voices of gratitude
Every Thx note has a story.
Behind every Thx note is a moment that mattered. From kindergarten classrooms to high school advisory programs, students and educators share what it feels like to be seen, thanked, and appreciated.
Self-Perception in Second Grade
Bubba is an energetic 7-year-old in South San Francisco.
In class, his energy often spills over, interrupting lessons with jokes, distractions, and outbursts that earned him a reputation as the troublemaker.
Then his 2nd grade class started using GiveThx. At the end of the year, he shared:
“I think gratitude is important because it helps me make peace with everybody and not be thought of as a bad person."
In class, his energy often spills over, interrupting lessons with jokes, distractions, and outbursts that earned him a reputation as the troublemaker.
Then his 2nd grade class started using GiveThx. At the end of the year, he shared:
“I think gratitude is important because it helps me make peace with everybody and not be thought of as a bad person."
"I can express my feelings without anyone seeing it, only them."
Thankful Timing
Mercedes doesn't teach, but she still enjoys building relationships with students at the school. Covering lunch duty one day, she saw a student with a soda, which isn’tallowed at school. Rather than tossing the can, she kept it safe in the fridge and returnedit at day's end with a stern reminder not to bring another. That evening, to her surprise,the student sent her a Thx note:
"Thank you for always being fair with us students," he wrote.
On her hardest days, Thx notes like that one have a knack of showing up right when she needs it. "This work is difficult and tiring," she says of those moments.
"And it's like, ping! A Thx notification appears and I realize my actions mattered to someone. It affirms that the work and sacrifices are so worth it."
"Thank you for always being fair with us students," he wrote.
On her hardest days, Thx notes like that one have a knack of showing up right when she needs it. "This work is difficult and tiring," she says of those moments.
"And it's like, ping! A Thx notification appears and I realize my actions mattered to someone. It affirms that the work and sacrifices are so worth it."
"It was nice to hear from people I don't always interact with, yet they somehow see and appreciate what I do."
Four Transformative Minutes
Mr. Rummel teaches 10th and 11th grade English. At the start of every class, before a single lesson begins, he gives his students four minutes.
Four minutes to thank each other. For showing up. For helping with homework. For being there. Really, for anything.
It sounds small. But for many of his students, who carry a lot and say little, it's become something they can't get anywhere else.
"It gives those young men, especially, a chance to express feelings that they have, but aren't always comfortable sharing."
Four minutes to thank each other. For showing up. For helping with homework. For being there. Really, for anything.
It sounds small. But for many of his students, who carry a lot and say little, it's become something they can't get anywhere else.
"It gives those young men, especially, a chance to express feelings that they have, but aren't always comfortable sharing."
"I like that you can thank people for the things they did without facing them directly, sometimes it might be hard or nerve-wracking to tell someone face to face so it helps."
The Power of Being Seen
Willy is a superintendent in Wisconsin. He's serious by nature– measured, professional, the kind of leader the you stand a little straighter around.
So when he received a ‘Thx’ note from a student, he wasn't sure what to expect.
She thanked him for his positivity. For the way he moves through the school, the warmth he works hard to model. She told him she thinks it makes the school feel safer. More welcoming.
Willy was surprised. Not because the words were extraordinary but because someone had actually seen him and the quiet efforts he put in to be warm and positive mattered.
So when he received a ‘Thx’ note from a student, he wasn't sure what to expect.
She thanked him for his positivity. For the way he moves through the school, the warmth he works hard to model. She told him she thinks it makes the school feel safer. More welcoming.
Willy was surprised. Not because the words were extraordinary but because someone had actually seen him and the quiet efforts he put in to be warm and positive mattered.
"When I received a Thx note, it felt amazing, and made my whole day, because it was nice to know the positive impact I had on someone, even if it was little."