Teacher Appreciation Week is a dedicated time to show the teachers and educators in our communities our deep gratitude for their hard work. Teacher Appreciation Week is a good time to learn about their needs and advocate for them by engaging and communicating with lawmakers. How can you get involved? Within this post, you will learn:

• When is Teacher Appreciation Week?
• History of Teacher Appreciation Week
• How to Say Thank You to Your Teachers
• How to Advocate for Teachers
• A Special Thanks

When is Teacher Appreciation Week?

Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 is May 6-10, with Teacher Appreciation Day falling on Tuesday, May 7. In the United States, Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated annually during the first full week of May, with Tuesday designated as the special Teacher Appreciation Day for honoring teachers. 

May 1-5, 2023

May 6-10, 2024

May 5-9, 2025

May 4-8, 2026

History of Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Day started as a grassroots movement by a teacher with a motivated spirit and determined goals. In the 1940s, Arkansas teacher Mattye White Woodbridge wanted her and her colleagues to be acknowledged and respected by the communities they served. There was no dedicated day or time to advocate for the rights of teachers, so she took it in her own hands. She wrote and sent letters to politicians and those working in education, requesting a day of appreciation and acknowledgment for educators in the country. Woodbridge was requesting from lawmakers a national day of observance and advocacy for higher pay, better benefits, and greater respect.

Within a few years, Eleanor Roosevelt got word of the grassroots movement requesting a day of appreciation for teachers. Prior to becoming First Lady, Elanor Roosevelt had been a teacher herself, and she found personal connection with the movement. With her backing, in 1953 a joint resolution to establish an annual Teacher Appreciation Day was passed by the 81st Congress. The first Tuesday of March each year was to be Teacher Appreciation Day. In the 1980s Teacher Appreciation Day was extended to a weeklong celebration to be observed towards the end of the school year in May. 

How to Say Thanks

There are countless ways to thank your teacher. Create a video of students saying what they appreciate about their teachers. Show the video in class during Teacher Appreciation Week, or share on social media, following your local school social media guidelines. Or you can take a more analog approach and write handwritten thank-you notes to your teachers. 

Get creative and decorate. Decorate your teacher’s classroom or the outside of their door. Search for “Teacher Appreciation Week Decorating” on Pinterest for ideas.

Have a party, small or large. It is fun to give your teacher a portable party on a trolley with snacks and decorations. Browse creative Themed Party Packages for ideas or purchase online. You can also think big. Some schools even have assemblies and parades!

Be an involved student. Arrive on time to class and complete your work. This shows your teacher that you are ready to learn and that you respect their time. 

Complete the end-of-term surveys provided by the school or university. These surveys present an excellent opportunity to commend your instructor to their superiors. The most helpful comments are those that include specific details about the aspects of the course or teaching methods that were particularly beneficial to you.

How to Advocate for Teachers

Teacher Appreciation Week isn’t just about showing gratitude; it’s also about advocating for the rights of teachers. Employment issues like pay, healthcare, and school safety are among the issues faced in the classroom to which policy changes are needed. 

1. Learn about the issues
   Get educated on the teacher’s needs and issues through the California Teachers Association. See what acts and policies are promoted by The American Federation of Teachers. Learn about employment rights and pay through the National Educators Association. Search your state teacher’s union or associations to see what local issues are being addressed. Get educated and make the choices you think are best.
2. Reach out
   Write to your elected representatives. Writing to legislators is the best clear and direct way to make your voice heard. It was precisely through this method that Teacher Appreciation Week was first established 80 years ago. Research the issues at the links above. Find your legislator at this website.  The ACLU has helpful tips on how to write the most efficient letter.
3. Join a Group
   The Parent Teacher Association, or PTA, is an organized nationwide group of parents, teachers, and community leaders advocating for children in the classroom. They follow the guidelines and rules of the national association, and a portion of the funds they raise supports nationwide initiatives and programs. They are more involved in policy change than a PTO.
   The Parent Teacher Organization, abbreviated as PTO, functions independently within the school or district, addressing issues local to one school. These are community-led initiatives, and are more involved in their local school than beyond their district.
4. Shop the teacher’s marketplace.
   Teachers Pay Teachers is an online marketplace for educational resources for teachers, by teachers. It empowers educators to increase their earnings by selling resources that they create. The website is a community of 7 million educators across the world supporting one another and addressing the needs of their students through collaboration and educator-created learning content. Search the marketplace for decorations, educational resources, games, and more.
5. Promote internet safety
   Promote safe browsing through ASTROSafe, a safe internet browser for schools, through which teachers can monitor and restrict their student’s internet access. ASTROSafe makes it easy for students to safely explore the internet, so that teachers can be confident that their students are safe and focused online.
6. Ask them
   Ask your teachers what you can do to thank or support them. 

A Special Thanks

To our incredible teachers, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the countless early mornings, the late nights, and the dedicated weekends you devote to our education. We appreciate your unwavering support, your invaluable guidance, your creativity, and your motivation. We acknowledge and value the meticulous planning, patience, and preparation you invest in shaping our futures. We know it isn’t easy navigating parental dynamics and our complex social and political climate. We acknowledge the difficulty in keeping campus safe. We believe you deserve fair wages, healthcare and retirement benefits, proper funding, and parental and community support. Thank you for helping shape the future generation.

For more resources, check out Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 and Teacher Appreciation Day Resources - PTO Today