Teacher Appreciation Week was originated in 1953 when Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to proclaim a day in May as National Teacher Day. In 1984, the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May, and in 1985 the National Education Association voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day. Today, Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated in schools across the country to honor and thank teachers for their hard work and dedication to shaping the minds of future generations.
“Teaching is the one profession that is the creator of all professions, but as we all know, it is not an easy profession,” Dr. Dario Sforza, Superintendent of Becton, explains, “Teaching not only requires an immense amount of knowledge and passion, but an equally special skill of being able to transfer that knowledge to a classroom full of students, 4-6 periods every day. The significance of showing appreciation to teachers is rooted in the complexity of successfully carrying out this difficult task and doing it with a smile.”
Dr. Sforza continues, “While we often use just the word ‘teacher’ to describe the profession, a teacher knows they often have to be much more than just a facilitator of knowledge and wear multiple hats. Teachers nurture a sense of belonging and acceptance for students of all abilities and different backgrounds, filling a host of voids that may be missing in a child’s life.”
Similarly, Mrs. Amanda Colangelo, Assistant Principal, expresses her view of Teacher Appreciation Week, “Teacher Appreciation Week is about acknowledging the time, energy and dedication teachers give to their student community. Our teachers inspire students to be the best versions of themselves,” she divulges, “It lets teachers know how much they are appreciated and how lucky we are to have them as part of the Becton Education Team!”
Teachers were offered a plethora of activities to look forward to for Teacher Appreciation Week!
- On Monday, the Digital Arts students created portraits of teachers and ice cream was offered in front of the school.
- On Tuesday, coffee and treats were served in the faculty lounge.
- On Wednesday, the Culinary students cooked and delivered lunch to our staff.
- On Thursday, the Horticulture Club delivered garden plants to the teachers.
- On Friday, breakfast was served to our teachers in the morning, alongside origami flowers courtesy of the NHS.
- To tie it all together, the teachers were able to wear jeans all week long!
In addition, this year, the newly founded National English Honor Society created personalized thank you cards for English teachers. Co-Advisor of the NEHS, Dr. DeSousa, shares, “Sometimes we take the good people in our life for granted, including our teachers. If those little appreciation notes made someone smile, then it was worth it. Our motto is ‘duty goes with honor’ and we take that seriously.”
Becton’s family continues to grow with a total of 75 teachers working tirelessly to create safe, enjoyable, and academic environments for our students to grow in. Dr. Sforza gratefully attests, “Overtime, we have created an all-star team of teachers, each of them dedicated to the mission of making sure our students get the proper care, attention, and academic opportunities they all deserve. Due to our recent merger with Maywood, we have been fortunate to be able to do something very few districts get to do today. The past few years we have been able to hand-pick dozens of new Becton teachers that have a ‘students-first’ mindset.”
Dr. Sforza concludes, “I told our teachers that I no longer ask my children during dinner how their day was, and instead ask them to tell me one thing that made them smile. Their stories are often reflected back to one or more of their teachers.”
So, thank you, #BectonsBest teachers, for all that you do and for creating pleasant memories for our students!
