Wednesday May 4, 2022, will be Oregon’s twentieth annual Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day! As proclaimed by the Governor—a day when schools are encouraged to do something special for those faithful guest teachers, who provide approximately one year of every student’s education. Thank you for joining Governor Brown in saying thanks to these on-call professionals during National Teacher Appreciation Week, especially on May 4th.

Here are some quick and easy ideas, but let creativity be your guide!

• TREAT YOURSELF! Check out the NEA's thank you, and hear how teachers want to be appreciated

• STEDI Annual Substitute Give Away!

• Candy by the substitute check-in, with a small sign: “You are our Life-Saver!” or “You Deserve a (Peppermint) Patty on the Back!” or just “Thank You for Being our Substitute Teacher.”

• Latte Gift Certificates, boutonnieres.

• A poster in the front lobby welcoming substitutes.

• Hand-written notes by leadership students, hand-delivered to classrooms or sent in the mail.

• An after-school tea inviting substitutes who usually work in your building, but who may not have been called to your building that day.

• Including substitute teachers in Teacher Appreciation Week activities.

• Including Oregon Substitute Teacher Day in your morning announcements.

• Announcing names of substitute teachers and for whom they are substituting. Some schools do this on a daily basis, and it is helpful to the teaching teams as well as the students.