May 7th is supposed to be Teacher Appreciation Day. If only we were! In any case, this would be an excellent occasion to explain to the community just exactly what we should be appreciated for (and if you’re a Teachers Speak Up follower, you know exactly what I’d like you to do).

In an op-ed on the “Take Part” website, Greg Mullenholtz, a math coach in Silver Spring MD, touts the new RESPECT program sponsored by the US DOE as the voice of 5700 teachers advocating for what teachers need in order to be supported in their work – and thus truly appreciated.

We’ll admit that we don’t love everything about the RESPECT initiative — it seems to start from the assumption that teachers are a rather weak bunch at this point. And it seeks such a broad range of improvements in our schools that it’s hard to know where to start. The Take Part website is a bit mixed as well, with some posts and articles that defend the most draconian of policies. And we can’t see who guides this site. However, at least teachers’ voices can be found there.

So besides receiving some cookies in the teachers’ lounge, what will you do to help people appreciate what you REALLY do?