Professional Learning for Busy Educators

As we kick off National Teacher Appreciation Week, individuals and communities across the United States are invited to recognize the importance of honoring teachers and their meaningful work. We absolutely should use this week to shower teachers with gratitude, words of encouragement, and gifts and experiences to acknowledge the amazing job they do.

But, this recognition need not, nor should be, limited to one week at the end of the school year. We need to harness the energy of this week of appreciation and commit to creating a culture of appreciating educators throughout the year. And we can start by ensuring that our statements and acts of appreciation are more than trivial expressions, but rather words and actions that convey the authentic value of their work, recognition of their effort, and highlight our collective dependency on their success. Shifting to a culture of action-based appreciation can occur in a variety of ways in any community throughout the year.

Creating a culture of appreciation can happen with a heightened awareness of what teachers do, small acts of gratitude, and an overall shift in how we think about the work of educators.

For Teacher Appreciation Week, a 10-year veteran reflects on what he learned about his future job from teachers he admired.