National Thank a Teacher Day is on Wednesday, 18 June. It’s a day where we’ll be celebrating the country's greatest teachers and school staff - and you can get involved too!
Hear from support staff at Heygarth Primary School as we celebrate all the work they do.
I've been doing the job for twelve years and I love it./This is one of the best jobs I've ever had./It helps me get up in the morning, seeing them coming along./Oh, it's brilliant, you know—seeing their smiling faces and they say "Hello Stan" and high fives and things like that./And it's getting me out in all weathers. I mean, I'm not staying indoors. I meet everybody.
I work as one of the office ladies here at Heygarth, mainly focusing on the attendance./They always say I'm the first point of call that someone's gonna see when they get here./And what you see here is hopefully what continues with everybody else in the school./A friendly smile is everything—you don't know what someone's got going on at home,/and when they come in and they are greeted with a friendly face, I think it's really important.
We all work together./If we need to know something, teachers usually know the answer to it./And then vice versa—they always need us in the office./We're just all one team really.
I like how they can just support you no matter what./And they're extremely nice and will help you, and I'm very grateful for all the work they do./I want to say thank you to all the teachers that teach me because they teach lots of good things.
I've been here about eighteen years, and it was actually the primary school I came to when I was a child./Working with children—it's just an absolute joy./No matter what mood you come in the morning,/I love giving those children the confidence in themselves and helping them to be the best they can possibly be.
Within the job there are challenges./We have a number of allergies which we cater for,/also a lot of diverse needs and preferences for children to make sure that they are happy in what they're eating./We all work together to do the best by the children,/and the community comes from the fact that the kids feel safe and secure and they feel loved.
I'm the site manager here at the school./I've been here about twelve months or more now./I came out of retirement to do the job./At home the neighbours call me "the repair shop" because they'd always be bringing me bits of broken furniture,/as do the children and staff here./They'll bring me a broken chair so I can repair it,/and their little faces light up when I take it back, complete.
The staff and everyone all work together to create an atmosphere and environment that the children will enjoy learning in.
I'd like to thank all the teachers I've had,/because they've always been there for me and taught me stuff I never knew before./I would thank all the teachers for trying to help us, for trying to help us learn.
One of our recent "Thank a Teacher" messages said:/"It takes a village to raise a child."/That is also true for running a school.
From Stan the lollipop man who greets the children as they come to school each morning,/the amazing staff we've got in the office,/all of the teachers, the teaching assistants, the midday assistants,/the catering staff, the cleaners, the site manager/all working together as a fantastic team to make the children's experience here at school the best we possibly can.
Thank you teachers for all the hard work you've done for us./Thank you all teachers and support staff for doing your job and making us feel safe in school.
Think about a teacher or support staff member at your school who has been amazing this year. You know the one – always there for a friendly chat, or to brighten your day if you’re going through a rough patch. Or maybe it’s someone who is amazing all the time.
Thank a Teacher Day is your chance to say a huge thank you to that someone who has made a positive difference – whether that’s an amazing teacher who makes lessons fun and engaging, a teaching assistant who has given you that extra help or a lunch time supervisor who made sure you were ok. You can send a free e-card with a personalised message on the Thank a Teacher website to anyone who works in your school.
So, if you have a really special teacher, teaching assistant, playground helper or even a whole school team you want to thank, grab a grown up, head to the Thank a Teacher website, fill in the form and click send. They will then receive a special card letting them know just how thankful you are.
