Teacher Appreciation Week in 2020 will look different than it ever has before, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be filled with celebration, gratitude and love for our teachers. In the past several weeks, parents and caretakers have moved into roles as educators and have a newfound respect for the patience, thoughtfulness, creativity, organization and resilience teachers demonstrate on a daily basis.
Many teachers are now caring for their own children while continuing to support their students at a distance. The quick shift they made to online learning, implementing new technology platforms, schedules and communication systems, could have taken years. Even with families of their own, many did it in a matter of days.
We know that teachers deserve our gratitude every moment of every day, but if there was ever a time to shower our educators with love, it is now.
Here are 5 easy and free ways to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week 2020.
Compose a group poem.
Send an email out to all the staff in your community with the sentence starter:”Our teachers are….” Encourage everyone to “reply all” with a word or phrase that expresses gratitude for your school teachers. At the end of the week, have someone compile all the responses into one document to share with your community.
Throw a virtual party.
We’re transitioning practically every other part of our day to Zoom, why not a party as well? You might organize some fun online games, or simply play music and have a virtual dance party. You could also look into hosting a virtual workout class – maybe Zumba for a high energy dance party or yoga for an opportunity to slow down and reset.
Create a “gratitude” playlist.
Have every staff member send in a song that reminds them of a teacher in the school that they are grateful for. Compile all of the songs on a Spotify or YouTube playlist and share out with your teachers.
Encourage students to express gratitude.
Students are missing their teachers and would love to have an opportunity to reach out. Students could draw a picture, create a card, make a poem, compose a song, or write a letter. With most communication happening digitally, it may be quickest and easiest to attach photos or recordings to an email. Compile everything you’ve received into a presentation at the end of the week so that it can be shared out with your entire school community!
Start a Teacher Appreciation Week Flipgrid.
Start a Flipgrid for your school community to post messages of gratitude to your teachers. Encourage students, parents, colleagues and friends to post. Teachers can watch the videos, see friendly faces, and feel all the love.
Show us how your school is celebrating #TeacherAppreciationWeek2020. Upload your photos to social and tag @move_thisworld.
