Guest blog post by American Legion Auxiliary National Education Committee Chair Suzanne Knapp 
 
Her name was Mrs. Sears. She was kind, patient, and understanding. She engaged us, challenged us to think about how things worked, and helped us develop solutions independently. She was my second-grade teacher, and my favorite. Mrs. Sears was a SUPERHERO.

Do you have a favorite teacher from school? A teacher who taught you to be a better version of yourself? One who showed they cared about you? These teachers are SUPERHEROES. They are strong, innovative, helpful, kind, and super patient. They can settle a room of energetic students with a spoken word or a gesture and immediately engage the afterburners of learning for them.

This year, National Teacher Day is May 6 and National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-10. What an excellent opportunity to spotlight these everyday heroes. Engage your local schools and talk to the teachers and administrators. Engaging a school to show gratitude toward educators could also open the door for the school to understand what the American Legion Auxiliary does in the community. 

Showing appreciation does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a social media post giving a shoutout to an entire school of educators or your child’s teachers.  Here are a couple of tips for that post: Tag the school’s social media account in the post and use one of these five hashtags: #TeacherAppreciation, #TeacherAppreciationDay,  #TeacherAppreciationWeek, #ThankATeacher, #TeachersDay.

If you can find the names of all the teachers in the local school, send each one a card of thanks. Knowing someone cares can mean the world to them.  

Whether it's engaging one teacher or all the teachers, consider sending the school a few boxes of donuts or bagels from your unit. Ask your Juniors to write a note of appreciation to their teachers.

Place the names of teachers in a box, and draw one name. Send the winner a gift card they can use to buy supplies for their classroom. Did you know that a recent survey revealed that teachers spend on average, $500 per year out of their own money, on school supplies for their classrooms? A gift from your unit would be unexpected.

Schools are currently on the home stretch toward summer break. Don’t forget about Give 10 to Education. Put together baskets full of dry-erase markers, pencils, pens, “funky” Post-its, art supplies, and books for the kids. We want our educators and students to finish the school year strong.

My school teachers were terrific, and many more amazing educators are teaching our kids. Let's do something great to show that we appreciate them, respect them, and are here to help.

Like our veterans, teachers are on the frontlines serving our most precious population. Let’s bring a little joy to them during National Teacher Appreciation Week and remember to say, “THANK YOU!”