In our opinion, educators have one of the hardest jobs in the country. For educators who have been navigating challenging behaviors all year and still showing up day after day, we see you. For educators that are tired and frustrated, we appreciate you. For the educators that find hope in the small wins with students, we celebrate you. We’d like to offer some easy ways to celebrate yourself and your fellow educators for Teacher Appreciation Week and all year long!
Reflect On All You’ve Been Through
With all the changes in the experience of being an educator over the last three years, we invite you to take this time to reflect on what has helped you stay grounded in this hectic, challenging work. As educators, sometimes we are running so fast to support our students and families that it is hard to find time to rest and metabolize our experiences, which is a vital aspect of processing emotions.
Treat Yourself – Discounts for Educators
Educators are don’t get paid enough! We wish we could change that on a systemic level for Teacher Appreciation Week! Until then, as we all continue to advocate for systemic change, maybe check out these special discounts and deals for educators. Target run, anyone?
Share Appreciation with Your Co-Workers
Whether at a staff meeting or informally during lunch, make an effort to thank your fellow educators for showing up for kids day in and day out. Try to be specific in your appreciations – perhaps your co-worker/friend watched your class, or shared notes about a complicated lesson plan. School communities are interconnected and everyone relies on one another to thrive, so give voice to the ways this shows up in your school. If you need some ideas, check out this list of what educators around the country appreciated about each other.
Here’s an idea to incorporate appreciation all year round – have all staff members’ names in a hat, and at the beginning of each staff meeting, an educator can pick one name out for fellow educators to shout out appreciations for that person. This way, all educators are appreciated by multiple people throughout the year. Here are more ideas about how to incorporate teacher appreciation into your school community year-round.
We hope that you have felt the love this Teacher Appreciation Week! The BELONG Partners community cares about you and thanks you for all you do to support young people.