All About Teachers Appreciation Week - Dates, History, Event Theme & Gift Ideas

Teachers' Appreciation Week is a week-long celebration held in the month of May. The dates vary from year to year but the exact time period in 2023 stretches from May 1st to May 7th, 2023, and finally, May 7th is celebrated as Teachers Appreciation Day. During this long celebration, the teachers receive extra credits that they have earned. Teachers Appreciation day is the big day in this week-long celebration.

On this day, we appreciate and value our teachers who dedicate their time, effort, patience, and expertise to impart their knowledge to us. This day is celebrated by gifting teachers with printable certificates, social media kits, contests, and multiple teachers appreciation week deals and attractive freebies. For more information, just jump into this Happy Teacher Appreciation Week Guide and gather the details right from history to teachers' appreciation week ideas.

Teacher Appreciation Week Guide

Read this Teacher Appreciation Week Guide to know more about this great event on teachers and show your gratitude towards your gurus’ this week by gifting or writing your feelings in a card. Need any gift ideas or event theme ideas for Teacher Appreciation Day? Dive into the below modules without any further delay.

History of Teachers Appreciation Week

Teaching being one of the oldest professions, it carries with it the age-old reputation of the school being the next home and the teachers playing the role of your guardians who influence you a lot through your childhood and adolescence. Confucius of ancient Greece was the first private teacher recorded in history.

By the 19th century, the politicians believed that education was necessary to sustain political order. Thus, from elementary, till college education was spread widely. This is how the teaching profession became so demanding and popular ever since. It was in 1944 that Teachers Appreciation Day was first heard of when an Arkansas School teacher, Mattye White Woodridge, talked to politicians and educational institutions about the need for such a day.

But, the Teacher Appreciation Day most probably originated in 1953 after Eleanor Roosevelt convinced the lawmakers of the 81st Congress to adopt the first Teacher Appreciation Day. Later, Kansas and Indiana state affiliates along with the NEA convinced the Congress, and was finally celebrated on March 7 in the year 1980. Later, in 1985, the one-day celebration was transformed into a week-long celebration during the first week of May. Also Read: Educational theorists

Why Should We Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day?

Teachers face challenges on a daily basis in their mission to build a better future for today’s youth. No student is the same and each one of them has a different set of requirements when it comes to nurturing and teaching them. More often than most, teachers have to plan ahead, sort the syllabus, draw out teaching methods, and even prepare themselves for offering extra help to students in need.

This is why we need to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day. On this auspicious day, we need to make teachers feel supported and encouraged for the god work they do. Teaching is a profession that demands passion, effort, interest, time, and dedication. It is time-taking and challenging. Unlike students, teachers don’t have off days.

They cannot take holidays and even when they are home, they are probably working on school work. So, they deserve a day full of mental wellness, love, and support; more so after the pandemic struck and teaching school kids was harder than ever. Teachers are our life shapers. They have a lot to contribute to our growing up process.

Therefore, we should be grateful for all the hard work they put into this. Teacher Appreciation Week is your time to return the love they bestowed on you every single day and express your gratitude towards them. Do Check: Why is education important

Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Ideas Guide

It is indeed confusing to make out what teachers exactly would love to have as gifts on this special day. You can do many things but here are some extraordinary teachers’ appreciation week ideas we have jotted down. This lists states some gift ideas -

  1. Appreciative handwritten notes for the teachers: A thoughtful and inspiring handwritten note goes a long way in expressing your gratitude to your teacher. They probably do not receive positive feedback as often as students do but remember teachers also need to feel supported to go on with their profession.
  2. A Gift from the entire class: A group ‘thank-you’ video or personalized items/artwork shows thoughtfulness and will be within the budget as well. Students can get very creative with this as well.
  3. Books: Gifting books to your teacher is the safest bet you can have. A book gift can’t go wrong. Make sure to choose books based on your teacher’s preference.
  4. Gift Cards: A Gift Card is a lovely present. A gift card can belong to your local supermarket or for e-shopping or a spa day.
  5. School supplies: School supplies such as copies, pens, pencils, highlighters, erasures, rulers, etc can also be gifted as a big hamper to your teachers. This would save them a lot of excess expense.
  6. A thoughtful email: In the pandemic months, it was impossible to deliver any thoughtful presents physically. In such trying times, a simple thoughtful mail would go a long way in making your teacher happy.
  7. Bookmarks: Bookmarks come with interesting quotations and pictures. You can personalize them and maybe, dedicate your own thoughts in that bookmark. This will be a gift that she will cherish.
  8. Personalized stickers: If you are looking for an entertaining gift, personalize some stickers through cartoon figures of your teachers. If this is permissible in your institution, by all means, get to it!
  9. Gift Flowers: Flowers can never make a poor impression. Select an impressive bouquet and give it to your teacher. It will freshen her mood and will momentarily take her stress away.

Teachers Appreciation Week 2022 Theme Ideas

List of activities or events students can plan to show gratitude to teachers -

  1. Plan a special breakfast buffet or lunch for the teachers and staff of your school. You can also invite parents and school board members if there is enough space and workforce to handle a big-scale event.
  2. Planning indoor or outdoor games is always an exciting way to spend the day. You can plan outdoor picnics or organize an indoor event where students express gratitude to teachers through their artform.
  3. Planning an award ceremony is an exemplary idea. You can spot the unique quirk of your teacher and craft an award that goes to that specific quirk and elaborate on how it influenced the lives of their students.
  4. Participating in community support is also a great way to express your gratitude.
  5. There’s nothing more exciting than entering a classroom decorated only for you. When your teacher arrives, he or she will be elated.
  6. If it is possible, involve your parents to show your gratitude. Let them also participate in the events the class organizes. This builds a bond between the parents and the teacher.
  7. You can also plant trees in the school’s vicinity to honor your school teachers and their values.

FAQs on Teacher Appreciation Day 2022 Ideas

1. How do you celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week?

This article has listed a gazillion of gift ideas and event plans to celebrate teacher appreciation week and make your teacher feel happy, encouraged & supported.

2. When is the teacher's appreciation week?

Teacher’s appreciation week approx dates are during the 1st week of May. The celebration lasts for a week. The dates vary every year.

3. What do you send a teacher for Appreciation week?

You can send gift hampers individually or as a class. You can gift her books, gift cards, bookmarks, cute handwritten notes, and other gifts that you think are thoughtful and creative.

4. What should we do for Teacher Appreciation week virtually?

You can write your teacher an inspiring email and present a virtual meetup where you can celebrate it as an online event or you can surprise your teacher with a group thank you session or videos. You can loop up tons of virtual gifting ideas online.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this article provided you with the necessary information on Teacher Appreciation Week Guide and what it entails. To read up further on various topics, go to our site onlinestemdegrees.com. You will find several other academic celebrations and education-related blogs.