Students are rushing into school, but they are not the only ones—teachers are also entering the building, dedicating hours both in and out of the classroom preparing instructional materials, grading assignments and helping students understand new concepts.
Students can show gratitude for their teachers’ dedication during Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs from May 4-8. National Teacher Day also falls during this week, celebrated on May 5. The inspiration for this holiday originated in 1944 when Arkansas school teacher Mattye White Woodbridge wrote to politicians and educational professionals about the demand for a day to appreciate teachers. It was almost a decade before this idea was able to reach Congress with the support of Eleanor Roosevelt and was adopted in 1953.
“Teachers are a huge part of the school and the community,” PTSA president Marcela Rivera said. “They help our students build that path, and they [make] a big impact in students’ lives, so being able to thank them for what they do is really important.”
To prepare for Teacher Appreciation Week, PTSA held a Thank You Card Writing Party on April 30 to have students fill cards with handwritten messages. These cards will be distributed to teachers’ mailboxes during the week.
“Having the students engage just gives that extra little detail of appreciation,” Rivera said. “Students are actually filling this out and putting it in their words that they thank them for what they do.”
In addition to that, PTSA will have a Snack and Treat Station that will be filled all week long so teachers can grab something they would like. There are other ways students can show how much their teachers mean to them, such as being respectful and courteous.
“When I’m in class, I show the teachers that I respect them and I’m actually listening because being interruptive or not listening, I feel that’s really disrespectful,” freshman Ree Devkota said. “They’re working long hours at school, and they’re taking care of 30 kids in a class, and I feel like that’s really hard. They’re basically raising the next generation, so we should appreciate that.”
Beyond this, students can give thanks by assisting their teacher with any classroom duties or giving them gifts. However, showing gratitude isn’t only limited to this week. According to 7 Mindsets, students should make it a habit to acknowledge teachers’ hard work and dedication. This reinforcement can build a positive environment that contributes to higher levels of job satisfaction, engagement and retention.
“Kids who really want to show their appreciation, in addition to talking to me, they’ll write me letters, give me a small gift or even maybe their parents will email me,” English teacher Cynthia Yoon said. “I’m like ‘Oh, okay that’s cute’ or ‘That’s nice of you.’ It is worth having these teacher appreciation weeks or days because it’s a reminder to think about the people who had an impact on you, and you want to give them props for everything they did.”
