Hearts of Educators Are Always with Students

BURLINGAME – During Teacher Appreciation Week and leading up to California Day of the Teacher on May 13 and Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day on May 19, CTA is launching a statewide ad campaign highlighting the tireless commitment of all educators to their students during COVID-19. More importantly, it is one of many ways CTA is recognizing all educators for their dedication and strength during this crisis.

“I am so proud of how our educators have responded during this pandemic to continue reaching and teaching students. While we are all in this together, educators are going above and beyond to take care of their students during the statewide lockdown – from providing more office hours, visiting their students at a safe distance, or delivering meals to families in need. Educators have demonstrated that their hearts are and will always be with their students.”

— CTA President E. Toby Boyd

New Ad Campaign Shows Hearts of Educators Are Always with Students

The ad campaign shows how far educators will go to reach and teach their students. From video conferencing to drive-by visits to feeding families in need, educators are showing the world what it truly means to be an educator. In the ads you see educators creating personalized lesson plans, providing learning materials, engaging in food delivery, and meeting students outside their windows or at a safe distance – literally meeting them where they are located. No matter where students are, the lessons and hearts of educators are always with them, even in the time of social distancing. The TV spots will air during numerous network news and cable programs. The TV ads are accompanied by print and digital ads in several languages.

• CTA TV Ads: Educator Are Always There For You: (In Spanish)
• CTA TV Ads: Educator Hearts Are Always With You: (In Spanish)

California Says, “Thank You!”

To channel this new widespread appreciation into a gift for educators, CTA launched Thank an Educator to call on Californians to thank an educator in their community. Now more than ever, we are grateful for the contributions of our educators. The sudden need to turn homes into makeshift classrooms has been a learning moment for many about their dedication to students. ESPs are keeping students fed and preparing for a safe return to school. Parents, communities, and people across the country are developing an even greater appreciation for the patient and supportive educators in the lives of their children. During Teacher Appreciation Week, Day of the Teacher, ESP Day and beyond, this is the perfect time to tell these amazing educators just how much they mean to us.

Day of the Teacher is May 13

“California Teachers: Inspiring Generations” is the theme for the 2020 Day of the Teacher celebration, and this year CTA especially recognizes all the retiring educators who have done just that. Ricardo Levins Morales, the artist for this year’s poster, is nationally recognized for his depictions of social justice and the labor movement. In an interview with the California Educator he said, “Teachers are important. They are tasked with the job of being gardeners, creating an environment where children can flourish. In good times and bad, teachers provide the consistent element of teaching, which is about watering roots, cultivating, and weeding, so students can flourish and pollinate and be part of a community. It’s an ecosystem, a web of connections and relationships. That’s true of organizing. That’s true of families.”

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The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.