As we begin Teacher Appreciation Week, a new social media campaign from Cambridge University Press is encouraging students, parents and the public at large to show their appreciation for teachers, schools and all school staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Using the hashtag #LetATeacherKnow, people can write an open letter, share a video or simply tweet, post or share their thanks for the work of the teaching community. Rod Smith, Global Managing Director of Education Publishing at the press, said, “It’s often not until something is taken away from you that you really understand how much you value it. At Cambridge we have a fundamental belief in the pivotal role of the teacher. So, during this time of crisis, we wanted to provide a simple and effective way to let schools and teachers know how much they are valued – not just for what they are doing during the pandemic, but every day.”

The campaign’s landing page includes a toolkit with a downloadable activity sheet and template, that make it as easy as possible for students to write a letter or draw a picture. Older students, along with relatives, friends and the general public are being encouraged to share a post or video.

Other suggestions include tagging the student’s school in posts; designing a custom, online ‘Thank You’ collage with classmates via Kudoboard; emailing letters directly to teachers or even popping them in the post! Teachers are also being encouraged to show their appreciation of colleagues.

Govindan Talian Veedu, Managing Director, India, said, “Teaching and learning has been disrupted in India at a crucial time of the academic year due to Covid-19 lockdown. Teachers are now working extra hard to maintain student engagement when many schools are not used to digital classrooms.  The role played by teachers in providing good quality, validated learning material and delivering classes using digital media in a challenging environment cannot be taken for granted.  ‘LetATeacherKnow’ is a simple way of recognizing the good work being done by teachers during the lockdown period.”