Teacher Appreciation Week is always the first full week in May. This initiative started with educators advocating for recognition in the 1940s, gained national traction in 1953, and was officially recognized by Congress in 1980. In 1985, the National PTA and NEA expanded Teacher Appreciation Day into a week-long celebration.
As education has grown in scope, expectations, and complexity, we’ve come to understand that educating kids is never the work of a single role. It takes a whole team of dedicated people to support the next generation.
At COSILoveYou, we encourage partners to honor everyone involved in educating kids within our local schools — not only classroom teachers, but also paraprofessionals, office staff, custodians, food service teams, bus drivers, counselors, nurses, instructional coaches, and administrators.
Schools are a portal to every need a community faces. That means educators and staff are often carrying the burden of these challenges in addition to the daily work of teaching and serving students. Here are a few ways you can care for educators during this special week.
If you’re not sure where to start, start practical. Stock the staff lounge and classrooms: cater breakfast, provide coffee, put together a snack cart, or bring simple classroom supplies like sharpies and dry erase markers. These aren’t flashy gestures — they’re the kind that say, “We see what you’re carrying, and we want to help.”
Care can also be emotional and atmosphere-shaping. Decorate the school (inside or out), pick a simple theme, include encouraging notes, and get creative. The point isn’t perfection. It’s presence. A school that feels noticed feels less alone.
If you have more capacity, consider a bigger coordinated act of generosity:
- Gift baskets (one for each teacher, or a drawing for larger baskets)
- A simple gift for everyone (like a $10 gift card)
- Provide a service: cater lunch, bring a food truck, hire a massage therapist, line up local vendor discounts during the week, or offer an after-school yoga session
- Host an off-site event: ballgame, movie theatre, bowling, comedy club/magic show — anything that creates shared joy and community
This is also a great opportunity to not reinvent the wheel. Collaborate with parent groups, school administration, local churches/organizations, or tie appreciation into a CityServe Day project. The goal is impact and the building of relationships.
Start where you can. Partner where you can. There are countless ways to care for staff in schools, from small acts of care to giant acts of generosity. Aim at acts that build trust and build relationships, because every school needs relationships — and every school needs a village.
Download the toolkit
To make it easy to take a next step, we’ve put together a Teacher Appreciation Week toolkit with simple categories and ideas you can act on. Download it below, pick one step that fits your capacity, and invite someone to do it with you.