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Dear Teachers: Please Also Appreciate Yourselves

By Jennie Magiera — May 06, 2014 1 min read
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A year and a half ago I decided to leave full-time classroom teaching to support my colleagues in digital learning. While I still work with students every week, I am realizing more and more both how magical and difficult being a classroom teacher is. So now when I ask people what they do and they respond “Oh, I’m just a teacher”, I feel compelled to correct them. No - you’re not just a teacher.

There are numerous posters, editorials and blog posts about this topic. They list all the other roles teachers play and how important they are to our society. I completely agree. However, I also want to send a wish out to our teachers on this Teacher Appreciation Day. Please also appreciate yourselves. Teachers are so good at pumping up their students, their school and even each other. However, they aren’t always the best at giving themselves props. So teachers, moving forward: don’t say “I’m just a teacher”. Don’t feed into this negativity. Don’t downplay your hard work, sweat, tears and heart. Don’t be humble. Take today to brag.

So here’s my call to action. Send out a tweet with the hashtag #teacherpride and shout out to the world what you do. Staying late so your students have a safe place to be after school. Meeting with your grade level team at 8am on Saturday morning to build a new project-based unit. Teaching children every day and helping them become the best versions of themselves.

Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day by tweeting today #teacherpride and tell the world why you rock. Because you do.

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