colleges impacted the amount on the gift cards. The recommenders had no idea that we were going to give them any gift cards, and they were the child's 11 grade teachers and an employer, had no impact on the senior year grades.

+1 There is nothing unethical about giving a gift to a teacher/recommender after the LOR has been submitted. Some people will think up any excuse for being cheap!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, that would not be appropriate.

It is part of their job.

Maybe it's not appropriate, but it is certainly NOT a part of the job.

It is definitely NOT a part of my job. I am not required to write a single LOR, and my administration would not force me to write one. These are done on our own time. I write all of mine over the summer, a process that usually takes me over 40 hours (unpaid) to write them all. I’m happy to do it because I want to help my students on their way to college. To be clear, though: this is done as a favor. I usually write 35-40 a year, and each one is unique. I don’t use templates or old letters.

I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I’ve received a total of 3 thank you notes. It isn’t common, to be honest, and I suspect that’s because people believe it’s part of our jobs. I don’t expect them, but I LOVE receiving cards.

My own child is a senior. She wrote thank you cards to her recommenders.

This is why colleges need to stop asking for LOR.

LOR just perpetrates inequity via personal connections.

[Anonymous]

We gave one a gift basket of cookies or muffins or something (because kid knew the teacher would like it, and something of equivalent cost to the other (don't remember what it was). Gave it like March or April-- clearly after all letters were submitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Senior at FCPS high school. He recently gave his teachers a thank you note with a gift card after they submitted their LOR. The gift was a $15 amazon card.

Wow! Totally unnecessary and boarding in inappropriate. This is a service the teachers provide. A thank you letter with NO monetary supplement is all that is needed. I'm surprised that this was even deemed a reasonable response. But then again this is DCUM so I guess I shouldn't be.