Teachers appreciated year-round

MAT-SU — We can all agree that teachers have one of the most, if not the most, underappreciated jobs in America. They are instilling knowledge in the very people who are the future of our existence, yet they receive very little recognition for all their hard work. That’s why this year at Mat-Su Career Technical High School, the leadership class decided to do something about it.

There is a week dedicated to teachers, Teacher Appreciation Week. But teachers don’t teach for only one week, do they? As leadership adviser Barbara Petukh explained, the class wanted to do something personal, involving thought and emotion, expressing genuine gratitude to the staff.

Their plan started with acquiring sticky notes. The class then picked a random teacher, and volunteers from the leadership class each took a small stack of notes and went around to their friends and fellow classmates. Each person took a note and wrote something they appreciated about the chosen teacher. Once they had enough sentiments, they snuck into the teacher’s room and covered the room with them.

The notes ranged from humorous to serious. Some referred to previous classes and events that occurred with the teachers, while others recalled advice the teacher had imparted. Even more simply exclaimed upon the teacher’s awesomeness. All of the notes were written on neon-colored sticky notes, so once arranged they were impossible to miss.

The reaction of teachers who received the notes exceeded students’ expectations. Health teacher Joe Gardner said, “6 o’clock in the morning, I came in to do my normal workout. I was not expecting [such a] surprise that morning. It made me smile all day long. I felt [extremely] grateful.”

Amy Riddle, one of Career Tech’s business and IT teachers, was extremely surprised. Used to perfection in her room, at first she was annoyed. But when she saw what each little note said, she was moved to tears. She thought, “Oh my gosh! This is amazing!” In fact, she loved them so much that she laminated them and hung them on the wall in her room. They truly touched her heart. She went on to say that through these notes, she realizes just how much of an impression she has made.

Socials studies teacher Janet Blalock thought they were quite a nice surprise. Counselor Kim Howell said, “It was great! It brightened my day!” She loved the fact that she was appreciated by students from every class, and left the notes exactly where they had been placed.

Construction teacher Christopher Taylor thought at first it was a joke.

“I thought it was [fellow teacher] Mrs. Lowell,” he said. But upon closer inspection and investigation, he concluded it was a clever idea. He added, though, that he felt sorry that sticky notes had to die for the sake of his self-esteem.

Also upon first notice, social studies teacher Sean Murphy thought someone was out to prank him. But when he started to read what the notes actually said, he was pleasantly surprised. He reflected it was a very thoughtful and sincere thing to do. Though the notes ranged from funny to serious, he said he felt “very humbled.” It was nice to know students did truly appreciate the effort he put into his teaching.

Petukh has a mixed opinion of their progress so far. She felt the response has been great, but she wishes they could’ve done more. Her goal is to eventually get notes for all the teachers in the school. As they’ve only received notes for about six teachers, they’ll have to work fast. “But it’s been really great,” she said.

This project just goes to show how something so simple can mean so much. We often underestimate how much teachers do for their students and how much of an impact a teacher can have on a student’s life. Why should teacher appreciation be limited to just one week? Maybe you don’t have to plaster someone’s workspace with sentiment-covered, neon-colored pieces of paper, but a few simple words of thanks and appreciation can make a profound difference in someone’s day. Take some time today and thank a teacher.

Anita Laulainen and Bryanna Pearce are seniors at Mat-Su Career and Technical High School.