T-E-A-C-H-E-R-S Thank you! Summer break

Hey, I wanted to make this blog for this weekend, and I really wanted to spend some time saying thank you to all of you teachers. I wanted to tell you why and take some time to truly honor you.

One of the things I want to start with is this: we know that you do a lot that goes unnoticed and unacknowledged. I want to honor that. I want to notice you and acknowledge some of the things I see and appreciate about you.

So here goes.

First of all, I know that you have a well-deserved break coming up. You’re probably a bit exhausted right now. The end of the school year is hard, and I hope you have an amazing break. You deserve it.

Next, I want to thank you for the time and energy you spend both in and out of the classroom. I know how much you put into this profession. I know that many of you work 10 to 12 hours a day, 50 to 60 hours a week. You’re working nights and weekends. You’re often at school early, and many of you stay late.

You spend countless hours planning and grading, and on that note, I want to thank you for all the effort and energy that goes into those tasks.

I also want to thank you for being lifelong learners. I know that many teachers spend a tremendous amount of time researching and learning more about their content areas so they can become better educators. Thank you for the effort and dedication that requires.

Thank you for learning new curricula, new textbooks, and whatever new programs your schools ask you to implement. Thank you for all the energy it takes to stay current and continue growing professionally.

Thank you for learning new software. Thank you for updating your websites. Thank you for learning how to work with new staff members and for helping your colleagues so that students can be better served.

Thank you for working with difficult staff members when necessary and for continuing to focus on what’s most important: serving students.

I also want to thank you for the time, energy, and money you spend making food, bringing treats, buying gifts, and doing all the little things that make students feel special.

Thank you for the coaching and mentoring you provide to help students build better lives.

Thank you for dealing with the frustration of not always having enough time, resources, or training to meet the needs of every student. I know how challenging that can be, and I truly appreciate your efforts.

Thank you for navigating the bureaucratic barriers that often stand between you and the work you really want to do—teaching. I know you deal with a lot of administrative challenges, and I appreciate your perseverance.

Thank you for spending time helping parents through meetings, emails, phone calls, and those parking lot conversations after school. Thank you for all the time and energy you invest in supporting families.

Thank you for the money you spend out of your own pocket on classroom materials and supplies for students. We know that many of you do this regularly, and we acknowledge it.

Of course, we want teachers to be paid more. But thank you for your generosity, your heart, and your willingness to make sacrifices for students.

Thank you for all the effort you put into professional development. I know some of it is valuable, and some of it may not feel relevant, but thank you for showing up and continuing to grow.

Thank you for showing up when you were sick, tired, stressed, or dealing with difficult situations in your personal life. Despite everything, you showed up for your students. They needed you, and you were there.

Thank you for the time you spend preparing report cards, attending conferences, preparing for conferences, and managing all the standardized testing requirements.

Thank you for any nonsense you had to put up with this year and for continuing to focus on what students need most.

Thank you for the kindness you share with students and families.

Thank you for motivating, inspiring, encouraging, and supporting young people.

Thank you for being role models and showing students positive ways to live their lives.

Thank you for caring deeply about students, listening to them, and helping them build confidence and self-esteem.

Thank you for creating emotionally safe environments where students can feel accepted and supported.

Thank you for helping students navigate emotional challenges and life difficulties. Many people don’t realize how much support teachers provide beyond academics.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you for cleaning up after students in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and all the places where extra work often goes unnoticed.

Thank you for all the preparation time you invest—at school, at home, on nights, and on weekends.

Thank you for tutoring students during lunch periods, prep periods, before school, after school, and whenever else you can find the time.

Thank you for correcting papers and providing thoughtful feedback that helps students improve.

Thank you for lunch duty, recess duty, and all the thankless responsibilities that are part of the job.

Thank you for working through short planning periods when there simply isn’t enough time to accomplish everything that needs to be done.

Thank you for creatively designing resources when the materials you need don’t exist or aren’t available. Thank you for finding ways to meet students’ needs despite limited resources.

Most of all, thank you for the heart you bring to teaching.

Thank you for the love you bring to your students, your work, and the people around you.

Teaching is both an art and a science, but it also comes from the heart. To be a great teacher, you have to care deeply about people. You share an incredible amount of love and energy with your students, and I want to acknowledge that.

This isn’t just a job. You are sharing love with the students you serve. You are investing in humanity, and that means a great deal to me.

I was a teacher for 12 years, and one belief I have is that teachers often go through a period of grief when the school year ends—a grief that isn’t usually acknowledged.

For ten months, you’ve invested your blood, sweat, and tears into helping students build better lives. Then suddenly, school is over.

Of course, everyone needs a break. Students need a break, and teachers need a break. But these are human beings you’ve cared about deeply for nearly a year.

I believe there is a real emotional process that comes with letting go at the end of the school year, and I hope you’re able to honor those feelings and give yourself space to process them this summer.

Teachers, we need you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you do for kids, families, communities, and schools around the world.

You are rock stars.

You are incredible human beings who consistently go above and beyond in service of others.

In my opinion, teaching is one of the most important jobs on Earth.

Thank you so much.

Many people think teachers simply have summers off, but I know that many of you spend your summers preparing for the next school year. Others take on additional jobs just to pay the bills.

So thank you for everything you do during the summer to ensure that you’re able to continue serving students.

And finally, teachers, please take a break.

Be good to yourselves this summer.

Take time to rest, recharge, and rejuvenate. Spend time with your family. Spend time caring for yourself. Give yourself permission to recover.

You show up for all of us, and we are grateful.

I hope you have an incredible summer—a restful summer, a rejuvenating summer.

From the bottom of my heart, and from the hearts of the parents and people who follow my blog, we sincerely thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And thank you for watching this video.

You can check me out at SethPerler.com and sign up for updates. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs-up, leave a comment, and share it with others.

I appreciate all of you, my audience, and I hope you’re headed into an incredible summer.

Take care, and I’ll see you next Sunday.