New Campaign Gives Us All a Chance to Thank a Teacher

Ever wish you had written a thank-you note to a teacher who made a profound difference in your life? Here's your chance to do it and have your letter published online. For the next month, the ThanksForTeaching.Us campaign will help current and former students publicly acknowledge the educators who inspired them.

The organizer of the effort, TBD, is known for a weekly email newsletter "that delivers one world shaking idea and one collective action to improve our future." They came up with back-to-school initiative because with budget cuts ravaging schools, "there’s no better time to bring the spotlight back on the teachers that make our classrooms thrive."

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To acknowledge a teacher's role in shaping your dreams and passions, all you have to do is fill out one short and sweet submission form—there's one box for the teacher's name, one to answer the prompt "Thanks for," another that invites you to complete the sentence, "You inspired me to," and a spot for a signature. The entries will be posted on the campaign's Tumblr blog.

Rodney Schriever, a member of Rockville, Maryland's Thomas S. Wootton High School class of 1984, penned a note to his former teacher Mr. Gasser that conveys the impact an excellent math educator can make. "You have changed generations of Schrievers' lives for the better," he wrote. "You inspired me to make math my hobby and life-long pursuit."

Another contributor, Georgia, had Mrs. Rosasco for fifth grade social studies and sixth grade homeroom. She writes to her former teacher, "You showed us how you could be the strictest, scariest person in the whole school, and still be my number one favorite teacher. You inspired me to become a teacher myself."

At a time when our nation's educators often feel scapegoated for all the problems of society, giving them some public recognition for making a difference is much needed. It only takes a minute, so c'mon, share your thanks.

Watch a video introducing the Thanks for Teaching Us project.