About National Teacher Appreciation Day
Teacher appreciation week is a national holiday celebrated as a way to honor teachers across America. This holiday always takes place during the first full week of May. But the official day is Tuesday of the celebrated week.
The official history of Teacher Appreciation Week can be dated back to 1953. The theory states that Mattye Whyttee Woolbridge, along with other educators, worked to form a day of honor for teachers.
She began to write to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in order to gain her attention. Eleanor Roosevelt agreed with this idea and took it to Congress.
Roosevelt gained support, but it took an additional 27 years for it to become a national holiday.
In 1980 the National Education Association lobbied to Congress to make an official day for teacher recognition.
Sponsored by the National Education Association, Teacher Day falls during the National PTA's Teacher Appreciation Week. Local communities and organizations are encouraged to use this opportunity to honor those who influence and inspire the next generation through their work. Annually, the Tuesday of the first week in May.
From The American Presidency Project, Proclamation 5593—National Year of the Teacher and National Teacher Appreciation Day, “When Henry Adams wrote, ‘A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,’ he expressed a sentiment that any student could share. Teachers help us learn to read, to write, and to count-and how to study. By word and example, teachers impart moral and civic values. During our most formative and impressionable years, teachers help us understand ourselves and the world around us.”
From The American Presidency Project, Proclamation 10195—National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, 2021, “As the proud husband of an educator who continues, as First Lady, to teach writing at a community college, I have seen firsthand the dedication, selflessness, and vision of our Nation's educators. They play so many different roles: They are mentors who guide with creativity and care; advocates who fight for students' needs; role models who help students dream and dare more boldly; and leaders who tirelessly support the families and communities that depend on them. Every day, with every student they reach, educators build the future of our country, and we are grateful for their commitment to our shared future. This National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, we honor the service and passion and celebrate the immeasurable contributions of our Nation's educators in schools from coast to coast.”
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