It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers all over the country change the lives of millions of children every day. And in yet another year of challenges, our teachers’ immense work, creativity, and resilience have provided a much-needed sense of community and connection to our young people. Educators across America are working hard to ensure every student has the tools they need to reach their full potential.

The history of Teacher Appreciation Week dates back to the 1950s when a teacher named Mattye Whyte Woodridge began the movement to establish a national day to honor teachers. In 1953, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to set aside a day to recognize teachers. Back then, it was just a single day of recognition.  However, due to the overwhelming support for honoring teachers, the National Education Association (NEA) successfully lobbied to turn it into a full week in 1986. Today, Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated annually during the first full week of May, with Teacher Appreciation Day falling on the Tuesday of that week.

This year, in 2024, Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated from May 6—10, with Teacher Appreciation Day falling on May 7. To celebrate this year, here is a message from Becky Pringle, President of the NEA. “Educators, you are leading the way. Guiding and protecting; nurturing and supporting our precious students all across this nation. Every day, all day, you provide our students with the tools they need to build a future that will help them live into their wildest dreams,” Pringle says.

Teachers, know that you are loved and appreciated! Have a wonderful day, this week and every week!

Teacher Appreciation Day 2024 is coming up on Tuesday., May 7! It’s not too early to think about gifting your colleagues or your child’s teachers with a little something to show your appreciation for all their hard work in the classroom. When trying to decide just the right gift, consider copies of my books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. Each volume is packed with inspirational stories about remarkable educators in American history and the historical implications of their pioneering work.

Among the captivating stories in Chalkboard Champions is the story of Charlotte Forten Grimke, an African American born into freedom who volunteered to teach emancipated slaves as the Civil War raged around her. Read the eyewitness account of the Wounded Knee massacre through the eyes of teacher Elaine Goodale Eastman, and educator Mary Tsukamoto, imprisoned in a WWII Japanese internment camp. Read about Mississippi Freedom Summer teacher Sandra Adickes who, together with her students, defied Jim Crow laws to integrate the Hattiesburg Public Library. Marvel at the pioneering work of Anne Sullivan Macy, the teacher of Helen Keller, the efforts of teacher Clara Comstock to find homes for thousands of Orphan Train riders, and the dedication of Jaime Escalante, the East LA educator who proved to that inner city Latino youths could successfully meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum.

In Chalkboard Heroes, read about dedicated educators who were heroes both inside and outside of the classroom, including WWI veteran Henry Alvin Cameron and Civil War veteran Francis Wayland Parker. Learn about teachers who were social reformers such as Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights activist Robert Parris Moses, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, and Native American rights advocate Zitkala-Sa, all of whom put themselves at risk to fight for improved conditions for disenfranchised citizens. Discover brave pioneers who took great risks to blaze a trail for others to follow such as Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; Willa Brown Chappell, the aviatrix who taught Tuskegee airmen to fly; Etta Schureman Jones, the Alaskan teacher who was interned in a POW camp in Japan during WWII; and Olive Mann Isbell, who established the first English school in California while the Mexican american War raged around her.

All these remarkable stories and more can be shared with someone you know this year on Teacher Appreciation Day!