Teacher Appreciation Blog

Cindi Rigsbee was elected North Carolina teacher of the year 3 times and she was one of the four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year 2009. She says that she earned this thanks to her memories of her own great teacher which she has never forgotten. And to show her appreciation for what she learned, Cindi did something very special.

On a certain day, Cindi Rigsbee saw an announcement on the program -Good Morning America, inviting people to let them know if they want to thank someone who has made a difference in their life. And this was the reason why Cindi sent an e-mail and explained the influence that Mrs. Warnecke had on her when she was Cindi’s first-grade teacher. They were invited on the show in New York for a surprise thank you for the teacher that changed her life. When they saw each other, they became very emotional and renewed their relationship.

In her book ˜finding Mrs. Warnecke’, Cindi tells the entire story of how she was influenced by her first-grade teacher Barbara Warnecke. She still remembers the way of teaching of Mrs. Warnecke and how kind she was. Cindi still uses these memories as an example of how she should give courses. Furthermore, she tells the entire story of how she reconnected with Mrs. Warnecke and since they renewed their friendship, there are special quotes from Barbara Warnecke at the beginning of each chapter.

˜Finding Mrs. Warnecke’ is a striking story of ˜the good and the bad’ days of Cindi from when she was a student to the days as a teacher to her work now as an advocate for other teachers. The novel can help teachers who want to make a positive impact in their classroom. The story tells that everyone has a special teacher that made a difference in their childhood and it is a perfect way to start Teacher Appreciation Week.

Here you can find the video of the show where they reunite



This student understands the personal way of showing his appreciation

We would like to share an ispirational video-story about how teachers can change lifes! Being a teacher it’s a gift…

- The noblest purpose in which a man can dedicate himself is to teach his fellows. Simón Bolivar

What is the role of the teachers today? I start by asking this question because it is a shame that when we get older, we tend to forget who we were in the past and who that teacher was who left us something valuable. Somehow I think that, in modern times, being or becoming a teacher must be hard. Different sources show that prospective the amount of teachers in developed countries is declining. Are the countries thinking to work together with universities to encourage future professionals to choose education as a future career? Or do the politicians know that they must improve the conditions of teachers? Do people realize that education is the most important profession in every country around the world? We forget all the time that we had been kids before and we benefited from the efforts that our teachers did for us, and keep doing for the new generation every day.

So all these matters make you realize the need to explain the importance of teaching and the existence of prospective professionals to reconsider the idea of teaching: why not become an elementary school teacher? When I was going to choose my career, I thought about the idea of becoming one but I have to admit: when I saw the monetary benefits I stepped back, I just did not want to make it and I forgot completely the benefit for the future.

The most wonderful gift to give to our teachers in return is to recognize the real status they deserve within society despite their current situation. We probably all have kids or are going to have some and we would like them to have a good education at schools, good teachers and join a reasonable education system.

“When did teachers become the betes noir of public education? Why are they getting all the blame for America’s public education failings? Everywhere you look, people are piling on teachers as if they are at the root of all that is bad in our public education system. Even President Obama has gotten in the act, supporting the mass firing of teachers at a Rhode Island school that has been deemed ‘failing’.” Dr. Jim Taylor

We all know that there are some problems with public education in America. And these problems are spreading towards more countries in the world. But since when does everyone concider the teachers and schools to be the problem of this failure? We all know that they are not the reason for the failure of the children. So why do we blame them? Maybe we should search for the reasons in our own society instead of blaming others.

You hear people from everywhere saying that teachers are responsible for poor test results of children, lagging education standards and the growing information gap between different students. But do you really think that these people who educate children in poorly performing schools have fun in doing so? According to me, nobody likes working late, giving extra courses, preparing lessons, correcting terrible tests,… for an underpaid job because he likes keeping students ignorant. These educators do everything to make sure that the next generation is as well prepared as possible and we all blame them.

Maybe we should take a look at how prepared or UNprepared children are when entering schools. The number of tasks of a teacher are getting larger every day. These days, they have to raise students, educate them, activate them, prepare them for work, intagrate more practical lessons, … Where does it end? You see more and more that both the parents have to work to generate enough money. This is why they spend less time in raising their children and preparing them for schools. So the children go totally unprepared to school and have to learn everything all at once. Do you still wonder why they achieve bad results?

Now to get back to the question: ‘Why do we blame teachers?’ I think the awnser is easy, to protect ourselfs. When you accuse someone else, nobody thinks of blaming you. In my opinion our society is responsible for the problems with the educational level of our children and teachers are just an easy target to blame so we don’t feel guilty ourselves. What do you think? Well, I feel that we should appreciate their efforts. They try to fix the future economy that we are destroying and instead of praising their effords, we accuse them. Don’t you agree?

So I think it is about time that we start showing our appreciation to teachers, and when is a better time to start doing so than on teacher appreciation day? let us all express our appreciation and do something nice for them.

Already more than 400 spanish language teachers have registered to meet in the international event in Salamanca and a “Teacher Appreciation” representative will be there

A new meeting has been organized by the Comunidad ELE. Teachers of Spanish as a foreign language will gather in this International meeting, coming from all corners of the world.

This meeting will take place in the city of Salamanca from June 30th to July 2nd 2010. Obviously, it is open and plural, and therefore, its goals are to discuss the perspectives and conditions of all the Comunidad ELE professors. Following this aim, 2 agendas a day have been scheduled. One will be discussed in the morning and the other during the afternoon. The morning agendas are about particular teaching-related subjects ” ELE learning and other subjects conferred to famous and recognized teachers in this particular sector.

The afternoon agendas relate educational experiences of ELE professors outside a Hispanic context. ELE Specialists and teachers, from different countries, will be sharing educative frames and facts to be able to exchange experiences and thus determine common standards and patterns for all ELE teachers. Besides these agendas, the event has been divided in 4 -working zones, each one offering distinct activities. While registering, each participant will be able to choose their working zone according to their interests.

Until now, already 400 teachers have registered!

The subject of green behaviour is more and more integrated in our daily lives. We are starting to know that it is important for us and especially for our children so of course schools cannot stay behind. This is the reason why the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System started the Rossview Elementary School in the United States. The special aspect of this elementary is that it’s the first green school in the US.

Not only the building is energy efficient but the school has also started a student-led recycling team. In this way they try to convince the parents and others to follow the example of their children and participate. Furthermore you have a ‘green champion’ who is the green leader of the class and helps them towards an energy efficient consumption.

But this is not the only importance for the school. Teachers want to help each child by talking to them individually or in small groups so they can learn and understand everything on their own level. The basics of the school are Respect, and this involves respect towards the teachers as for the environment; Effort; Attitude; Coorporation, in order to reach their goals; and Honesty, they want to make the children to feel responsible for their actions. When you combine these 5 basics, you get the acronym R.E.A.C.H. Hopefully they can reach a greener future.

In the meanwhile, The US green building council is supporting the initiative. On the website http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org they give tips to create a healthy environment to support learning while saving energy, resources and money.