65 of the Best Compliments to Give a Teacher (& copy the boss on the email)

So, your child has a really great teacher, and you want to show your appreciation.

Perhaps instead, you’re a principal wanting to improve morale amongst your staff.

If you’re wondering about the best compliments to give a teacher, you’ve come to the right place. I’m an instructional coach and teacher, so I have received wonderful compliments and given them out as well.

This school year, take a moment to recognize your great teachers with some sincere compliments. This is a tough time for the teaching profession, and there’s a good chance that the job isn’t everything he or she expected when they started college or their training program. This is especially true if your child has a public school teacher.

The right kind of praise can mean a lot. The best compliment for a teacher is one that is connected to what the teacher values. You can tell what a teacher values most based on where they excel.

It’s worth noting that I’ve never met a teacher who didn’t have both strengths and weaknesses, no matter how strong of a teacher they are. Like any art, you can continue to improve for an entire career. Most teachers are still growing and developing in the years leading up to retirement. So focus on what’s wonderful about your teacher!

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How to Compliment Your Child’s Teacher

This may seem like a silly set of instructions, but I actually think it’s really important to pay a compliment the right way, especially if you want it to be really meaningful.

It can be tempting to put together a cute Pinterest gift with food items attached to appreciation messages, but I think there’s a better way. Read on!

1. Be specific and honest. Don’t give a teacher a throwaway compliment like “You’re a difference maker!” These types of compliments never seem that authentic. Instead, try to give a compliment based on something specific and true about your child’s teacher. What’s most important is to be honest. It’s hard to compliment a teacher you don’t know well, but you probably know more about him or her than you realize.
2. Send your compliment via email instead of by handwritten note, so you can copy your principal and assistant principal on the email. While teachers love compliments from parents, there’s nothing better than looping in the boss. This job is incredibly stressful for some teachers, and principals needed to be reminded of their teachers’ soft skills. Often, principals get VERY fixated on student data (as they should). These compliments matter a LOT when principals get looped in.
3. Never give a backhanded compliment. If the compliment can’t be 100% about the good things they are doing, don’t bother speaking up at all.

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The Best Compliments to Give a Teacher from Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians often value different things in a teacher than a principal might. Here are the best compliments to give a favorite teacher to let them know they’re doing a good job.

The Best Compliments for a Teacher Who Has Made Your Child Happy or Secure

Most of us with school-aged children remember well all the worries that go along with dropping off your child at pre-k for the first time. Will he or she cry for hours at drop-off? Will they socialize well, behave appropriately, and get a good nap?

There’s such relief when you pick them up from school day after day and your little one is smiling. When your child loves being at school, life is a lot less stressful for parents and guardians. Sharing positive messages with your child’s teacher can really make a difference and assure the teacher that they’re on the right path.

Here are the best compliments for a teacher who makes your child happy to be at school and makes you feel comfortable.

• I feel at peace knowing my child spends most of their day with you.
• Thanks for being part of my child’s support system. I’m grateful it’s you.
• Thank you for loving my child so well. You’re the best teacher for our family right now.
• Thank you for sharing positive comments about my child.
• You’re the reason my child comes home happy each day.
• Thanks for investing so much of yourself in your students.
• I feel completely comfortable knowing that my child is safe with you.
• Having our child at this school has been one of the best decisions for our family, because of you.
• Thanks for nurturing my little one.
• My child missed you over the holidays.
• My child talks about you so often, it feels like you’re part of our family!
• You have made (elementary / middle / high school) less overwhelming to my child.
• I can’t imagine a better teacher for my child.
• You are a great role model for my child. (He/she) loves to be around you.
• Thank you for taking the time to get to know my child.
• Thank you for going the extra mile to make sure my child’s medical needs are met. I know you have to remember a lot of small details each day, but I feel safe with (him/her) in your care.

The Best Compliments for a Teacher Who Has Helped Your Child Grow

A teacher’s job can be really summed up in just a few words: help children grow. Whether that’s to become more disciplined, more capable in a particular subject, to grow in their confidence, or to evolve in their social-emotional skills, teachers have a huge role to play. Here are some meaningful compliments to give if you’ve noticed your child making huge gains.

• This is the first year my child believed in (his/her) ability to do (subject). Thank you!
• Thanks to you, my child is finally starting to show some grit and determination.
• Thank you for believing my child can learn.
• I appreciate your high standards; my child is really challenged this year!
• Thank you for encouraging my child. (He/she) is starting to grow in self-confidence!
• Thanks to your strong classroom management, my child is finally showing some progress with behavior at school, and I couldn’t be more grateful! Thank you for working with me.
• Thank you for helping my child discover new interests. I never thought (he/she) would be excited to learn in school until this year.
• My child is often so excited to tell me what (he/she) learned each day. Thank you for igniting a love of learning with your exciting lesson plans.
• Thank you for helping to teach my child social-emotional skills. (He/she) is finally forming some friendships in school! We needed the extra help and value your insight.
• This has been a difficult time for our family, but you helped (him/her) grow in spite of that.

The Best Compliments for Teachers With a Beautiful Classroom Space

When a teacher has a beautiful classroom, it’s often an indicator that they’re pretty well organized. Beautiful classroom spaces aren’t everything in education, and they certainly don’t indicate that kids are learning well.

However, there are teachers who really do excel in this area, and a wonderful classroom space is a delightful place to learn. Organized, thoughtful classrooms typically have strong procedures in place, as well. Often, teachers with thoughtful classroom spaces are thoughtful elsewhere, too.

In other words, while having a lovely classroom isn’t everything, it’s also not something to ignore. Go ahead and praise away!

Here are some ideas for praising a teacher with a beautiful classroom.

• Thank you for creating such a beautiful space for your students to learn and grow.
• I love your creativity and thoughtfulness with your classroom.
• Your organization is so impressive!
• My (daughter/son) is so comfortable in your class.
• Your classroom is one of the best things about our school! It’s just gorgeous!
• I’m so impressed with how seriously you take your classroom environment. Anyone would want to learn here.
• This is a literacy-rich environment. All this print is proven to make a difference. Your effort is making a difference!
• I could stay in this classroom all day.
• This color scheme and theme is so soothing!

The Best Compliments for Teachers with Strong Communication Skills

When it comes to a parent’s first impression of their child’s teacher, few things are more important than communication skills. Being a strong communicator can prevent misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and even simple annoyances. It can also resolve conflict, help to heal pain, and allow parents and teachers to start fresh when things have gone wrong.

I was not the perfect teacher, but I’m proud of how well I handled hard conversations with parents about topics like ADHD, behavior challenges, and even special education testing. The ability to handle these conversations gracefully is one of the best gifts a teacher can give her families.

Parents really need teachers who love their kids but can also be truthful and gentle. It’s not easy to be the bearer of bad news, but that doesn’t mean parents don’t need the information.

If your teacher is a good communicator, here are some good compliments you can offer.

• Thank you for being willing to meet with me about my child. Your time is valuable but it means a lot to me.
• Thank you for explaining (sensitive situation) so thoughtfully. I feel more empowered now to make good decisions for my child.
• Your communication skills are so appreciated. I know it takes time each week to send that (email/text), but it really helps me feel informed.
• You’re gifted with words. Thanks for explaining (unique situation) so clearly.
• Thank you for seeing the good in my child and focusing on the positive.
• I can tell by the way you communicate about my child that you really care about (him/her), and that’s so important to me.
• Thank you for taking the time to send home notes in paper, email, and text. I have never felt uninformed with you as my child’s teacher.
• I really appreciate how you are always honest yet gentle.
• I’m really grateful for your perspective and value your opinion.
• Thanks for your suggestions to help my child. I never would have thought of that solution!

The Best Compliments for Teachers from Administrators, Instructional Coaches, and Fellow Teachers

While compliments from parents mean a lot, being praised by an administrator, instructional coach or fellow teacher can be really special – assuming they’re coming from respected professionals.

In fact, if your teacher’s workplace love language is words of affirmation (rather than gifts like Sonic drinks, acts of service like laminating help, or quality time like happy hour after school), it can make the difference between coasting all the way to Friday or having a mid-week meltdown.

PS – I really love Gary Chapman’s book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People.

Here are best compliments for star teachers or struggling teachers from leadership or fellow teachers:

• I can tell you really love your job.
• You’re a great team player.
• Positive attitudes are contagious, and we can always count on you to keep morale high.
• You’re doing great things in your classroom and I love your creativity.
• Thanks for always being reflective and open to new ideas.
• You’re the right mentor for me because I can tell you care and have the expertise that I need to grow.
• Your high quality instruction is making a huge difference on our campus and in the lives of the children here.
• It’s obvious you’ve chosen the right career path; teaching comes naturally to you.
• You’re just a really good teacher in every way.
• I love your classroom management style.
• I can tell the kids really love and respect you.
• I’d love to learn from you.
• Can you show me how you (insert skill)? I can help you, too, if there’s anything you need.
• Your influence has made me a better person both at work and in my personal life. You’re a true friend.
• You’re a brilliant teacher who just “gets it.”
• Data doesn’t tell the whole story, but your kids wouldn’t be performing this well unless you were doing a LOT of things right.
• The level of rigor in your classroom is inspiring; you clearly believe that your kids can do anything!
• You’re a wonderful teacher. Can I schedule some teammates to come watch the way you (insert specific lesson component here).
• Our school community wouldn’t be the same without you; you lead with a servant’s heart at every event!
• You always seem to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons. I really admire you.

Don’t forget support staff and specialists.

PE coaches, librarians, art teachers and other adults who work with kids of all grade levels often get ignored. These teachers rarely have enough involvement with individual families to be recognized. Parents tend to just forget they exist, and principals are often so worried about performing well in the tested subjects that they sort of forget to recognize these teachers, too.

One thing that’s really special about these staff members is that they often help to raise your child throughout their whole elementary, middle or high school career. For example, a child will usually have the same art teacher from kindergarten all the way through 5th grade. Their students are special to them, even if they only see them once a week for 6 years.

So don’t forget to show your appreciation, especially if this is an adult that has made a difference in your child’s life.

Concluding Thoughts

There’s a good chance that your child’s teacher is hearing a lot of negative messages about the work he or she is doing. It’s just the nature of public education today. When it seems to always come down to the money and hard data from test scores, all those meaningful interactions don’t seem to matter much to the people higher up the ladder who are calling the shots.

With a few kind and honest words, you really can make a difference to a teacher. It costs nothing but a few seconds of your day to be kind.