A national day to celebrate teachers is taking place on Wednesday 20 May and Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) is encouraging as many people as possible to join in.
Teachers have been going above and beyond the call of duty throughout the coronavirus outbreak and deserve recognition for their hard work.
The closure of schools to most pupils due to Covid-19 has certainly not allowed teachers to take a break.
BFfC has been swamped with stories of amazing ways teachers have been keeping their pupils and families engaged during lockdown and helping the community in many amazing ways.
Prof Dr Kate Reynolds, Director of Education at BFfC, said: “The coronavirus crisis has been a challenging time for teachers, pupils and families as they have had to quickly adapt to learning in a completely different way.
“As well as providing education for children of key workers and vulnerable children, teachers have been supporting their pupils and parents with home learning in a variety of creative and innovative ways. Many staff also gave up their Easter break and volunteered to go into school so critical workers could continue their vital jobs.
“There are further challenges ahead with the planned opening of schools to more pupils so now is an ideal time to show our appreciation for the teaching profession.
“On behalf of BFfC, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all teaching staff in Reading who have stepped up and done a remarkable job when their children and families have needed them most.”
Among the many fabulous examples of good news stories coming from schools in Reading are:
- Staff making life-saving protective equipment for NHS workers
- Daily live interacive story telling sessions for young pupils on Facebook
- A virtual phonics lesson with the teacher utilising her dishwasher as a blackboard
- Staff raising hundreds of pounds to buy gifts for nurses at the Royal Berkshire Hospital
- A school team providing food, clothing, toys etc for struggling families in the community
- Teachers and children creating colourful pictures to decorate the ICU at the RBH
- Children and teachers making banners and posters outside their schools to thank the NHS
- Lottie the school dog recording a video message for pupils at home
- School staff creating collages to send messages to their pupils
- Teachers featuring in music videos to keep spirits high among children and parents
All of this on top of the support they have been giving to parents and children learning at home.
Cllr Ashley Pearce, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education, said: “Wednesday is national Thank a Teacher day, where I hope we can all take a moment to appreciate the work of our hard-working education professionals.
“The last few months have been incredibly tough for young people with great upheaval, change and uncertainty. But throughout all of this, their teachers have been there to support them, the mediums may have changed but the care and dedication has never waned.
“I have been humbled by how teachers have adapted to this new world and risen to the challenge. There have been so many wonderfully creative ways that teachers have engaged with their students both in and out of schools. I’ve seen vegetable gardens, Top Trumps for pets, plays acted out, alien profiling and baking competitions amongst many, many other fantastic activities to keep students learning but more importantly, ensuring that they still feel part of their school’s family.
“Above all else this is what our teachers do, they provide reassurance, safety and care for our young people, and for this I am very, very grateful. So, thank you teachers, today and every day.”
National Thank a Teacher Day is a great opportunity for children, parents and carers to show their appreciation for their teachers.
Children are being encouraged to send their message of thanks on Wednesday 20 May by recording a short video clip, singing a song, drawing a picture or through any other medium they wish. There are plenty of ideas on the national website at: https://thankateacher.co.uk/thank-a-teacher-day/.
If you are using social media, remember to use @UKThankaTeacher on twitter and ThankaTeacherUK on Facebook.
You can also share you message with us at @BFfC_Child on twitter and at @BFfCChild on Facebook.