Honoring Teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week and Beyond

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Pikmykid launched a week-long campaign and giveaway to encourage people everywhere to honor a teacher in their life.

Throughout the week, which took place from May 8-12, 2023, people were encouraged to share a story of how a teacher in their life had made a difference. Messages from all over appeared on social media and others joined in once they saw they were tagged in a post.

Teacher Appreciation Week Giveaway

At Pikmykid, we work tirelessly to serve teachers across the country (and the world) and know how much it matters to them to receive a kind word, especially when they start to feel like no one notices their perseverance in education. 

So after a week of sending messages, tagging teachers, and telling stories, we picked a winner to receive the amazon gift card for the giveaway. Congrats to Ms. T from Pennsylvania!

Our team at Pikmykid hopes that these messages continue so that school can become an even more fulfilling and safe place for everyone all throughout the year. 

To encourage appreciating teachers and school staff throughout the year, we wanted to share a few of the amazing ways teachers were honored this week through messages sent on varying social media channels. 

Here are a few favorites:

• “I would nominate @jcae2008 she is an amazing role model for students! She goes above and beyond to bring meaningful learning experiences to her class! She leads a running club and STEM activities!” – LadyAndromeda, @LadyAndromeda
  
  
• “@chandlermom221 working at a high risk middle school, Amber is always going above and beyond to get resources for students in need. A student from a group home came to school with one shoe, she immediately ran out to buy him a new pair.  #TeacherAppreciationWeek” – LGChandler221, @JacksonOBX221
  
  
• “@d_d1214 is my teaching bestie, and she works hard every day to inspire a love of leaning in her students! She loves them and helps them reach their full potential every day, even as she has struggled with her own children’s health issues this year! She deserves it!”- kinderteacherD, @kteacher4567
  
  
• “My favorite teacher is my Mom an amazing teacher of over 20 years! She loves teaching Elementary students.They always put a smile on her face. She has impacted their lives and mine in such a positive way. I remember she told me about this 5 year old boy in her class.She was reading them a story and he said with a smile. ” You are just a big kid!” My Mom tells me thats the most rewarding part of teaching being able to be a kid while making her students smile.” – Mara, Meowkittypurr
  
  
• “@ugofr03 he’s an outstanding teacher whom has the most amount of patience and compassion for his students. He teaches and works with autistic children which inquires a lot of love and patience. He goes out of his way to do fun activities for them. Some of the kids come unprepared for some of the activities but he makes sure he has extra supplies for every kid. Such a big heart for children” – buildup101  

Not only are these stories compelling examples of how showing up every day to invest in the lives of students impacts parents, students, and other staff, but it also reminds us to be on the lookout for ways to honor and support teachers in every day life.

How to Support Teachers All Throughout the Year

We thought we’d share a few ideas on how to support teachers throughout the school year. These are practical and meaningful ways the entire community can show support ensuring teachers have the resources and encouragement needed to have a productive and meaningful school year.

Recognize and Appreciate

• Express gratitude through simple gestures like thank-you notes, public acknowledgments, or staff appreciation events. Also, do it continuously, don’t wait until the end of the year.
• No need to spend a lot of money but simple, thoughtful gifts, even handmade by their students, mean a lot. 
• Ask them how they’re really doing. This is a simple one, but having someone notice you and take the time to listen can mean the world.

Collaboration and Peer Support

• Promote a culture of collaboration among teachers within the school community.
• Have regular team meetings, where educators can share ideas, discuss challenges, and offer support to one another.
• Establish mentoring programs or buddy systems, pairing experienced teachers with newcomers to foster a supportive environment.

Classroom Resources

• Donate or raise funds for classroom supplies, books, technology, and other educational materials.
• For administrators or school staff, find ways to reduce their daily stress by replacing outdated processes with updated and easy-to-use technology.
• Encourage community involvement and partnerships to provide additional resources for teachers and students.
• Parents could actively engage in their child’s education by volunteering in classrooms or participating in school events.

Work-Life Balance

• Promote a healthy work-life balance for teachers’ well-being.
• Offer tips on time management, stress reduction, and self-care techniques.
• Advocate for supportive policies that allow teachers to have reasonable work hours and opportunities for rest and rejuvenation.

Advocate for Policy Changes

• Discuss relevant issues like fair compensation, reduced workload, and classroom sizes.
• Provide information on how teachers and communities can advocate for policy changes at local, state, or national levels.

Acknowledging the teachers’ hard work and sacrifices will keep them uplifted and encouraged, so they can continue to do the best for their students in the classroom.

Little Ways Pikmykid Makes Teachers’ Lives Easier

At Pikmykid, we help schools make life easier for teachers by streamlining everyday processes through simple and easy-to-use technology. 

Here are a few little ways Pikmykid supports teachers. With Pikmykid teachers can…

• Get back an average of 75 minutes per week by not having to manage outdated dismissal processes.
• Run dismissal from the comfort and safety of the classroom, instead of the heat or frigid temperatures of the parking lot.
• Feel confident they’re safer during emergencies with an app to report the emergency, get help fast, and receive instructions.
• Take stress out of the picture with clearer communication with other staff, admin, and parents from one place, not a bunch of different tools. 

We love serving teachers and bringing them an exceptional experience of their daily and emergency operations. 

Learn more about how Pikmykid helps teachers.