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Proclamation 10195 of April 30, 2021

National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, 2021

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As the proud husband of an educator who continues, as First Lady, to teach writing at a community college, I have seen firsthand the dedication, selflessness, and vision of our Nation’s educators. They play so many different roles: They are mentors who guide with creativity and care; advocates who fight for students’ needs; role models who help students dream and dare more boldly; and leaders who tirelessly support the families and communities that depend on them. Every day, with every student they reach, educators build the future of our country, and we are grateful for their commitment to our shared future. This National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week, we honor the service and passion and celebrate the immeasurable contributions of our Nation’s educators in schools from coast to coast.

Throughout history, America’s educators have risen to unprecedented challenges. Over the past year, with our country facing a cascade of crises, educators have risen to this challenge with care and creativity: overcoming disruptions in their own lives while offering unwavering support for their students’ wellbeing and academic progress.

Educators served both as facilitators of learning and as the technology support for their students, getting them up and running with access to fully remote learning. They often worked late into the day to support hard-to-reach children, and took the extracurriculars their students love and adapted them for remote and hybrid learning. Our teachers even found new ways to leverage technology platforms to coordinate with parents as partners in learning, keep a close eye on the development of their students, and build community by moving music rehearsals and sports practices online.

As this pandemic has shined a bright light on the inequities that persist in our schools, educators have also fought for the tools and resources their schools need to bridge gaps and ensure all children have what they need to succeed. Other school staff and administrators have also stepped up in our time of need, with bus drivers bringing hotspots to areas with no wireless internet, food service staff preparing meals for students who might otherwise go hungry, and counselors helping students and parents cope with trauma.

When I took office, I vowed to support our educators by giving them the pay and dignity they deserve. I made a promise that they would not only have a voice as we work to rebuild and reimagine our education system, they would help us lead this effort. That is why my Administration is partnering with State and local leaders, educators and their unions, and families to ensure high-quality instruction, overcome the challenges of the instructional time we lost in the pandemic, address educational inequities, and meet students’ physical, social, and emotional needs.

In early March, I prioritized early childhood through 12th grade educators and staff for vaccination, and I set a goal of getting all of these frontline essential workers at least one shot by the end of the month. On April