Teachers do a lot. In addition to teaching the basic skills needed for life, they act as counselors, referees in disputes, points of inspiration, and include some of the hardest workers in the country.
To help celebrate National Teacher Day on May 7 this year, try some of these steps to help celebrate the teachers in your community.
Encourage Better Funding
Teachers have one of the most respected and revered professions in America. They also have one of the most underfunded, overwhelming tasks in America. And because teacher funding constantly comes up in every part of the country, the enthusiasm for constantly fighting for funding tends to dissuade many people from participating.
To celebration National Teacher Day this year, find out about efforts to help fund teachers and schools and offer to help. Even something as simple as showing up to a county government board meeting when the school budget comes up for discussion can help support better teacher funding.
Provide Good Supplies
Teachers asking for supplies can be like churches seeking donations for foreign mission trips: sometimes people provide the best, and sometimes they just use the request as an excuse to get rid of the stuff in their garage.
Good, working supplies can be invaluable to teachers everywhere, so if your child’s teacher sends home a list of supplies needed for class, see what you can do to help. You don’t need to buy everything the list, but even a box of new pencils will be welcomed.
Learn Some History
National Teacher Day became a thing way back in 1944. And since it falls on May 7, the celebration can be seen as a way to lift up teachers just as the final weeks of school arrive.
Get Involved
This piece of advice can apply throughout the entire school year, mostly because any school activities that invite parent participation can provide a chance for parents to build good relationships with the educators.
In most public schools, the teachers and school staff tend to live in the neighborhoods surrounding the school campus. Getting involved at the school can therefore provide opportunities to build and grow community relationships, which in turn provides better overall support for the teachers and students.
Getting involved can also help to stop the feelings of isolation and disconnection that so many communities struggle with in the 21st century. While the notion of spending time after work hanging out on a school campus may not seem appealing, the benefits outweigh the feelings of annoyance.
Talk About Your Educators
Most people have teachers that made a huge positive impact in their lives. Other people have horror stories about a teacher that was an absolute nightmare. And some people have memories of staff, coaches, or aides that went the extra mile in helping develop their minds and bodies.
There’s an idea that people can achieve immortality by surviving on as stories and memories. If that’s true, sharing a story about a noteworthy teacher from your past can keep them alive while providing a way to reflect on your own growth as a person.
Everyone loves a good story, especially when they can relate directly to the experience.
