It’s true what they say – not all superheroes wear capes!
As we come to celebrate the Teachers Day on the 5th of October, no words seem enough to describe the enormous dedication, effort and love that the teachers pour into their job day in and day out. They truly make all the difference in the world of their students…and have a lasting impact on all of us!
With their unwavering commitment and relentless support they walk us through our first mishaps of life, just with as much grace as they cover the curriculum. We consider ourselves lucky. Not only have we been taught by amazing teachers out there, but we also get to work with many of them to empower the community, students, mentors, and society and create a world that’s more just and sustainable.
Today, we cannot help but feel grateful for the small and big miracles they perform every day! So if you are a teacher, our heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes out to you:
For making your Sunday the rest day…
…the rest of the laundry, the rest of the housework, and ‘grade the rest of the papers’ day.
Thank you for waiting till summer for a much deserved break and holding down the fort even on the days that have been difficult to you. We appreciate you and the mental strength you show in doing so.
In our attempt to acknowledge and support your endless efforts of balancing the personal and professional life – we want to make you a priority! As part of the ProW project, we are just about to launch the Teacher Wellbeing and Career Observatory, to help support your wellbeing, as well as career growth and quality of education. We hope that it will generate a systematic change and we want you to be a part of it too!
For saying ‘There are no dumb questions’…
…and then proceeding to explain ‘What are those pyramid-shaped things in Egypt called?’
Thank you for continuously looking for ways to rediscover the world around us, and looking for yet another new way to ignite the spark of curiosity to help us become the very best we can be. Even if that means never taking a break from learning yourself and adjusting to the educational and societal shifts at all times.
At CARDET, we witness the behind-the-scenes daily work you do daily to carry on learning and it is thanks to your immense support that we’ve built an incredible educator community at the Cyprus Education Summit. Thank you for learning and growing with us to help bring the best of the practices to the classrooms around the island. We cannot wait to reconvene for the ‘Student Assessment as an Integral Part of the Educational Practice’ in the Cyprus Education Summit 2023 on 9 December 2023!
For showing us the bigger picture…
…even though math is not really ‘everywhere’.
Whilst we still prefer the type of π that comes with apples and the square root of 9 hasn’t come up just yet, thank you for going out of your way to show us that nothing exists in isolation and it all matters.
Only now do we come to understand the incredible effort and intention that it takes, as we salute our STEAM4All educators who have been on a mission to find even more creative ways to make interdisciplinary learning available for all.
For teaching us how to reach for the stars…
…or at the very least helping us see them as close as possible with the ARISTARCHUS projectand the power of VR.
Thank you for not making any dream too big and always looking for a way to make everything seem possible. Thank you for bringing the most innovative solutions to the classroom, after spending hours on training how to implement them first. Thank you for staying ahead of the curve and always raising the bar in education and practices.
For teaching us life saving skills…
…of ordering a coffee in almost any corner of the world.
Thank you for reminding us that the world is our oyster and anything is possible, including learning a new language to travel the world, connecting with people from other cultures and even taking that job offer that’s a 5 hour flight from our home. Thank you for preparing us for all of it and for trying to make it as fun as possible. Through the work we’ve done together on the BoysLingo’s app, we hope it will be even more feasible for you to keep up this great work!
Last but not least, for calling us ‘one of your kids’…
…even when we have kids of our own.
Thank you for caring about our wellbeing, growth, development and creating an environment where we feel safe and secure to roam around and make our first mistakes. During the implementation of the Positive Behaviour Support in Early Childhood Education and Care project, we were shaken by the immense dedication to making any school our second home, and not just a place of formal education.
While no ‘Thank you’ note will ever feel like enough, we ought to start somewhere. Happy Teachers Day our lovely educators and mentors! Thank you for all the love you’ve poured and continue pouring into us.
