American Education Week
Day by day activities
American Education Week is a nationwide celebration that runs from November 13-19 (with special emphasis on Education Support Professionals Day which is November 16). The celebration provides an opportunity to recognize your members for their efforts and to shine a positive spotlight on the great things that are happening in your schools.
Please consider forming a small committee to help promote this event in your school district. Your administration or parent groups may also be planning something – so perhaps there are opportunities to work together.
Organize an American Education Week celebration event in your local. Take advantage of the different celebration themes that make up American Education Week. You could organize an event for each day – or just pick one event for the entire week. Below are some ideas and suggestions.
Monday, November 14: American Education Week Kick-off Day
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Encourage students to create American Education Week artwork and display students' designs at your local post office, bank, mall, or library. For visual inspiration, visit the NEA’s
American Education Week website.
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Organize an American Education Week kick-off open house to celebrate education, teachers, education support professionals, substitute educators, parents, and students.
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Host an American Education Week kick-off potluck breakfast for school staff and/or bake sale to salute public education.
Tuesday, November 15: Parents' Day
- Host a welcome reception in the school auditorium for parents and their children; create an agenda for parents to follow throughout the day detailing class schedule and activities.
- Engage parents in classroom grade-specific activities and projects.
- Provide parents with a copy of WEAC’s publication Classroom Connections that has a variety of tips to help families help their children succeed in grades K-12.
Wednesday, November 16: Education Support Professionals Day
- Provide a breakfast and/or lunch for Education Support Professionals to show your appreciation. Or, bring an Education Support Professional some home-baked treats.
- Demonstrate your support for Education Support Professionals by experiencing the school day as an Education Support Professional. Arrange for non-Education Support Professionals to fill in for Education Support Professionals during their lunch hour so that they can go out for lunch together.
Thursday, November 17: Educator for a Day
- Form a committee to develop a specific plan for the program. The proposal should then be reviewed by your local leadership.
- Plan to meet with your superintendent or other administrative representative to develop a final plan.
- Decide how many guest educators you need to invite to make the program a success. Then, decide how many school employees you want to accompany the guest educators.
- Set guidelines for guests and cooperating educators, and communicate them to both groups.
Friday, November 18: Substitute Educators Day
- Present each substitute educator with a carnation and a note or poem of thanks and appreciation.
- Have staff or students bring a bag of snacks into the classroom. Substitute educators often stay in the classroom, using breaks and lunchtime to prepare for the next part of the day.
- Arrange a school-wide recognition of substitute educators in the read-aloud school bulletin, or on the intercom announcements.
Use this as an opportunity to engage the media to reach the public.
Visit the NEA’s website for more ideas and background information. This is a national event sponsored by the NEA. Their website contains an online toolkit with activity ideas, background information/fact sheets, media tips and promotional materials.
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