Happy World Teachers’ Day, ATPE members! It’s a brand-new school year, and you’ve been showing your educational creativity in so many ways as you navigate what teaching looks like in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.  

ATPE believes every day should be Teachers' Day. That’s why we’re proud to partner with #TeachersCan to celebrate YOU. In true ATPE-style, we’re celebrating the efforts of all our members, whether you’re serving students in the classroom as a classroom teacher or in another capacity. Thank you for what you’re doing, especially during this challenging year.  

Please take a few minutes to celebrate by: 

• Visiting the #TeachersCan World Teachers’ Day webpage to share your teaching story, join the Texas Teachers Mosaic, and more. 
• Reading ATPE State President Jimmy Lee’s op-ed on World Teachers’ Day and the ways educators and parents can give each other some grace during this time.

But that’s not all. ATPE wants to celebrate YOUR creativity this year. That’s why ATPE’s launching the “ATPE Socially Distant Classroom” Facebook Photo Contest, open to all ATPE members. 

What do YOUR classrooms look like in 2020? Have you made creative use of Google pages, Bitmojis, GIFs, videos, etc., to supplement your teaching? Are you back on campus and have a creative configuration to ensure social distance and safety? We want to see them!  

Two winners—one for “favorite virtual classrooms” and the other for “favorite in-person socially distant classroom”—will receive $50 Amazon gift cards.  

The rules are simple! 

• Between October 5–9, ATPE members will email a screenshot or photo, a description of their virtual or socially distant classroom, and their name, region, and their grade level/title/school to pr@atpe.org. Please be sure not to show any student faces or include students’ personal information in your photos. 
• Submissions will close October 9. They will be gathered and posted on the ATPE Facebook page (facebook.com/officialatpe) October 12 and be eligible for voting by likes/reacts through October 16. 
• The winners will be determined by the photo with the most likes/reactions in each category.
• Winners will be announced via Facebook and other ATPE social media October 20. Winners will receive their gift cards via the email address they submitted.  
• And that’s it!  

​We can’t wait to see your creativity on display, ATPE members! 
  

Photo from unesco.org's World Teachers’ Day materials.