With three weeks left in our school year there is much to celebrate.  District wide goals, building level successes, and all of the small wins within each classroom have accumulated greatly as we near the conclusion of a successful school year.  Our perennial success is a result of thoughtful planning, strong leadership, supportive parents and community, and excellent students.  However, the linchpin of that success remains our talented, dedicated teachers.  While we appreciate our teachers every day, we accentuate that gratitude this week, Teacher Appreciation Week.

The idea of nationally recognizing teachers has its roots in the mid-20th century in the United States. Efforts to formally recognize educators gained national attention in the 1940s, largely due to Eleanor Roosevelt, who pushed for a dedicated day to honor teachers. In 1953, her advocacy helped lead to the first observance of National Teacher Day. Over time, this evolved into Teacher Appreciation Week, celebrated annually during the first full week of May.

The role of teachers continues to evolve.  Behavioral and academic interventions and supports, curriculum exploration and development, and student performance data review and response continue to be emphasized while traditional roles of providing engaging instruction and inspiring students to be motivated to learn remain.  The continued development and refinement of strategies and approaches demonstrates the challenge and uniqueness of the teaching profession.  Our faculty continues to grow and serve our students well.

Be sure to give our teachers thanks this week as we move forward to complete our school year!