This week is teacher appreciation week, and it is a time to say thank you to all the teachers who help students learn and grow. Teachers work hard every day to support and guide their students, and this week is a chance for everyone to show how much they care and are thankful. It’s a special time to celebrate everything teachers do, so let’s learn a bit about the celebration.

The beginnings of teacher appreciation week can be traced back to 1953, by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor was a teacher at Todhunter School for Girls in New York City, so she had a soft spot for all of the hardworking teachers in our nation. Apart from being a teacher herself, she greatly loved those who taught her in the past, and felt they deserved some sort of recognition. As an advocate for civil justice and duty, she decided to place National Teacher Appreciation day on May 6th. Pre-1953, some schools recognized national teacher appreciation day, but it wasn’t an official thing, and Eleanor was determined to change that. She stood up to congress to fight for teacher appreciation in 1953, and that’s when the country came to an official consensus about the holiday. After Roosevelt’s efforts, the National Education Association (NEA), along with the Kansas and Indiana State Boards of Education, began to work together to ask Congress to officially recognize the day. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, the day wasn’t truly recognized until 1980. When it first started, National Teachers' Day was celebrated on March 7. In 1984, the date was changed to May, which has been the same since. For a while, it was just the one day, but thanks to the National Parent Teacher Association, it was lengthened to an entire week, which is pretty exciting. 

Extra Facts

• World Teacher’s Day and National Teacher’s day are two different things. World Teacher’s day is celebrated on October 5, and was selected by UNESCO in 1994. This day is significant because it was the day countries agreed on rules to support teachers and protect their rights.

•  Across the world, different countries have different days and reasons to celebrate Teacher’s Day. This chart from the National Today, is a clearly shows how different countries celebrate the holiday:

• A fun tradition that comes with teacher appreciation week is the gifts that teachers receive. Students celebrate their teachers by sending cards and mugs to support them, and show them how much they appreciate their hard work.

The Hard work of Teachers

• The average teacher spends about $500 of their own money each year on classroom supplies.

• There are over 3 million teachers in the United States!

• Teachers work an average of 10 extra hours a week outside of school time.

• Some schools celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week with theme days, like “Dress Like a Teacher Day” or “Favorite Book Character Day.”

Ways To Participate:

• Write a thank-you note or card to your favorite teacher.

• Create a group video or slideshow with your class sharing kind messages.

• Bring a small gift like a flower, snack, or handmade craft!

• Simply say “thank you” and tell them why you appreciate them!

• Donate to funds which support public school teachers!!

• For example, The National Education Association (NEA) works to improve public education and ensure every student has a chance to succeed. You can support this mission by donating to the NEA PAC, which helps elect leaders who support public schools, or by giving to the NEA Foundation, a top-rated charity that funds programs to help educators and schools. Click here to donate: https://www.nea.org/join-our-movement/donate