May is Teacher Appreciation Month

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” Khalil Gibran

National Teacher Day or Appreciation week is a time for all people to celebrate those who have given of themselves, so that we may happily day, we have found a path to our own academic enhancement.

National Teacher’s Day is the Tuesday of the first full week of May. It is a day to celebrate all that teachers do, from preschool through college. Teachers not only encourage academic success, but they also help train the future citizens and leaders.

As with many days and weeks set aside to celebrate the accomplishments of a certain group or profession, National Teacher Day and Appreciation week, began with an individual with an idea, who then requested that the government make it official. In 1944, Mattye Whyte Woodridge began a campaign to have just such a day. For many years the day was celebrated in March, until the National Educational Association voted to move it to the first full week of May.

The United States is not the only country celebrating National Teacher Day. In countries all around the world, on various days of the year, there is time set aside to honor those people, who work tirelessly to educate young people year after year.

Many parent and teacher organizations around the country have banded together to really get the children involved in celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Week. Instead of a slew of store bought cookies and other sweets, many parents and children are making lunches for their teachers, hosting potlucks, making cards, arranging spring flowers.

Handmade cards and other projects allow the students to play a real role in the festivities. It allows them to express themselves and their feelings for their teacher. Allowing kids to help, strengthens that teacher student connection and teaches the children about giving back and expressing themselves

The very best teachers not only know their subject, but are passionate about sharing that knowledge. They care deeply for the children they serve and in many cases have put their love of learning and children ahead of fame and fortune.

Teachers not only spend time in the classroom but also at home, preparing lessons and staying mentally sharp and focused on their subject. Many teachers set out with deliberation to pursue this career path and other happen upon it, due to an unforeseen career change or as a means to support their own ongoing education.

Regardless of what landed teachers in the classroom, their commitment to the kids is to be honored and celebrated. Everyone can look back and remember that special teacher, who really made a difference in their lives.