PRESS RELEASE

Honor Teachers by Celebrating the Week of the Classroom Teacher and World Teachers' Day, 2007

Media Contact:
Sheri Levin, ACEI Public Relations Manager
slevin@acei.org
(301) 570-2111 Fax: (301) 570-2212

Olney, MD, August 28, 2007--Recognition is important. Just ask the teachers of Oak Grove Lower Elementary School in Hattiesburg, MS. Seventy-five elementary and special education teachers received gifts of appreciation last year from the Southern Mississippi Branch of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). The local newspaper, television, and radio stations broadcast the news, and Governor Haley Barbour officially proclaimed the first week of October as the Week of the Classroom Teacher. Now, it's your turn to acknowledge our children's educators.

ACEI established, and annually promotes, the Week of the Classroom Teacher to recognize teachers' contributions to children. ACEI has designated September 30-October 6, 2007, as a special week to officially applaud our children's educators' and has joined with over 100 countries in recognizing World Teachers' Day, inaugurated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on October 5, 1966. ACEI's Week of the Classroom Teacher and UNESCO's World Teachers' Day are celebrated simultaneously to demonstrate appreciation to all classroom teachers.

Teachers are vitally important to the development and success of all children, and they deserve our appreciation and support. Teachers not only devote their time and energy to students, they often donate a portion of their income. Teachers spend an average of $475 a year on their students, reports Quality Education Data, Inc., an education market research and database firm.

"ACEI is dedicated to the education, rights, and well-being of children worldwide. The Week of the Classroom Teacher and World Teachers' Day serve to remind all of us of the essential role classroom teachers have in helping children achieve their full potential," states ACEI Executive Director Jerry Odland. ACEI Branches, members, teachers, and parents worldwide will hold activities honoring teachers.

ACEI offers free materials to help communities implement their own celebrations for the Week of the Classroom Teacher and World Teachers' Day. A detailed planning guide filled with suggestions, and materials, such as bookmarks, certificates, thank-you notes, and sample letters, can be found at www.acei.org/wcthp.htm.

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The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is the oldest professional organization in the world dedicated to the development of the whole child, from birth to early adolescence. Founded in 1892, ACEI is an organization of teachers, teacher educators, and parents whose primary purpose is to promote the inherent rights, education, and well-being of children in the home, school, and community. ACEI publishes the award-winning publication Childhood Education, as well as the Journal of Research in Childhood Education.