Teacher Appreciation Week was last month, May 1st – May 5th. Teacher Appreciation Week is all about celebrating our educators and thanking them for the amazing work they do. It’s a particularly trying time to be an educator in the United States and it’s important that we are able to acknowledge the sacrifices that teachers make to show up to the classroom everyday. The reason they do it? They love their students, they believe in the importance and power of education, they give strength to the voices of tomorrow.
We heard from kids across Maryland and Virginia about their inspiring teachers. Here are a few of our favorite Teacher Appreciation Week responses:
Student Name: Sarah-Noor Jamani
School Name: Nysmith School for the Gifted
School Location: Herndon, Va.
Teacher Name: Jennifer Hogan
Grade/Subject Taught: Social Studies/Model United Nations/ National Junior Honor Society – Grade 7
What is a special memory you have of your teacher?: Ms. Hogan is simply one of the warmest and [most] approachable teachers at Nysmith. She greets each student with a smile, and it always brings a smile to face when I see her in the hallways. I often see her in carpool line in the morning or afternoons and she always greets the kids rain or shine. What a great way to start the day!
Why is your teacher the best?: She has been helping students achieve incredible results at Model UN conferences. She encourages students to excel but to always remember to have fun along the way … She is a true visionary and a teacher that makes a difference in the lives of her students.
How has your teacher helped you?: Ms. Hogan … has inspired my curiosity in the world around me. She has always encouraged and guided us to think deeply and critically about issues and pushed us to strive for better. I have always been interested in religion and really enjoyed our unit of Monotheistic Faiths. It allowed me to have the courage to have deeper discussions with friends and family about preconceptions about different religions and how to discern between information and stereotypes that we might have heard.
What is a valuable lesson or interesting fact they’ve taught you?: Ms. Hogan has taught us by example the importance of kindness and generosity … We sent hand-made cards and candy to Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets for Valentine’s Day.
How has your teacher inspired you?: My favorite unit in her class was learning about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. She taught us that Peace begins with a smile. We watched “West Bank Story,” a short film that is a parody of the classic 1961 musical film the West Side Story. Ms. Hogan inspires her students to think critically about subjects, to help us build our own perspectives and ideas. She empowers kids with critical thinking skills and gives us the tools to come up with creative solutions for real-life challenges … Thank you, Ms. Hogan, for helping us connect deeper into issues and stories beyond the headlines. Thank you for being one of the great teachers out there …
Student Name: Brielle Phillips
School Name: Galway Elementary
School Location: Silver Spring, Md.
Teacher Name: Jessica Daffen
Grade/Subject Taught: General
What is a special memory you have of your teacher?: First day of school. She took time to make sure me and my classmates were familiar with her classroom. She showed us around each station and took her time.
Why is your teacher the best?: Ms. Daffen is kind, understanding and caring.
How has your teacher helped you? Encouraged me to read more.
What is a valuable lesson or interesting fact they’ve taught you?: She taught me to be kind to everyone.
How has your teacher inspired you?: Leading by a great example.She inspires me daily.
Student Name: Sebastian Liacouras
School Name: Mary of Nazareth Catholic School
School Location: Darnestown, Md.
Teacher Name: Laura Schneider
Grade/Subject Taught: 2nd Grade Art
What is a special memory you have of your teacher?: My favorite art project was when we made the Resurrection scene because she showed us how to make it beautiful.
Why is your teacher the best?: Ms. Schneider is the best because she teaches strategies for how to create cool art.
How has your teacher helped you?: Mrs. Schneider helps me by allowing kids who are behind in their art project to sit at a different desk and work with her to catch up.
What is a valuable lesson or interesting fact they’ve taught you?: One time when we were drawing people, she showed us how to use shapes to make them look realistic. Now it is easier for me to make people look real in my art.
How has your teacher inspired you?: Mrs. Schneider makes art special because she teaches different ways to do things.
Student Name: Zachary Liacouras
School Name: Mary of Nazareth Catholic School
School Location: Darnestown, Md.
Teacher Name: Tracy Sanchez
Grade/Subject Taught: 4th Grade Math
What is a special memory you have of your teacher?: Mrs. Sanchez takes us outside once a marking period. She will teach us a lesson, then let us go outside usually for the last 15 minutes because she likes to be outside. It gives us all a break from classroom. She lets us play football or tag and it is fun.
Why is your teacher the best?: Mrs. Sanchez teaches math in a fun way. Sometimes at the end of the week, we have Fun Fridays where we play math games. She helps me understand what we are learning better by explaining it in simple ways. She is the best!
How has your teacher helped you?: Mrs. Sanchez taught me long division. I didn’t understand it the way the book taught it, but she introduced a way to remember it by the phrase “Does McDonald’s Sell Burgers,” which helps me remember to divide, multiply, subtract and bring down!
What is a valuable lesson or interesting fact they’ve taught you?: Mrs. Sanchez likes soccer a lot, which makes her interesting because my friend and I like soccer, too!
How has your teacher inspired you?: She helps everyone and she always takes questions, so you don’t feel bad when you don’t understand something.
Student Name: Idan Greenberg
School Name: Milton Gottesman Jewish School of the Nation’s Capital
School Location: Washington, D.C.
Teachers Name: Chaya Shinensky
Grade/Subject Taught: 2nd Grade Math and General Studies (Reading and Writing)
What is a special memory you have of your teacher?: When it’s nice out, we sometimes get extra recess.
Why is your teacher the best?: She is very nice and teaches well.
How has your teacher helped you?: She gives me extra challenges in math; she also helped me with writing.
What is a valuable lesson or interesting fact they’ve taught you?: Space – I know many facts including that Saturn’s moon Titan is the only moon that has an atmosphere.
How has your teacher inspired you?: She inspired me to learn about space and learn so many interesting facts about Saturn.
Anything else you’d like to share about your teacher?: Ms. Shinensky always has a positive attitude.
Teacher Appreciation Week is a great chance to let the teacher’s in your life know how big an impact they’ve had on you and your kids. To see our highlighted Teacher Appreciation All-Star, click HERE.
