Happy World Teachers' Day!

Oct. 5 is World Teacher's Day, a day created by the U.N. to recognize one of the world's most important professions. Happy World Teacher's Day to all the dedicated educators out there- here are some resources to make the most.

The History of World Teachers' Day

World Teacher's Day was declared an international holiday to pay tribute to teachers in 1994. While many countries have their own national holiday to celebrate Teacher's Day, the international holiday also represents the anniversary of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's 1966 conference that adopted recommendations concerning the status of teachers.

According to ForTeachers.in, "For the first time, teachers throughout the world had a clear statement of their rights and responsibilities. In adopting this recommendation, governments unanimously recognized the importance to society of having competent, qualified and motivated teachers."

How Different Countries Celebrate

With over 100 different countries participating in World Teachers' Day, there are many different ways the holiday is celebrated.

• For instance, in Queensland, Australia, the community celebrates on the last Friday of October since holidays usually interfere with celebrating the 5th. In order to make the celebration extra special, the Queensland College of Teachers announces the winners of its annual Excellence in Teaching Awards that day. 
• Like many other countries, Russia formerly held its celebration of teachers on a different day than Oct. 5. But once the U.N. declared the 5th an international holiday, it moved its celebration to that date as well. Every year, in addition to grand celebrations across schools to honor over a million of the country's teacher, Russia honors its winner of the Teacher of the Year competition with "the Crystal Pelican, the symbol of self-dedication." 
• In Canada, it will be using this year's World Teachers' Day to support teachers in the country politically. The Canadian Teachers' Federation is establishing a national campaign that is urging educators to take to social media on Oct. 5 and declare: "On Oct. 19, I vote for Our Canada. Our Students. Our profession." 
• In Mumbai, India, there will be a global teacher's conference held on Oct. 5 which will look at three core values: Human, Environment and Economic Wellbeing and the teacher's role in each. 

To check out a list of user-uploaded events on the World Teachers' Day site, look here. 

Upload Your Own Celebration

The World Teachers' Day site has an option for you to upload your school's celebration of World Teachers' Day to share with schools across the globe.

By uploading your event, you can invite others to participate electronically as well. Talk about a great way to expand your PLN!

Check out how to upload here. 

Compiled by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

09/30/2015