Thank a teacher during National Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8–12 is National Teacher Appreciation Week! All of us at North Dakota United wish to thank our dedicated and talented K-12 educators for the incredible work they do every day in service to their students, their students’ families, and their communities.

Most North Dakotans, regardless of their zip code, have been impacted positively by public education and can easily remember a teacher, a paraprofessional, a bus driver, a coach, or another education support professional whose kindness and professionalism helped them to be successful in school and in life. Teachers know that all learning is predicated on trusting relationships, and they consistently go the extra mile to ensure those relationships are strong.

As a society, we do not do anything more important than educate our future. Teachers, working with parents, administrators and school boards, work tirelessly every day to ensure that we meet community expectations as well as North Dakota’s rigorous academic standards. Teachers know that working together toward a common goal is the best way to prepare our students for the world they will soon inherit.

Now, more than ever, our educators need your support. Fewer young people are choosing education as their career and many veteran teachers are leaving the profession to pursue more lucrative and less time-intensive careers. They are doing so, in large measure, as a result of the political discourse surrounding education that until recently did not exist here in North Dakota. Teachers know that when outside interests drive wedges between teachers and parents and accuse educators of grooming children or indoctrinating children to hate America, the work of educating the children they love becomes exponentially more difficult. Teachers did not join the noble profession of teaching to become enmeshed in America’s culture wars.

That said, Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time for you to reach out to our professional teaching staff and let them know just how much you value their contributions to the well-being of your children and your community.

Let them know that you stand with them in promoting the importance of education and the role they play in creating safe, vibrant and learned communities all across North Dakota. When you thank a teacher, you are saying that you want to partner with them to create a brighter future for all North Dakotans. Please join us in creating a future where every child can achieve their dreams and take their place in a just society. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Archuleta is the president of North Dakota United, the state’s union of more than 11,000 public educators and employees.