National Teacher Appreciation Day

In 1980, the National Education Association (N.E.A.) joined forces with the Indiana and Kansas State Boards of Education to lobby Congress in recognizing a national day for teachers. On March 7, 1980, America celebrated the first National Teacher Appreciation Day. The celebration was moved to May in 1984. This was initiated by the National Parent Teacher Association. Instead of one day, they decided that teachers needed recognition for at least one week. Thus, the first Teacher Appreciation Week in America began. In 1985, the N.E.A. made similar changes and officially designated the Tuesday of the first full week in May as National Teacher Appreciation Day.