We Thank You

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and May 3^rd is Teacher Appreciation Day.  We, at the American Immigration Council, thank you for the work you do each and every day. 

We thank you for the times you stayed late grading papers, which you could have done at home, but you didn’t  because one of your students told you he needed a quiet place to study.  We thank you for getting there early (really early) just to make sure the room was set up perfectly for the lesson. We thank you for getting excited about creating that interactive, meaningful lesson -- “my kids are going to love this!” We thank you for waiting at the classroom door and greeting students no matter how tired you might be. We thank you for keeping that extra box of granola bars in your desk for the child who didn’t eat breakfast. We thank you for calling home to a parent whose child you were concerned about during your brief lunch break while helping a group of students work on an assignment in your room as you were checking in with a colleague on their day. Most especially, we thank you for your commitment to talking with your students about the values of social justice, fairness, and diversity through the lens of immigration. We thank you for investigating materials and lessons that not only improve your students’ reading and writing, but that truly teaches them these values. We thank you for being present for students and their families every day.

In honor of you and all whom you inspire, please read this note President Obama penned on the impact of his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Hefty*.  Know that your influence is extraordinary and appreciated.

For those of us who aren’t teachers, perhaps this is an opportunity to take the time to personally thank a teacher this week or chose one of these 65 ways to recognize the hard work of teachers all year long. Additionally, you can also acknowledge the contribution a teacher has made by tweeting about an impactful teacher with the hashtag #ThankATeacher.

Thank you again for the work you do every day! Please stay connected with us via our classroom blog and our website with lessons, resources, contests, and grants to #teachimmigration. If you are teaching about immigration, let us know about it by sending us an email or a tweet. We’d love to highlight your work! Follow us on twitter @ThnkImmigration.

*Fifth grade teachers, please keep in mind our annual, nationwide “Celebrate America” Creative Writing Contest for next year’s class. Find out about how to enter here. We’d love to have you join us and to read your students’ writing!