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2007 Teacher Appreciation Week Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know just how much Florida students and parents appreciate you for your dedication to your profession. Although we have moments in our careers when we feel appreciated by our students, parents, and the community, we all know that, many times, we do not know the true impact of our efforts until we hear from a student years down the road or read about a successful former student in the newspaper. I recently had an experience when, about one year ago, I was contacted by a former student. Seeing this student’s name pop up on my e-mail was completely unexpected because this young man was a student who was frequently disruptive in class and I had no expectation that he liked the class or me. Almost 10 years had passed when I heard from this young man, who was just about to be married. His fiancée was a teacher and would frequently share stories with him about a disruptive young boy who perplexed her on a daily basis. My former student, seeing his fiancée’s frustration and distress, realized that once upon a time, he was that little boy. He thought about how his actions made me feel and he decided to contact me. Since I was no longer teaching at his former school and was not even living in the same town, my student entered my name into an Internet search engine and found me. In that e-mail, his heartfelt expression of regret at his behavior and his appreciation for my patience with him brought me to tears. This one email from this one student will be something that I remember for the rest of my life. I know that we all have our unique stories to tell. Although feeling truly appreciated for our impact on the lives of our students can be something for which we may wait years, or perhaps never truly know, I would like you to know that you are appreciated by your students, your colleagues, your community, and your state.

Teacher Appreciation Week is being celebrated nationwide May 6-12, 2007 and, in Florida, we are celebrating this week in a number of ways:

Governor Crist has issued a Teacher Appreciation proclamation in order to mark this week as one officially designated for appreciating you. To view and print the proclamation, click here.

Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg has written a letter of appreciation to all of Florida’s teachers. To view and print this letter, click here.

The Florida Department of Education is holding several Teacher Appreciation Week events at schools across the state. At these events, keynote speakers will include:

  • Lt. Governor Kottkamp
  • Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg
  • K-12 Public Schools Chancellor Cheri Pierson Yecke
  • Members of the State Board of Education
  • District and School Officials
  • Teachers and Students

To view the Teacher Appreciation Week event schedule, click here.

Many businesses, both local and national, offer special discounts and promotions for teachers at specific times of the year, as well as year-round. In previous “Just for Teachers” monthly newsletters, I have shared many of the opportunities with you. For this special Teacher Appreciation Week issue of the “Just for Teachers” newsletter, I have pulled together as many of these offers as I could find. To view these offers, click here.

In addition to the discounts and promotions posted on the “Just for Teachers” Web page, many local education foundations and associations work to obtain special offers and discounts from local businesses for teachers in their areas. Although these offers will usually be communicated to your school administration, feel free to contact your local education foundation, education association, and school administrator to obtain information about what businesses in your area may be doing for you. Since offering special pricing to teachers is becoming more popular each year, you should always ask whether businesses offer special discounts for teachers before you pay. You never know, you may just get an unexpected deal!

Please encourage your students, friends, family and colleagues to show appreciation for a special teacher, past or present. For ideas and downloadable resources, visit the following sites:

Thank you for all that you do for Florida’s students. Enjoy your week and know that you are appreciated all year long.


Best Regards,


Nicole Flesvig