5/4/15 Thank A Teacher! Facts and Fun for Teacher Appreciation Week

At Safe and Sound, we often highlight the role teachers play in keeping our children safe (only a few of us are teachers…really). This week though, we tip our hats to America’s dedicated teachers for ALL that they do to foster the development of America’s future leaders, business owners, workers, professionals, parents, and citizens!

We celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week nationally this week, May 4-8, and National Teacher Day on May 5. And while cute mugs, crafty cards, and colorful plants are often the staples of our thankful gestures, a spoken thank you or handwritten note can mean all the world to your favorite teacher (trust me).

According to the National Education Association (NEA), the origin of National Teacher Day is estimated to be around 1944, when Arkansas teacher Mattye White Woodridge began advocating among political and educational leaders for a national day to honor teachers. One of those leaders was none other than Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953, persuaded Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day that year. Since then, the NEA has continued to promote National Teacher Day each year and persistently lobbied Congress to proclaim a national day to honor teachers each year.

Of course, teacher appreciation doesn’t have to be limited to one day or a week per year!  Still, National Teacher Day and Teacher Appreciation Week do serve as great reminders that dedicated teachers deserve our thanks.  And who doesn’t love to make their teacher smile?

So this week, we ask you to join us in honoring and celebrating our nation’s teachers. Check out our ideas below for showing the special teachers in your school community how glad you are for their hard work.  Here’s to all the teachers who go above and beyond for the education and safety of our children every day!  Thank you!

<img decoding="async" class=" size-large wp-image-2592 aligncenter lazyload" src="https://safeandsoundschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Teacher-Day-Option-2-5-789x1024.jpeg" alt="Teacher Day - Option 2-5" width="789" height="1024" />

–Michele Gay, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Safe and Sound:  A Sandy Hook Initiative

#schoolsafety #teacher #teacherappreciation