The month of May has arrived, and whether you’re merry or at the brink of sending out a Mayday, the end of the school year is upon us.
If you are in the midst of state testing or working with students on culminating projects, you may not have had time to notice that today kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week. We hope that you have felt appreciated the entire school year for doing what could be the toughest (and most rewarding) job on the planet.
To all you teachers, thank you for your hard work and dedication, your constant commitment to learning new skills and continually keeping up with current research on how to teach children, for caring so much for your students and responding to their diverse needs, for staying late to create the best classroom environment possible, for collaborating with your peers, adjusting to new standards and testing methods, solving problems every day, being creative in your solutions and teaching style, and simply for walking into your classroom every morning. Your students need you.
If the year were condensed into this particular week (Teacher Appreciation, remember?), you’d be constantly aware of the immeasurable value of the work to which you have dedicated your time, energy, and talent. But how many times do you hear “thank you” throughout the year? When have students, parents, or colleagues expressed their gratitude prior to this last-minute occasion? We’d like to hear about the times when they did, and invite you to share those truly special moments that make you 100 percent certain it’s all worthwhile.
For author and nationally renowned education consultant Dr. Anita Archer, one of those moments happened as she was walking back to her car after doing a demonstration REWARDS® lesson at a high school. A sophomore followed her out the door to tell her, “I didn’t want to say this in front of my friends, but thank you; I can finally read.”
Another powerful moment was shared with us by Dr. Ebony T. Lee, K–12 coordinator of English Language Arts and Media Services at Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia. While implementing LANGUAGE!® Live this school year, Dr. Lee reported that one student commented, “You know, after being in here [LANGUAGE! Live], the stuff in the other classes is starting to make sense.”
What have your students said to you that tugged at your heartstrings and kept you going? In honor of the hard work you do every day to make a positive impact on students’ lives, we invite you to share with us your story of a time when a student’s thoughtful words meant the world to you.
Post your story on Facebook during Teacher Appreciation Week, and get inspired by testimonials from fellow educators. The teacher who gets the most “Likes” at the end of the week will win a $50 VISA gift card. Just a very small token of our appreciation for the very big difference you make!
Thank you.
