Today begins Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States.  Or, as Wikipedia explains, Teacher’s Days. Around the world, Teacher’s Days, Teacher Day, or Teacher Week are celebrated on many different days. Tomorrow, Tuesday the 6th of May, is Teacher Day, intended to be part of the whole week’s activities. From Wikipedia:

The origins of Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Wisconsin teacher Ryan Krug began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day. NEA along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City (Kan. ) local lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

Teacher’s Days or Day varies from country to country. Wikipedia has a full list here. For instance:

Chile

In 1967, September 11 was chosen as “Día del Maestro” (“Teacher’s Day”). The date was moved to December 10 in 1975, because on that day in 1945, the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral received the Nobel Prize. In 1977, the date was renamed to “Día del Profesor” (also “Teacher’s Day”) and was moved again, to October 16, to honor the founding of the Colegio de Profesores de Chile (Teachers’ Association of Chile).

Czech Republic

The birthday of John Amos Comenius. Czech students nominate the teachers whose approach most motivates and inspires them to the competition Zlatý Ámos(Golden Amos). The coronation of “Golden Amos” take place yearly on March 28.

Iran

Commemorating the martyrdom of Abulhassan Khan’ali, a teacher who was shot dead in a meeting in front of National Parliament during the Mohammad Rezā Shāhera on May 2, 1961. Later the Islamic Republic government changed it to commemorate the martyrdom of Dr. Morteza Motahhari on May 2, 1979.

Nepal

The full moon day is also called ‘Ashad sukla purnima’ and the day usually falls in mid-July. Teacher’s day is called “Guru Purnima” in Nepali, where “Guru” means teacher and “Purnima” means “Full Moon”. Celebrating “Guru Purnima” is very old tradition and it is related with ancient Hindu tradition. Among upper caste Hindus, the person who teaches “Mantras” during “Bratabandh ceremony” is considered as the real “Guru”.

Students pay homage to the teachers, offer them foods and flowers and receive blessings from the teacher. “Gurudevo bhava” a Sanskrit phrase meaning “Be a person for whom the teacher is God” is still widely accepted. Teachers are given the highest degree of respect.

Turkey, November 24th

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk thought and stated that “The new generation will be created by teachers.” . Atatürk was also considered as the Prime Teacher (Turkish: Başöğretmen), because he adopted a new alphabet for the newly foundedTurkish Republic in 1923.

Vietnam, November 20th

Students begin preparing a week in advance, and many classes usually prepare literature and art to welcome Teachers’ Day, while other students prepare foods and flowers for the parties held at their schools. Students usually visit their teachers at their homes to offer flowers and small gifts, or organize trips with their teachers and classmates. Former students also pay respect to their former teachers on this day.

We will be talking, all week, about the intersection of education and technology. We hope it is clear that, at least from Mobility Labs perspective, teachers are on the front lines, and technology should only serve to support them in achieving their goals.