How to Appreciate Teachers EVERY Day

It's National Teacher Appreciation Day. Today, and once every year, our nation shows its gratitude to its teachers. This happens largely through hashtags (#ThankaTeacher) and free food. Then we go back to enforcing the policies, structures, and cultures around teaching that diminish not only how appreciated teachers feel, but also their ability to do their crucial job of helping students learn.

The National TeachStrong campaign has set out to change this. The campaign, with support across the ideological spectrum, has an ambitious goal of redesigning the education system to modernize and elevate the teaching profession. Its vision for doing so is grounded in nine principles that touch every element of the teacher pipeline, from preparation to career advancement. And it has involved teachers in designing what this future should look like. Below are videos from three TeachStrong Ambassador teachers sharing their thoughts about the teaching profession and the need to support the TeachStrong principles:

So, today, on a day where we show our gratitude to teachers, let's start by listening to teachers about where they see a need to change elements of the education system to better support them in their job every day, and then follow through with action."