Honor Those That Deserve It. Dia Del Maestro (Teacher’s Day)

By Jose Varela, Principal at Academia Avance Charter School

May 15, 2012 is the official Dial Del Maestro in many parts of the world. It is most notably celebrated in Latin America, while seldom observed here in the United States. Here at Academia Avance Charter School in Highland Park, California our parents and Administration had to opportunity to thank our teachers for all their hard work and dedication. Our Parent Advisory Committee parents honored each teacher with a Starbucks Gift card and also provide lunch to all teachers and staff.  Teachers were also treated some well deserved ice cream on several hot California days. Overall, I feel as if our teachers felt somewhat appreciated. But is this enough? As a whole, I feel that we, as a society, do not appreciate the role that a teacher plays in our children’s lives. Teachers are the artists that create the special masterpiece that our students become. Teachers spent a majority of the day molding and building our students. Yet, all that seems to go unnoticed and somewhat unappreciated. Upon speaking to several of my colleagues that serve as teachers or administrators in Latin American countries, they shared stories of how the entire community partakes in the celebration of El Dia del Maestro. Even local governments and businesses go out of their way to show their appreciation. So the question lies, why are we, as an American society, not showing our support and appreciation for our teachers as it’s done in other parts of the world? Do we take our teachers are taken for granted? It’s bad enough that our teachers are underpaid; the least we can do is show our appreciation for their hard work and effort. Growing up, I was shown to respect and appreciate my teachers, which is the reason why I decided to become a teacher. Recently we conducted a survey of our students here at Avance. The survey asked high school students what career they wanted to follow. Out of nearly 300 students surveyed, only 10% chose a teaching career. I wonder why.

Some Examples

Bolivia

6 June. Día del Maestro. Teacher’s Day. 
Children honor their teachers with small gifts and by singing to them or reciting poems. Schools make sure there are a lot of activities to honor teachers. Commemorates the founding of the first School for Teachers in 1909 in Bolivia’s capital city of Sucre.

Mexico

A tradition established to honor academic teachers of every subject, Día del Maestro is commonly upheld by children and usually entails the giving of card or gift to one’s primary tutor/ mentor.

India

Every 5th of September is a significant day in India, one of the most populous countries in South Asia. The day is India Teacher’s Day. It’s a nationwide teacher appreciation day in the country and thousands of schools are participating in simultaneous celebrations. This day teachers become the point of attraction – obviously it’s their day. Lots of merry making activities are celebrated in most schools.

To see other countries visit the following Website- teacher-appreciation.info

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