It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’ll take the deals and freebies. The thank-you notes are even better. But this year, it’s clearer than ever that if we really want to show appreciation to teachers, systemic change has to come first. Better pay, better policies, and a system that doesn’t fuel burnout and teacher turnover. Shoutout to these fabulous teachers on Twitter and Instagram who nailed what teachers really need.
What we really want
“Truly appreciating your employees isn’t buying them lunch one week out of the year or gifting a Starbucks card,” writes Jen Manly. “It’s respecting their boundaries. Backing their kid-centered decisions. Treating them like professionals.”
Invite us in
Can we get a heck yes? Pernille Ripp sums it up with this Tweet about inviting teachers into policy discussion.
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Teacher compensation > teacher appreciation
@MrsHudsonTeaches nails it with this post about how fair compensation matters much more than appreciation. “And for those that think it’s already fair because we get ‘summers off,’ consider all the professional development sessions, meetings, school events, and sooooo many extra hours worked outside of normal contract hours.”
Pretty annoying, TBH
We feel you, @thecolemansaur.
It’s about more than bagels
“What does it mean to appreciate teachers?” asks Shana at @helloteacherlady. “It means listening. It means trusting us to do what’s best for ourselves and our students. It means treating us like the expert educators we are…Appreciating teachers is more than bagels and platitudes (although I’ll take the bagel any day, thanks). It’s respecting our judgment. It’s giving us the time and space and resources to do our jobs effectively. It’s treating us like human beings.”
A schedule that respects work/life boundaries
@MsDeckerKinder makes the case for four-day weeks, a schedule that some districts are already testing.
It starts at the voting booth
@MrsRussellsRoom makes the very valid argument that the best way to support teachers is through our civic engagement.
Pay us for the hours we actually work
No unpaid work. Repeat after @edutinker. No unpaid work ever again.
We’d love to hear. What would you add to the list of things teachers really want for teacher appreciation? Please share in the comments.
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