Celebrate Educators on National Teacher Day

The month of May is all about Teacher Appreciation. The fifth month of the year is Teacher Appreciation Month, and with special dates throughout -- including National Teacher Day and Teacher Appreciation Week -- there are plenty of opportunities to show the teachers who have impacted your life that you care.

Below, explore various ways to express your gratitude, including poems and songs, thank-you notes, heartfelt gifts, and more. Not sure how to say thanks? You'll find a little bit of everything in this collection, with ideas to help parents, students, teachers, and administrators celebrate throughout the month.

To start, here’s one from the Edutopia vault: Amy Erin Borovoy's "Five-Minute Film Festival for Teacher Appreciation Week."

• Ideas and Activities for Celebrating National Teacher Day: The National Education Association's page provides ideas for celebrating in class, in the community, and with your local education association. Along with this resource, you can also celebrate teachers by posting to your favorite social media sites using the hashtag #ThankATeacher.
   
• PTA: Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas: Do you want to honor a teacher this May? Well, the PTA wants to help. With thank-you note and certificate templates, information about awards for teachers, and ways that you can show your support, this is an extremely useful resource with tons of unique Teacher Appreciation ideas. Also be sure to check out the PTA's Teacher Appreciation Week board on Pinterest.
   
• Teach for America Teacher Discounts Database: This is a one-stop shop for teacher discounts. Not only does the database feature discounts at popular retailers, there are also links to student loan forgiveness programs, educator grants, and other benefits for teachers. Another great blog from Best Colleges Online highlights 100+ stores that give teacher discounts.
   
• PTO Today: Teacher Appreciation Resources and Ideas: This PTO Today roundup features tons of wonderful resources, and it's the perfect place to search for inspiration during Teacher Appreciation Week. There's a little bit of everything, from ideas and tips to planning resources. A few useful pages to check out include the 5-Step Teacher Appreciation Plan and Teacher Appreciation Resources List. Plus, PTO Today's Teacher Appreciation Week and Teacher Gift Ideas Pinterest boards are also chock-full of ideas. 
   
• DIY Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Looking for some fun, crafty ideas for showing your thanks? This collection from arts and craft blog Skip to My Lou is perfect and features more than 100 ideas for fun DIY thank-you projects you and your kids can complete together. You'll also find more great ideas on Skip to my Lou's Teacher Appreciation Pinterest board.
   
• 65 Ways to Recognize Teachers During Teacher Appreciation Week and All Year Long: Looking for some fun new ways to celebrate teachers this May? You'll find plenty in this resource from Education World, from ideas for special themed celebrations to DIY gift ideas -- there's something here for administrators, parents, students, and everyone else. Be sure to check out Education World's Write a Teacher Appreciation Letter lesson plan for a quick letter writing project to do with your kids.
   
• Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas From Reading Rockets: This resource is a wonderful source of inspiration, featuring Teacher Appreciation activity ideas, inspiration essays about favorite teachers, and much more. Like all Reading Rockets content, it's ideal for ELL students.
   
• Quotes About Teachers: At the end of the year, maybe this thought makes the most sense: "When all else fails, pray for a fire drill." Even so, there are plenty of reminders here about just how appreciated teachers are.
   

More Teacher Appreciation Resources From Edutopia

Here's a listing of some of the most popular, insightful, and useful Teacher Appreciation-related content published in the last few years:

• Appreciate Teachers Pinterest Board, by Edutopia on Pinterest (Updated Regularly)
• Teacher Appreciation: Planning Resources for Parents, by Edutopia Staff (Updated 2015)
• Your Last-Minute Teacher Appreciation Gift Guide, by Nicholas Provenzano (2015)
• Teacher Appreciation: Why We Teach, by Margret Regan (2014)
• Teachers: Finding Appreciation at Work, by Elena Aguilar (2014)
• Behind the Scenes of "If I Knew Then" (Teacher Appreciation Video), by Edutopia Staff (2014)