- Nerida K
Happy World Teachers' Day!
Hooray for Teachers!
No matter where you are in the world, chances are when think back to your childhood, teen years, and well into adulthood, there are people that stand out who have changed your life positively and helped to shape you into the person you are today. And that some of these people were teachers. Maybe you’ve had a teacher that stands for helping you finally grasp a challenging concept or experience a learning moment that defined your classroom experience, or they showed you patience, support, love and were by your side when figuring life out.
Though we think educators should be celebrated every day, there is a special day for them to shine and us to share our gratitude. Every year, October 5th is World Teachers’ Day, a time to show the teachers in our life how special they are, while advocating for them as well.
The History of World Teacher’s Day
World Teachers’ Day was established in 1994 to commemorate the signing of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers by the United National Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labour Organization in 1966. The Recommendation established benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers. It set standards for their training and continuing education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.
To celebrate World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO, and Education International mount a campaign each year to help give the world a better understanding of teachers and the contributions they make to our communities by providing quality education.
In 2021, the campaign theme for World Teachers’ Day was ‘Teachers at the heart of education recovery’. In 2022, it was ‘The transformation of education begins with teachers’. This year’s theme is ‘The teachers we need for the education we want’. It acknowledges a growing shortage of teachers and the importance of investing in teachers and public education.
Over 100 countries celebrate World Teachers’ Day, some hold celebrations on different days of the year but most countries, including Canada, celebrate World Teachers’ Day on October 5th.
Celebrating World Teachers’ Day
Now that you know all about World Teachers’ Day, how can you celebrate it? There are many ways, and a small gesture, whether it be a thank you in person, with a note or an email, goes a long way.
If you’d like to thank your kid’s teacher, here are some great homemade gifts you could create together:
· Create a scrapbook of photos from the school year.
· Record a video of your child thanking their teacher in their own words.
· Write a thoughtful, handwritten thank-you note.
· Have your child paint a clay pot in which you plant flowers.
· Create a homemade thank-you card.
· Purchase a blank canvas and have your child paint a picture of their teacher.
Other ideas:
Don’t forget to thank school administrators, substitute teachers, staff, facilitators, World Teachers’ Day is a day for all educators to be celebrated!
Thank you to all our FESA Facilitators!
At FESA, we have an incredible group of facilitators we want to thank that deliver our programs throughout Calgary and nationally. They deliver all kinds of free adult and family learning programs, from Parent Child Mother Goose, to Homework Club, Financial Literacy, workplace literacy programs like Indigenous Workplace Learning Circles to Reading and Writing Circles that are tailored to the communities and groups they’re delivered to. They take the time to ensure learners are always comfortable, supported and that their needs are met, and are at the heart of FESA’s work. Thank you!
