Bons Mots
A retirement gift for a teacher who gave everything
Thirty years of teaching, hundreds of students, generations of dictations corrected on Sunday nights. When a teacher retires, the shopping-mall gift card suddenly looks awfully thin next to what she leaves behind.
What truly moves people are the words: from colleagues, of course, but also from parents — and from former students, all grown up, who still remember the way she told the history of Québec.
Get the whole school contributing — and beyond
The secret of a successful tribute is widening the circle. The social committee thinks of colleagues; think also of the current class's parents, former school-team members, and students from ten years ago you can reach by word of mouth. With a collective page reachable through a simple link, everyone writes their message on their own — nothing to coordinate.
Nobody has an account to create, which matters when your contributors range from the school secretary to a 25-year-old former student: everyone clicks, writes, sends. And the lady of the hour sees nothing before the big day — the page stays secret until you hand her the reading link, at the farewell party or tucked into a card.
The tribute in three steps
Create the retirement page
Two minutes is plenty. Pick a title — "Happy retirement, Madame Tremblay!" — and get your links right away.
Pass the contribution link around
Staff room, email to parents, alumni group: the farther the link travels, the richer the page.
Hand her the page
At the farewell party, give her the reading link. All the messages together, to reread as often as she likes.
Frequently asked questions
Can former students contribute even if they don't know the organizer?
Yes: anyone who receives the contribution link can write a message. That's what lets the circle grow well beyond the school.
Can an inappropriate message be removed?
Yes, the organizer keeps control of the page and can remove a message before giving it.
Is it really free?
Yes, for a small group. For a whole school, a one-time unlock of CAD $7.99 — no subscription, no ads.
Bons Mots gathers a whole school's messages on one beautiful page.