National Teacher Appreciation Day – May 2, 2023

History of National Teacher Appreciation Day

Teachers have the toughest jobs in the world. One day is not enough to recognize their incredible work — though we can all agree it is a good start. But how did the day originate and when was the first National Teacher Appreciation Day? The country has Eleanor Roosevelt to thank for initiating the movement. Roosevelt convinced Congress of the value of instituting a day that recognizes teachers’ contributions.

Before Roosevelt approached Congress, some states were already observing a day for teachers in their own capacities. It is believed that the idea for this special day first came from Mattye Whyte, a teacher in Arkansas, who wrote to many leaders in the education system. She eventually began writing letters to Roosevelt, hoping that she would support the well-being of teachers and their cause. Roosevelt took the cause to Congress but it still took 27 years for the National Teacher Appreciation Day to become an official national day.

In 1980, the National Education Association (N.E.A.) joined forces with the Indiana and Kansas State Boards of Education to lobby Congress in recognizing a national day for teachers. On March 7, 1980, America celebrated the first National Teacher Appreciation Day. The celebration was moved to May in 1984. This was initiated by the National Parent Teacher Association. Instead of one day, they decided that teachers needed recognition for at least one week. Thus, the first Teacher Appreciation Week in America began. In 1985, the N.E.A. made similar changes and officially designated the Tuesday of the first full week in May as National Teacher Appreciation Day.