Teacher Appreciation Week is inadequate

By Samantha Sanchez

Staff Writer

Every year during the first full week of May, Mira Costa’s Associated Student Body and  the Parent Teacher Student Association plan various activities and deliver gifts for Costa’s teachers as a part of National Teacher Appreciation Week. Despite the importance of Teacher Appreciation Week, only a small portion of Costa’s community is involved in thanking  teachers when the entire student body should participate.

The PTSA is a volunteer organization that coordinates parent, student, and teacher activities. It was unable to hold its annual teacher luncheon this year due to new schedule changes and Advance Placement testing. Instead, ASB put together different treats every day for all staff on campus on June 13. ASB personally delivered them to the teachers’ rooms or mailboxes.

Sufficient gratitude is never given to our teachers, even with Teacher Appreciation Week, Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. In order to avoid this lack of teacher recognition, school organizations, such as ASB and the PTSA, should take the responsibility of thoroughly informing the entire school about Teacher Appreciation Week so that students can give teachers the proper respect.

PTSA President Sandi Gleason said she likes to encourage parents and students to reach out to their teachers often to thank them. However, according to a La Vista survey of 155 Costa students, 65% of respondents was unaware that May 2-6 was Teacher Appreciation Week. In order to better inform students, the PTSA should consider the options of placing announcements in the school’s bulletin or providing a way for other students to get involved so teachers and staff receive the gratitude they deserve.

Teacher Appreciation Week was a success, and it was very rewarding working for ASB members to personally give thanks to teachers on campus, ASB member Molly Shea said. Since doing these activities for Costa’s teachers had such a positive effect on students in ASB, the entire school should give thanks to its current and past teachers and staff.

This year, the PTSA is facing budget constraints because of declining donations, so it had to eliminate things like free treats for staff members right before the holidays as well as treats in staff mailboxes, Gleason said. Teachers are incredibly important to the community as a whole, and if the district is going to make budget cuts, the PTSA should not take away from expressing Costa’s gratitude for its teaching staff.

Next year, ASB should work to include the rest of the student body in Teacher Appreciation Week. Costa’s teachers and staff do so much for students in and out of the classroom, and rather than being acknowledged by a few students, teachers  should receive thanks by all those they impact  through schoolwide efforts.