A Letter of Advocacy to Teachers Everywhere

Dear Teacher,

Last week, you may have been showered with love.
Last week, you may have taken advantage of a retailer’s discount code.
Last week, you may have received a free donut.
Last week, you may have been granted an extra prep period.

For one week, your praises were sung.
But what about the other 35+ weeks of the school year?

Teacher appreciation week is quite the paradox. On the one hand, I am overjoyed that attention has been thrown in the general direction of our most foundational profession. 

And yet…ONLY for one week? Five days of strung together appreciation to thank life’s biggest influencers for molding the lives of students?

You may have heard me ring the #PayTeachersMore bell a few times and sure, that is part of it. But, the more grandiose picture to paint is about appreciation for the craft of teaching. 

It starts with a respectable level of compensation.
It continues with listening to our teachers.
It ends with a more radical evaluation and evolution of schooling today.

There is room for a redesign in a manner that relieves some of the pressures on our teachers. Modular scheduling. Virtual learning. Subject-matter experts leading classes. These are just a few big ideas that would transform the lives of teachers.

Last week, you may have been celebrated but, there are those of us that think one week is not enough. 

If you’re interested in learning about our efforts to pay teachers more, visit go.itutor.com/PayTeachersMore or leave a comment below if you’d like us to reach out with more information. We’re spearheading the movement, but together we can bring about change!

Sincerely, 

Hayley Spira-Bauer
NY Certified Teacher, iTutor Chief Academic Officer, and Host of the Learning Can’t Wait Podcast