Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week – February 8-14

Happy Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! We at the Seine River Teachers’ Association would like to extend our thanks to all of our members — teachers, administrators, consultants, clinicians, and social workers — who do their very best, day in and day out, to teach and support the students in Seine River. We also recognize the efforts of our colleagues across the division that SRTA members work alongside, whether they be educational assistants, secretaries, librarians, bus drivers, custodians, or any other divisional staff working towards the success of our students.

The following is an official press release from the Manitoba Teachers’ Society in regards to Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week:

Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week – February 8 – 14

Shakespeare, Shrek, equations and smartphone apps open new worlds for students

Think of a teacher who showed you kindness, whose influence sticks with you today, who may have helped you choose a career or discover a passion—or who pointed you back on the right path.

“Teachers and other staff have a profound influence on the lives and education of Manitoba’s students,” says Manitoba Teachers’ Society President Paul Olson, who will be delivering that message during Canada’s Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week.

“Students’ futures depend on being able to learn and live well. As teachers, we want them to be excited about school, to relish learning,” says Olson. “Whether it’s discovering a sonnet, solving an equation, performing in Shrek or writing a smartphone app—these experiences open up new worlds for kids every day.”

More than that, Olson says there other dimensions of learning are just as important for kids as the intellectual, the artistic and the physical. “We want them to be good citizens, to be community minded, to care about social justice—and the planet they live on. We want them to be a force for change.”

It’s a tall order, he says. Students come with emotional, intellectual and physical challenges that require intense preparation and sensitivity on the part of their teachers. “As front-line workers in education, teachers know the toll that poverty and hunger take on a child’s ability to learn.”

Finally, Olson says communication and mutual respect between parents and teachers are the foundations for student success. “Parents and teachers need to play on the same team if students are to succeed.”