Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-8

National Teacher Appreciation Week, a celebration in recognition of teachers and the contributions they make to education and society, is May 2-8, 2021. Teacher Appreciation Day, which is May 4, 2021, is described by the National Education Association (NEA), which spearheads the weeklong event, as “a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.”

This celebration is held every year to provide an opportunity for students, parents, and school principals to show their appreciation for the hard work teachers do and the long hours many of them put in.

Teachers and staff have had to deal with a difficult situation over the past year and certainly deserve extra recognition for their understanding and commitment. It would be an understatement to say that this past year has been particularly challenging on all school personnel, students, parents, and especially teachers.

After the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in March 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation that closed all public K-12 schools. In the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Catholic school administrator-ministers and teacher-ministers immediately begin preparations for distance learning, which continued through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

Because of the pandemic, schools were forced to cancel and/or delay their awards ceremonies, kindergarten and 7th/8th grade graduation Masses, school dances, sporting events, high school graduations, and other end of the school year celebrations. In addition to going above and beyond to ensure that students remained academically prepared, Catholic school personnel made concerted efforts to recognize students for various accomplishments, both academic and athletic, in creative and unique ways utilizing social media, delivering personalized yard signs to the houses of graduating seniors, kindergarteners and seventh/eighth graders, and drive by ceremonies.

“I express my great gratitude to the teachers, principals, administrators, staff, maintenance and custodial staff, students and parents as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week,” says Bishop Shelton J. Fabre. “I thank all of you for the extra effort that was put forth this year to keep our school communities safe, and to keep our youth in school. God bless you all! May the Holy Spirit reward you for your great effort!”

The origins of National Teacher Day are somewhat murky. Around 1944, Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

The National Education Association (NEA), along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates lobbied Congress to create a national day to celebrate teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe National Teacher Day in March until 1985, when the NEA Representative Assembly voted to change the event to Tuesday of the first full week of May (https://www.nea.org/resource-library/celebrate-national-teacher-day).

“During National Teacher Appreciation Week, we honor and pray in an intentional way for all of our teacher-ministers who work tirelessly to afford our students a high-quality, faith-filled education in our Catholic schools. How blessed we are to have such dedicated men and women who positively impact our school families, each and every day, through their witness and actions!” says Suzanne Troxclair, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools.


During challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we truly recognize and appreciate that teachers play such a crucial role in children’s lives and how their influence on students can make a difference in their long-term wellbeing and success.