LYNDON- March 7th, 1980 was declared by Congress as National Teacher Day. Five years later, the National Parent Teacher Association established the whole first week of May, to be considered Teacher Appreciation Week.
Since then, it has been recognized across the country as a time to support and recognize your local educators. At the Lyndon Town School, students and faculty put their own twist on the week of festivities.
The theme was simple, ‘Teachers Rock’. It allowed for students to participate and enjoy the fun for themselves, while also commemorating their teachers hard work. All week there was a pretend photo booth on display, portraying a concert stage, that students could pose in front of. On Friday, students were allowed to dress up like rockstars and strut the halls like the large personalities they see on TV. Aside from all the fun that the students got to enjoy, they and their parents provided extra supplies and gifts to shower their teachers with.
“It’s kind of nice to be recognized for the hard work you do.” Said Lorrie Mawhinney, the School to Home Coordinator for the Lyndon Town School. Mawhinney works with families inside the school, but also deals with students behavioral issues on a daily basis. “One of the things I’ve learned in this position specifically is really listening to what kids are saying.” Mawhinney Said, “A lot of the time, especially when kids are small, we kind of tell them where they need to be and what they need to do. If you actually slow down a little bit and listen to them, they give you a lot of hints about what they need.”
Supplies are always needed and are always appreciated at Lyndon Town School. The small acts like bringing in food for the teachers or tissues for their classrooms, according to Mawhinney, can make the biggest impacts.