It is National Teacher Appreciation Week and there is no better time to show the teachers in your life how valuable they are your children’s academic success and overall development!
I once considered becoming a teacher (Who doesn’t; love the idea of getting out of work by 3 PM every day and long summer vacations?!). What I didn’t see before becoming a parent was the countless hours, evenings, weekends, and yes, even summers, teachers spend developing lesson plans, researching ways to engage struggling students, and reaching out to parents and students to stay connected. I am certain you too have received an email from a teacher at 9 PM on a weeknight or even on a Saturday afternoon. (And let us not forget parents who are homeschooling their children…Teacher appreciation week is for you too! 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 at least six hours a day with their students. They know our children well, in some ways better than we do, and they genuinely care about them. The relationship teachers have with students are special and often life changing (I hold a special place in my heart for more than one teacher who believed in me when I didn’t!). Teacher Appreciation Week is a great opportunity to thank the teachers in your life and let them know how important they are to you and your children.
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
Special COVID-19 Note: Learning to navigate daily life under state and local “Stay in Place” orders has left many parents with a deeper appreciation for the teachers in their lives, teachers who have been forced, in some cases overnight, to adapt their ideas and lessons to all-online learning platforms. They are working hard to provide whatever services and supports they can to students who are missing friends and familiar routines and are struggling with fear and uncertainty (Students who relied on school meal programs might also be facing hunger). We send a special thank you to teachers everywhere for accepting, adapting, and continuing to be here for our kids through these trying times!
To all the teachers in our community, PWSA (USA) thanks you! Every day you show us we are #StrongerTogether!
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.