Teacher Appreciation Week is observed annually during the first full week of May, with National Teacher Day falling on May 5. The week is championed by the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). It was designed to recognize the dedication and impact of teachers across the United States.
Its roots stretch back to the early 1940’s, when Mattye Whyte Woodridge, an Arkansas teacher, began campaigning for a national day to honor educators. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt championed the cause and persuaded Congress to establish National Teacher Day in 1953.
However, a regular national observance failed to take hold for nearly three decades. In the 1980s, the NEA took up the cause, and finally in 1985 the tradition that we observe today was adopted…