CTA social media: @WeAreCTA, #DayOfTheTeacher, www.cta.org/DayOfTheTeacher

Events Set Statewide – CTA to Launch Unscripted TV Ads
Featuring Students Praising How Their Teachers Inspired Them

BURLINGAME – With its theme this year of educators using their “superpowers” to provide all students with the quality education they deserve, the 36^th annual California Day of the Teacher kicks off Wednesday, May 9, with local events statewide that honor and thank educators. A CTA television ad campaign launching that day focuses on unscripted praise by students for their teachers and how educators inspired them.

The celebration’s theme this year:“California Teachers: The League of Extraordinary Educators.” See this year’s poster and other resources here. In the spirit of this celebration of teachers and all they accomplish every day, educators statewide are posting photos of themselves with signs describing what “superpowers” they have – a sense of humor, integrity, patience, perseverance, kindness, the ability to inspire and empower students, to name a few offered so far.

“With their inspiring commitment to their students, schools and communities, California’s educators really are in a league of their own,” said Eric C. Heins, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association. “By honoring educators in our public schools, community colleges and universities, we honor the dedicated professionals who educate our workforce so California can continue to innovate and succeed for generations to come.”

Students confide why they respect and appreciate their teachers in the new unscripted television spots to begin airing statewide Wednesday. “My teacher’s a good role model because she tells us never to give up,” a fourth-grade boy says in one spot. An 11^th-grade girl declares: “They don’t only teach me about what we learn inside the classroom – they teach me about life.” Watch the 30-second ads in English and Spanish. Other spots in English are here and here.

California’s Day of the Teacher stems from legislation co-sponsored by CTA and the Association of Mexican American Educators in 1982. This is also National Teacher Appreciation Week.

***CTA PRESIDENT BAY AREA MEDIA AVAILABILITY*** A media availability with CTA President Eric C. Heins is from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday at CTA headquarters, 1705 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, 94010.  Call Mike Myslinski at 408-921-5769 to schedule interviews.

Here is a sampling of California Day of the Teacher events
Wednesday, May 9, unless other dates are noted

Southern California

COSTA MESA – CTA Vice President Theresa Montaño will speak at an awards dinner honoring dozens of educators in the Orange County area for their contributions to local CTA chapters. The WHO (We Honor Ours) event starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Turnip Rose Promenade banquet center, 1570 Scenic Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626. The awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m. It’s hosted by the CTA Orange Service Center Council. CTA contact: Ed Sibby at 951-225-2048.

LONG BEACH: The Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) will be holding a parking lot barbecue to celebrate Day of the Teacher, School Nurses Day and Better Hearing and Speech Month. The union family festivities are after school at the TALB offices, 4362 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, 90807. Contact: TALB President Barry Welsch at 562-426-6433.

COMPTON: The Compton Education Association (CEA) will honor Compton Unified School District educators with a T-shirt that declares: “I am changing the world one student at a time. I teach.” Contact: CEA President Emmanuel Taton at 310-638-8576.

RIVERSIDE: To thank Riverside educators for their dedication, the Riverside City Teachers Association (RCTA) is hosting a “Tacos in the Park” event from 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Shamel Park Picnic Shelter, 3650 Arlington Ave., Riverside, 92506. Teachers and their families will gather at this annual event. Contact: RCTA President Tim Martin at 951-684-6744.

Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO: Before and after school Wednesday, members of United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) will leaflet parents about the importance of passing the Proposition G parcel tax on the city’s June 5 ballot – the Living Wage for Educators Act of 2018. It will help stop the exodus of San Francisco Unified teachers being priced out of the city due to soaring housing costs. At least five schools will be involved. For more information and locations, contact Nguyen Weeks at UESF at 415-956-8373 or 510-506-2905.

OAKLAND: Keeping up their pressure on the school district to settle a fair contract, Oakland Unified School District educators will hold a protest rally at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dewey High School, 1111 Second Ave., then march to the 5:30 p.m. school board meeting being held at La Escuelita Elementary, 1050 2^nd Ave., Oakland. The district refuses to lower class sizes or provide fair pay to keep experienced educators in Oakland. See more info here.  Contact: Oakland Education Association President Trish Gorham at 510-332-9103.

FREMONT: Fremont Unified School District educators will converge on the school board meeting to demand a fair contract. Teachers will gather at 3 p.m. Wednesday for a rally before entering the school board meeting at 4 p.m. at district offices, 4210 Technology Drive, Fremont, 94538. Both sides are at impasse as the district continues to refuse to invest in educators. Contact: Fremont Unified District Teachers Association President Victoria Birbeck-Herrera at 510-439-7914.

CONCORD: The envelope, please? On Thursday, May 10, the sixth annual community “Academy Awards” for Mt. Diablo Unified School District teachers, parents and all education stakeholders will take place, continuing the innovative celebration started by the Mt. Diablo Education Association (MDEA). Scores of people have been nominated for awards in numerous categories, and at least 350 education community members will attend the gala event. The 5-9 p.m. celebration on Thursday is at Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road, Concord, 94521. Contact: MDEA President Guy Moore at 925-286-2556.

SAN JOSE: On Thursday, May 10, frustrated members of the Evergreen Teachers Association (ETA) will hold a public rally at 5 p.m. and then march to go pack the school board meeting to demand respect and a fair contract settlement from the Evergreen School District. See the ETA news release with full details on the bargaining showdown here. Contact: ETA President Brian Wheatley at 408-833-3476.

PITTSBURG: In a solidarity event hosted by Pittsburg Education Association (PEA), Pittsburg Unified School District educators will gather from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday at La Piñata restaurant, 95 Bliss Ave., Pittsburg. Educators will then attend the 5 p.m. school board meeting at 2000 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg, 94565, and provide signed letters pointing out class size overcrowding issues at some schools.  Contact: PEA President Tamara Carr at 925-432-0199.

ANTIOCH: Prior to holding a protest against a new charter school petition, local educators will gather for an Antioch Education Association (AEA) celebration from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Skipolini’s Pizza, 901 Fitzguren Road, Antioch. Teachers will then pack the 7 p.m. school board meeting to oppose the divisive East Bay Tech Academy charter plans for a middle school and high school. The meeting location is Lone Tree Elementary, 1931 Mokelumne Drive, Antioch, 94531.  Contact: AEA President Robert Strickler at 925-864-1243.

RICHMOND: In honor of educators, the school board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District passed this resolution urging all communities in the sprawling district to “recognize, appreciate and respect the heroic and unsung efforts of our teachers to respond to the ever-increasing intellectual and social needs of our students.” Another resolution honors Wednesday as the National School Nurse Day. Contact: United Teachers of Richmond President Demetrio Gonzalez at 510-222-5112 or 760-500-7044.

YUBA CITY: Local CTA chapters will be honoring teachers from the counties of Sutter, Yuba, Nevada and Colusa for education excellence and their dedication to the profession. The WHO (We Honor Ours) awards to be presented include Outstanding New Educator, Outstanding Teacher and Advocate for the Association. Educators will also recognize CTA members for community outreach, and public officials who showed leadership in advocating for education and students. The event is hosted by the CTA Feather River Service Center Council. It’s 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday at Ting’s Refuge Restaurant, 1501 Butte House Road, Yuba City. Contact: Feather River Service Center Chair Mike Greer at 530-755-2082.

Central Valley

MERCED: The annual Day of the Teacher awards banquet honoring local educators and education supporters is Wednesday. The event is hosted by the CTA Merced/Mariposa Service Center Council and will start at 5 p.m. at the Merced Senior Community Center, 755 W. 15^th St., Merced, 95340. Keynote speaker is Merced County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Steve Tietjen. The event honors local educators’ union activism and community leaders who support public schools. The WHO (We Honor Ours) awards honor teachers for their contributions to local CTA chapters, while the Gold Awards are presented to honor public officials, individual citizens and local organizations for their support of public schools. In the name of local teachers, the Merced/Mariposa Teachers UniServ Council donated $1,000 to each of these four groups: Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Valley Crisis Center and the Cerebral Palsy Association. Contact: Wassim Absood at 209-723-8871.

BAKERSFIELD: Hundreds of Kern County educators will attend a picnic of free food, raffles, music and games for the kids from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at Yokuts Park, corner of the Truxtun Exchange and Empire Drive, in Bakersfield. The annual event to honor the teaching profession is hosted by the CTA Sierra Service Center Council. Contact: Sierra Service Center Council Chair and Arvin Teachers Association President Michael Flores-Castaneda at 661-587-1366.

VISALIA: The Visalia Unified Teachers Association (VUTA) will host a celebration of current and retired teachers from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Visalia at the Cellar Door, 101 West Main St., Visalia, 93291. Raffle prizes and free food are included. Contact: VUTA President Greg Price at 559-799-5455.

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The 325,000-member California Teachers Association is
affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.