3 Ways Any Humanist Can Support Teachers for World Teachers Day
Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
Publisher Founding: September 1, 2014
Publisher Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Publication: Freethought Newswire
Original Link: https://thehumanist.com/news/national/3-ways-any-humanist-can-support-teachers-for-world-teachers-day
Publication Date: October 4, 2024
Organization: American Humanist Association
Organization Description: The mission of the American Humanist Association is to advance humanism, an ethical and life-affirming philosophy free of belief in any gods and other supernatural forces. Advocating for equality for nontheists and a society guided by reason, empathy, and our growing knowledge of the world, the AHA promotes a worldview that encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good.
BY JESSICA BROOKS • 4 OCTOBER 2024
World Teachers Day is celebrated on October 5th. “Yay! But, I don’t know any teachers, have children, or work in education.” It can feel daunting, listening to the pleas of millions of teachers across the country begging for respect and support but not knowing where to begin. This article will give a brief overview of some struggles of classroom teachers and then outline three ways that any humanist can support teachers for World Teachers Day.
Teaching is an incredibly difficult jobs. There are infinite tasks, expectations, and distractions to compete with. Additionally, teachers are required to coordinate and collaborate with students, peers, administration, and parents to meet the needs of everyone, but often aren’t trusted as professionals in their own space. Aside from caring about teachers because they are people, we as a community should celebrate and support them because they are the foundation of the future. They plant educational seeds in students whose careers will blossom years without teachers ever seeing the fruits of their labor.
The first and perhaps most direct way that any humanist can support teachers is by volunteering. The easiest way to sign up to volunteer is by searching the school district’s homepage and looking for the volunteer sign-up. This will likely require a content form to complete a background check. If everything works out, you may be given a list of volunteer tasks: tasks like speaking to students about your career path, becoming a reading buddy, assisting a teacher in the classroom, doing campus clean-up projects, or tutoring, for example. Additionally, you may want to volunteer for specific events like fundraisers, sporting events, and chaperoning for field trips.
Another direct way that humanists can support teachers is through donations. Just like volunteering, there are a plethora of ways to donate. If you know a teacher or there is a school near you, you may want to reach out to the teacher you have in mind or to office support staff to donate things like deodorant, toothpaste, book bags, canned food, water bottles, or educational school supplies. Some districts may also have a free educational resource center for teachers. If you prefer virtual donations, try DonorsChoose, Adopt A Teacher, or search for #ClearTheList on social media.
Lastly, use your voice and vote to advocate for teachers. Often, many of the frustrations that teachers have cannot be fixed by one person. Instead, unified advocates must stand together and work toward legislative change. Teachers most commonly ask for higher salaries, lower student-teacher ratios, and more control over their classroom content. This election year is important for teachers because of Project 2025 (read our article about Project 2025’s treatment of public education) and with a former teacher running for Vice President. While you are at the polls standing with teachers federally, please do not forget to vote locally, as well, for elected officials important to teachers, including school board candidates.
It is so important to help support teachers this World Teachers Day. I listed off just three ways to do it: volunteer, donate, and advocate. There are many more ways to make effective changes over time. However, the most important way is to start somewhere. When we support our teachers, the whole world benefits.
Jessica Brooks is a Black, queer, humanist who is passionate about the history and celebration of marginalized peoples. She currently is a middle school Social Studies teacher in North Carolina.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen, or the author(s), and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors copyright their material, as well, and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 