Teacher Appreciation

Videos for Teacher Appreciation

Ode to Teachers

In this excerpt from our Meet the Author interview, Pat Mora shares her poem, "Ode to Teachers," as well as some words of encouragement for teachers. In addition, individuals such as Dr. Thelma Meléndez, Rafael López, and Kristina Robertson share their own memories of special teachers who had an impact on their lives.

Complete interviews are available in our Meet the Authors and Meet the Experts sections with:

• Rafael López
• Dr. Thelma Meléndez
• Claudia Navarro
• Pat Mora
• Kristina Robertson

Words from ELL Educators

Many teachers of English language learners never imagined that they would be working with ELLs, such as Maria Feist, from Downingtown, PA.

In this From the Heart interview with Colorín Colorado, she writes,

I was always blessed to have diversity in my classroom and the opportunity to learn about various cultures from my students. However, in 2001, I had my first NES — Non English Speaking student. At the time I was teaching Kindergarten. After my initial panic as to how I was going to teach this student who did not speak any English, I realized I had 22 other teachers in the room with me: my students! I was amazed at how quickly my ELL student learned English and adjusted to the culture of the school.

After that experience, I was hooked. I loved teaching the ELL students and being what I call the "Good Will Ambassador," welcoming the families to the school and their new country, and locating resources for them, such as translators. In 2005, my Principal asked me to have the classroom where we would cluster the ELL students. I took all of the ESL workshops I could find. The ESL teacher that I worked with as a classroom teacher was an amazing resource for me. She encouraged me to get my ESL Certificate. After completing my certification program, an ESL position became available in my district. So here I am!

Visit Colorín Colorado's Achieving Success section for more From the Heart stories.

Teacher Appreciation Ideas

Ideas from the PTA

Here are some easy ways from the National PTA to thanks a special teacher who has made a difference for your family (also available in Spanish).

Ideas from Reading Rockets

For more great resources and ideas (including teacher appreciation e-cards!), take a look at Reading Rockets' Teacher Appreciation Section and this blog post from Joanne Meier's Sound It Out blog.

Remembering Great Teachers

Your stories

Who is a teacher that made a difference for you? Let us know through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or Ning!

Vanessa from Illinois remembers,

Mrs. Rhodes always encouraged us and made learning so fun. All of my classmates were bilingual even though we were taught in English. I can still remember a song she taught us for Christmas that was in Spanish. She valued our culture and that was so important. I also became a teacher because of her influence. I teach 1st grade bilingual now.

May 2012