We are in the middle of “National Teacher Appreciation Week” and many school communities are going the extra mile to show how much their teachers are appreciated.
In 1953, Eleanor Roosevelt convinced congress to recognize teachers with a specific day. Although she had the support of congress, it took another 27 years and help from the NEA (National Education Association) for congress to declare National Teacher Appreciation Day a holiday in 1980. By 1984, the National Parent Teacher Association named the entire first week of May in honor of teachers. The NEA envisions this week as an opportunity for communities to show teachers how they make a lasting impact in the lives of those they teach. (see The History Behind Teacher Appreciation Week schoolspecialty.com for the complete history)
This week, many parent association committees are making sure teachers are “spoiled” with lunches, special gifts and hand-written thank you cards. This week’s celebration compelled me to consider the latest teaching statistics. With a little research, I found interesting data to share. According to SeedScientific’s website in 2022:
- Teachers have an average working week of approximately 50 hours.
- There are around 3.7 million teachers in the US.
- An average teacher works 400 hours of overtime each year.
- 88% of people think their teachers had a significant role in their lives.
- A teacher will influence around 3,000 kids in their most important years.
(35 Teaching Statistics [2022] | SeedScientific)
Teachers have kept a “steady ship” throughout the unpredictable pandemic years, and this week of appreciation holds a little more weight for my family. I invite you to use this time to encourage your child to make a thoughtful token of appreciation for a special teacher in their life.
Regards,
Lori Solovey
Owner, LS Tutor
www.lstutors.com/team