Would you be where you are today, without the teachers in your life who encouraged, inspired and believed in you? I know I would not be. I considered being a teacher – who does not love the idea of getting out of work by three every day and having summers off? What I didn’t see was the countless hours in the evenings, weekends and yes – even during the summer, that teachers spend developing their lesson plans, researching information that will interest the student that may not be engaging and reaching out to parents and students. I cannot be the only parent who has received an email from a teacher at 9pm or on a Saturday afternoon. Let us not forget the parents who are homeschooling their children. Teacher appreciation week is for you too! My hat is off to you. Not only are you mom, or dad and doing all the many things that come with it; you have chosen the two hardest jobs in the world!
Teachers spend six hours a day with our children, they know them well and genuinely care about them. They are sad that they did not get to say goodbye to their students. They are finding creative ways to provide the services and supports that they can right now, with little guidance, while worrying that they are not doing enough.
Here are some ideas to recognize the teachers in your life:
- Send a thank you card telling them all the ways that they have impacted your child’s learning.
- Have your child draw or color a picture for their teacher.
- Create a certificate of appreciation.
- Create a video, thanking your child’s teacher and email to them.
- Share social media posts using the hashtag #ThankATeacher
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.