Teacher Appreciation week is coming up! May 6, 2008

For the past 15 years, communities across the United States have set aside the first full week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week, with the first Tuesday being the National Teacher Appreciation Day. Celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May, the actual date varies each year. In 2008, National Teacher Day takes place May 6.  During this special week, students and administration are encouraged to award their teachers with well-deserved gifts of thanks.

History:

The origins of National Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

NEA, along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City (Kan.) Local, lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only.

NEA and its affiliates continued to observe National Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

Here are some great heart felt/ low cost ideas to help recognize and appreciate your teachers.

visit the nea website for great downloads and ideas: http://www.nea.org/teacherday/active.html

Plan a small gift or event every day during teacher Appreciation week.  Remember that the attitude of gratitude is contagious.  So make each symbol of recognition as prominent and special as you can.

• Decorate Teachers’ Doors with Construction Paper posters with a positive quote or expression of appreciation.
• Offer Coffee Tea and other special snacks and treats in the teachers lounge all week long.

• Have an appropriate poem or rap ,that expresses Teacher appreciation, recited over the PA System during Announcements

• Deliver goodies and gifts to the teachers in their class rooms for added effect and for other students to see and model
• Have a special message to the teachers from the principal spoken over the PA system during announcement time.
• Call a popular local radio station and ask the DJ to dedicate an appropriate song to the teachers at _________High School.  Have the broadcast recorded and played during PA Announcements.
• Do a teacher scavenger hunt where students find clues about each teacher and are entered in a drawing for getting all the answers correct.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 7:54 pm and is filed under Staff Recognition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.