Teacher Appreciation Day: Thank You to Our Teachers

Teachers have one of the toughest jobs out there – a job that’s incredibly demanding and often thankless. But today, we want take a special moment to thank all of our teachers, and in particular, a few who made an indelible mark on the lives of Frontline Education employees.

Give a shout-out to your own favorite teacher!

School & District Leaders – holding on to great teachers is a tough challenge for many schools. Many educators say what impacts their decision to stay or go the most is the support, growth and development opportunities they are receiving.

How can you help teachers feel appreciated and supported, not just today, but all year long?

Here’s some additional reading on teacher support you may enjoy:
5 Lessons for Creating Positive Change Through Coherent Teacher Evaluation
Eluding the Elusiveness of Retention: How to Keep Your Great Performers
3 Non-traditional Professional Learning Ideas for Teachers
5 Ways to Reduce Burnout for Special Education Teachers

Transcript

Darryl Shafer

“Mr. Miller, I spent the last 2 years of high school learning algebra 2 and advanced math from you. And you were always patient, accepting and encouraging. I have very fond memories all these years since. Thank you for encouraging my love of math in your class.”

Kristen Graff

“My shout out goes to Mr. Holmberg, who was my Social Studies teacher at Naperville Central High School. … I remember one day after class, I asked how he traveled around the world so much, and he told me just to do it. Well, I’ve been to ten countries, and I’ll be going to my 11th country later this Summer. So, thank you Mr. Holmberg for teaching me a life-long lesson.”

Emily Quebedeaux

“Mrs. Zylak, I was lucky enough to have you for both kindergarten and 4th grade. You approached education as a form of creativity. Learning was a hands-on experience where mistakes were all a part of the process. Every day was a new and different way of looking at the world, and I still carry that with me to this day.”

Mitch Annis    

“Mr. Keating was the Science teacher… he was a great person. When I had a chance to take Horticulture with him, I got to work on the greenhouse on the roof of our high school, and he taught me so much about how to cultivate, and care for these plants, all the different types of plants, and that blew me away. It was such a fun, hands on experience, I still have some of the plants that we planted together in that greenhouse in high school, growing in my house, which is crazy. It’s just crazy to think about how long that moment has endured through time to where I am today.”

Borzou (Bo) Motlagh

Thank you, Mr. Whitcomb, for teaching me so much about music and really just being a solid part of my childhood. … Your lessons taught me discipline, rhythm, the ability to present in public and the knowledge that I can really do anything that I want to. As I studied engineering and science and philosophy, I always felt that I had an edge because of my understanding of music and music theory – and that’s largely because of you. So, thank you.”

Neal Zeleznak  

“My favorite teacher was Mr. Gresk. He’s a high school Science teacher. … He would always just be this funny, off the wall guy, and really got you laughing every day, and got me interested in Science for the first time, that’s for sure. I remember one time, he dropped a bunch of gummy bears on the floor, and still ate them to demonstrate the human body’s immune system, and how strong it was. To this day, I still eat gummy bears if I drop them on the ground. So, thank you very much, Mr. Gresk.””

Juliet Correll   

“Mrs. Millette, you were a phenomenal teacher and my all-time personal favorite. I was so lucky to have you for two years for AP US History. And I know I rolled my eyes once or twice, because I felt like you were pushing me and pushing me… and I don’t remember every date and detail that you taught us, but you taught me how to write, and I have been forever grateful for that. Thank you so much.”