Celebrate Your Teachers on World Teachers’ Day

A teacher can do tremendous things. They inspire, challenge, uplift, support and most of all, educate. Teachers have had a tough couple of years juggling their responsibilities with maintaining classroom safety during the pandemic. This year more than ever you should show your appreciation for all their hard work. One way to do that is by recognizing them on World Teachers’ Day.

History of World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day (WTD) has been held annually on Oct. 5 since 1994. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. According to UNESCO, this Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment and teaching and learning conditions. World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with UNICEF, the International Labour Organization and Education International.

Ways to Recognize Your Teachers

The sky is the limit when it comes to recognizing your teachers on WTD. Here are some ideas.

• Hold a Recognition Assembly. Public recognition lets everyone in your school, teachers and students, take part in celebrating teachers. A short assembly, it can even consist of a game, is a great way to take time to show your teachers just how much you appreciate them.

• Ask the PTA to Bring Donuts for the Breakroom. Everyone loves a sweet treat. Reach out to your local PTO or PTA (Parent Teacher Organization or Association) and ask them to recognize their school’s teachers by providing snacks for the breakroom. 

• Send Handwritten Notes to Teachers. A simple thank you goes a long way and a handwritten thank you goes even longer! Recruit some of the administrative staff to write handwritten thank you notes to each of your teachers. Deliver the notes to each of the teachers on WTD.

• Give Your Teachers a Break. A mental health break can do wonders for anyone but especially for teachers. Hold a lottery with the winning teacher receiving a free period when you take over their class. The winner can arrange with you the class he or she wants you to take over.

• Supply Them with New EdTech. So, this might not be able to happen just on WTD, but investing in new EdTech can make your teachers’ lives much easier. The latest technology from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft EDU and Google for Education can make classroom learning more enriching and efficient. 

Arey Jones has been committed to supplying K-12 classrooms with personalized solutions from a variety of partners. We understand the unique challenges of EdTech. With over 45 years of experience working with K-12 schools, Arey Jones’ mission is to assist in the transformation of teaching and learning. We provide customized solutions that enable the creation of 21st-century learning spaces that support creativity, collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking.

Try These Webinars For Professional Development

Webinars have become a popular method for professional development and for good reason; they offer direct contact with an instructor, give you the ability to interact with an audience and save traveling time and expenses. It’s no surprise there are plenty of webinars out there to choose from.

Here is a great list, from some of the best groups, organizations and companies out there, to get you started:

• EdTechTeam, the global network of former teachers turned educational technologists, not only has live webinars educators can pre-emptively sign up for, but archived webinars from this year and past are available as well. Educators can learn “Empathy in the Classroom,” “Chromebooks as Tools for Creativity,” and “Pathway to Google Certification.”

• ASCD, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development which represents more than 114,000 educators, lists free webinars on its website that address timely and relevant topics like student engagement, classroom technology and instructional strategies. Topics include: “Building Students’ Problem-Solving Skills Through Complex Challenges,” “STEM by Choice: Embedding Career Challenges in Classrooms and Communities” and “Shifting Our Thinking About Educational Technology: How to Place Tasks Before Apps.”

• Education Week offers both free and premium webinars. If you act fast, all webinars are accessible for a limited time after the original live-streaming date. Live viewers also receive a post-event confirmation email to prove participation. Topics include: “Reducing Chronic Absenteeism With School Climate and SEL,” “Maximizing Conference ROI” and “The Role of Ed Tech and Professional Development in Driving Personalized Learning.”

• Google for Education offers several webinars to watch live and on demand on Education On Air. Just sign into your Google account and hit play. Courses include: “Integrating G Suite with Instructional Tools,” “Back to School with Google Classroom” and “Google Data Studio: Build Custom Dashboards with Ease.”

• Microsoft Learning Consultant Program is hosting a Webinar Series throughout 2018. Session topics include: “Build it, make it, know it! Design thinking with Minecraft:EE and more,” “World changers unite! Level the playing field with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Translator” and “Won’t you be my neighbor? Skype, Teams and O365 building global communities.” Additionally, past webinars are available to view by following the links attached to those topics.

Webinars are awesome and cater to all interests and budgets, i.e., free. Attend a webinar that left you inspired? Share it below!