How to Successfully Celebrate 94th Annual American Education Week

The National Education Association has deemed Nov. 16-21 American Education Week in support of supporting education nationwide.

NEA held its first education week in 1921, making it an annual event ever since that’s always celebrated a week prior to Thanksgiving and is now co-sponsored by the department of education, the National PTA, the American Federation of Teachers to name just a few.

Use this resource to celebrate American Education Week in your school.

Day-by-Day Celebrations

Each day of American Education Week is associated with an important aspect of education. Follow Florida Education Association’s guide on what to do each day in your school to fully celebrate the week.

Monday: Kick-Off Day

Kick-off the week by hosting an open house for parents, faculty and community members to get together in the beginning of the community-wide celebration of American education.

Tuesday: Parents Day

Celebrate the importance of teacher-parent relations in American education by inviting students’ parents into the classroom “for a hands-on experience of what the day looks like for their child.

Wednesday: Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day

A day dedicated to honoring non-instructional faculty who “provide invaluable services to schools and students” and American education as a whole.

Thursday: Educator for a Day Invite community members to see a day in the life of a school employee by inviting them in for a shadow day at the school.

Friday: Substitute Educators Day

Without substitute teachers, the American education system wouldn’t work. Use this day to honor the work of your school’s substitute teachers.

Activity Ideas

For more thorough resources on activities to honor American education week, the NEA has listed several ways schools in the past have done so.

Such activities include inviting retired teachers back to teach for a day, decorating the school with bulletin boards and student made banners, inspiring contests to raise funding and many more available to read here. 

Media Campaigns

In order to get the community involved with American Education Week celebrations, the NEA also provides administrators with ideas for launching media campaigns to spur involvement and pique interest.

This includes utilizes a local city TV station to run ads, speaking on a local radio station, purchasing newspaper ads and writing a “letter to the editor” for the local paper. See the full list of ideas here. 

After you’ve completed your celebrations for American Education Week, let Education World readers know how it went by commenting about your experience or sharing photos on our social media properties.

Compiled by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor