"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." Cynthia Ozick
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. Have you thanked a teacher today?
According to the National Educational Association, in 1953 Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day, after Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge wrote and made her aware of the nearly a decade-long lobbying effort she had undertaken to get recognition for educators. Another national teacher day was later proclaimed in March, 1980. Finally, in 1985, the National Education Association voted to establish the first week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week. I guess it takes a while to get some ongoing appreciation.
That teachers are underappreciated is apparent, especially in their pay, and yet also in the sly comments they get about ‘getting the summer off,’ and the often bizarre demands on them made by parents as they helicopter their way through the lives their children should be leading more independently. How do we celebrate the inspired professionals who undertake to inspire our children in turn? And is a week nearly enough?
"I am not a teacher, but an awakener." Robert Frost
It takes energy and imagination to teach well. It often also takes a big tote bag. I met a Hebrew teacher recently who goes between several schools with a giant bag of supplies—pipecleaners for making Hebrew letters that kids can physically hang on to; colorful pens and notecards to create fanciful instant flashcards; Post-It notes and highlighters for marking reading lines; little prizes for a job well done; and more. She’s practically a Jewish Mary Poppins, and there seems always to be something she can pull out of her bag at just the right moment.
"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater." Gail Goldwin
Teachers are our children’s future. They can touch souls and help them soar. We all have a teacher (or several, if we were lucky) we remember as particularly inspirational, one who challenged us, nudged us, or simply invited us to dream. Some of us are educators today because of the influence of one of our own teachers. Who was the teacher who had the most significant influence on your own life?
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein
How are you recognizing your teachers this year?
Here are 65 ideas for recognizing teachers in a professional setting.
Here are some additional ways to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
More ways to celebrate your team
Need some inspiration yourself? Take a look at some things students say they remember most about teachers.
And check out Google's inspirational thank you to educators.
"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." Carl Jung
