Coach's Corner: Handwritten note of thanks means more than you know

I have written on this subject before. So any of you who may have read my columns in the previous community publication, 1. thank you for still hanging with the Coach's Corner and 2. I apologize for any repetition. This is a different version, but with the same general motif.

I thought it a good reminder at this time of year, so with the Herald's permission, I recreate:

As the school year nears wrap up, I write this to any of our Glenview/Northbrook grade school, junior high or high school students. Any of you who have made it through the school year with hard work and maybe a little assistance from some of the adults in the building as well.

Here is my small, incredibly nonessential, but hopefully helpful column suggestion: Write a note.

That's it. Nothing more brilliant than that. Simply, take the time to write a short note. Maybe even go old school and use an actual pen and paper instead of typing.

It could be a thank you to your teacher or your coach. It could be to your guidance counselor, your social worker, your school principal, or even the dean - in case you happened to find yourself in the dean's office more than a few times.

Better yet, think about some of the people in school who don't always get the thank yous or the high profile credit. The school front office folks, the security guards, the lunchroom workers, the custodians. Whomever you got close to during the school year. It could be someone who really helped you out at a difficult time. Maybe someone who spent a lot of time assisting you through a particular issue or project. Or maybe just someone, as you stop to think about it, always did his or her job in a friendly and responsible way and you want to show your appreciation.

Verbal acknowledgment and thank yous are great. Don't get me wrong. A gift card or gift certificate is a wonderful sign of thoughtfulness and appreciation for a tough job well done. They all are, no doubt, meaningful and kind gestures.

But nothing beats the heartfelt appreciation of a thank you put into words. Handwritten, emailed, typed, it really doesn't matter. The key is the heartfelt and personal expressions you put down on paper.

I can personally attest to their value. I started coaching when I was 16 years old and have been doing it year-round in different sports for a good part of the past (please don't do the math) forty nine years.

I have received more gift cards as thank yous than can possibly be imagined. In fact, if I kept them long-term and pooled them together, I probably could gain a solid minority stockholder position in Target, Walmart or my personal favorite, Chipotle. I am still saddened by all the unused and now invalid cards for (moment of silence, please) the dearly departed Kmart.

Believe me. Each and every one of them was much appreciated.

But the ones I have kept for the memories? The ones I can still look back on to this day? The thank yous that meant the most and truly stood the test of time?

It was those instances where an athlete or kid I coached - or maybe even a parent - took the time to write a note.

When they expressed in words specifically how you have helped them or had an influence on them. Or sometimes just a simple thank you.

Those are "the gifts" that mean the most. Those are the ones that truly stand the test of time and that I still occasionally look back on many years after.

So, kids - and yes, you, too, parents - if you get a chance, think about the people that have helped make this a great school year. The ones who maybe lifted you up when you needed it most, be it small gestures or big ones.

Take the time to write them a note. I guarantee it will be appreciated.

Oh, and extra bonus. No one will grade you on penmanship or spelling, and it doesn't even have to be double-spaced.

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email him at jcsportsandtees@aol.com.