You may not know this, but tomorrow is National Teacher Day in the United States. For many of you, the formal part of your education may have ended years ago, but I bet there is somebody who comes to mind when you are asked what teacher made an impact in your life. That teacher who helped you see that you had some unique talents. That teacher who encouraged you on a path that you may have found daunting. That teacher who helped you know you were worthwhile when you doubted yourself. Yea, that teacher.
As part of our commitment to helping to develop the workforce of the future, we sponsored a Thanks to a Teacher contest that drew many worthy responses from across the county. Today, I had the pleasure of awarding our prize to Mike Motherway, an engineering and technology teacher at North Andover High School here in Massachusetts. Standing next to Mike in this photo is Dan Brosnan, his former student who is now an engineer thanks to Mike’s inspiration and encouragement.
In research we recently conducted in the US to ask people about the impact teachers had in their lives, 89% of respondents agree that they greatly respect the teaching profession. Only 37%, however, say they’d encourage the next generation to enter the profession. This is in comparison to the top 3 professions people would recommend: technology (71%), healthcare (66%) and financial services (43%). These are all fine areas of endeavor – and they all require an educated workforce.
So, I hope you’ll take a moment to thank a teacher who made a difference in your life. We’ve made an animated thank you video you can share to let that teacher know that he or she had an impact on your life. Enjoy and share.
Other Relevant Resources:
UNESCO – Education for the 21st Century
Kronos Teacher Appreciation Research
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Teachers are extremely important in our society, yes unfortunately, we don’t treat them like that.
Having a National Teachers Day should remind us of their importance and the critical role they play in developing the citizens and employees of tomorrow.
Without great teachers who help develop the skills and passion of our younger generation, we don’t have a future workforce.