MEDIA RELEASE: Maine Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week; 2021 Maine Poetry Out Loud Champion Releases Original Poem for Teachers
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is excited to celebrate Maine’s outstanding educators this week, May 3 – 7, 2021 and we have already begun celebrating our rockstar educators and school staff!
“Honoring our educator workforce is always important, but given the heroic effort of our schools this year to meet the needs of learners during the pandemic, teacher appreciation has moved to a whole new level of gratitude,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin.
We are hoping to make certain that all of the 50,000+ Mainers who work in our schools, making sure that the nutritional, educational, and social/emotional needs of students are met, know they are appreciated for everything that they do.
Along with all of the creative and generous local “Teacher Appreciation Week” efforts happening in schools all over Maine this week, the Maine DOE is excited to share our gratitude in multiple ways throughout the week:
An Original Poem Dedicated to Maine Teachers: Gorham High School Senior and Maine’s 2021 Poetry Out Loud State Champion, Emily Paruk shares an original poem capturing the magnitude of impact educators have on students. Grab your tissues, it’s an amazing poem and performance!
- Facebook: @MaineDepartmentofEducation1
- Twitter: @mdoenews
A Message to Pre-Service Educators: Maine’s 2020 County Teachers of the Year have shared an important message welcoming pre-service educators to their team! Congratulations to the Class of 2021; thank you for choosing this profession!
Ideas to Celebrate: For ideas on how to celebrate, take it from some of the experts who are organizing efforts all over Maine! We have compiled a list of ideas that communities throughout Maine are doing for their educators/school staff members. Check it out on our Teacher Appreciation Week Website.
Deals and Discounts: As a special treat for our educators this week, Maine DOE compiled a list of discounts and deals from companies who offer educator discounts during Teacher Appreciation Week and some who provide discounts year-round. This year, local Maine businesses have also provided generous offers to the educator workforce. Check out the list on our Teacher Appreciation Week Website. Local businesses that want to have an offer listed can fill out our form.
In the spirit of elevating and celebrating our workforce throughout the year, the Maine DOE in partnership with Educate Maine will be announcing the 2021 County Teachers of the Year in a live virtual announcement on May 12th on Maine DOE’s YouTube Channel. More information will be available soon!
For more information about Teacher Appreciation Week, visit our Teacher Appreciation Week Website.
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