Why do we celebrate World Teacher's Day?

The 5th of October is the day we celebrate World Teacher's Day to give thanks and appreciation to all the teachers around the world!

Dinosaur alphabet, ABC, Dino, baby, alphabet song

On this special day, we give thanks to the teachers who inspire us to learn, who guide us through new experiences, and who help us confront our difficulties! Being a teacher is not always easy and that's why today we take a moment of our time to appreciate all the work teachers do and the important role they play in our lives.
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Hi, I'm Cali! Cali's Books Founder. I'm a happy mother of two young kids and an all-time book lover. I am French living in California and I'd love to share with you my experiences of bringing up my family in America. I built Cali's books book publishing house for my children and I hope you enjoy our interactive books created with love to inspire and cultivate a love for books.

A Bit of History
The Geography of Teaching
Let's do the Math
Our 5 Teacher's Day Gift Ideas

A Bit of History

some 55 years ago, the world came together in Paris to sign and adopt a document called the 'ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers'^[1]. These recommendations are the foundations set out for the rights and responsibilities of teachers worldwide. They set international standards for a wide range of issues, relating to the most important professional, social, ethical, and material concerns of teachers, including training, advancement and promotion, job security, professional freedom, responsibilities, and rights, as well as participation in educational decision-making. In 1994, International Teacher's Day was created on this day to commemorate the signing of these recommendations and to continue to advance and work together with teachers around the world with the goal of improving education and the status of those who teach.

The Geography of Teaching

National Teacher Days take place around the world on different days depending on each countries history. Here is a small list of a few national teacher days and some interesting facts about them:

- Argentina (11 Sep.): In memory of Domingo Sarmiento (15 Feb. 1811 - 11 Sep. 1888) who made education compulsory and worked to further the cause of teachers and schools.
- Canada (5 Sep.): The Canadian Teacher's association celebrates with over 100 other organizations worldwide.
- Mexico (15 May): Known as "Día del Maestro", schools stop normal activities and organize cultural events that promote the importance and dignity of the teachers' role in society.
- Philippines (5 Oct.): Starting on the 5th of Sep. National Teacher's Month is the longest celebration of teachers in the world. Teachers are given orchid corsages by students.
- Panama (1 Dec.): To commemorate the birth date of Manuel José Hurtado who established the first public schools to promote education and lift children out of poverty.
- Singapore (First Friday of September): An official school holiday, students put on performances to entertain and honor their teachers the day before.
- USA (First full week of May on Tuesday): The National Education Association (NEA) describes National Teacher Day as "a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives". ^[3]

Let's do the Math

In the USA, teachers have an average working week of around 50 hours. Some 51% of the people think teaching is among the most notable professions. There are around 3.7 million teachers in the US. An average teacher works 400 hours of overtime each year. Over 88% of people think their teachers had a significant role in their lives. Around 2 out of 3 students say their teachers are their role models. A teacher will influence around 3,000 kids in their most important years. ^[2]

Our 5 World Teacher's Day Gift Ideas

Here are 5 World Teacher's Day gift ideas!

Print our coloring card and decorate it with the help of your children
Print out and read our World Teacher's Day poem to your favorite teacher
Get a Cali's Book gift card for your teacher so they can choose their favorite book
Bake a cake!
Pick some flowers and make a bouquet!

Thank you to all the teachers in our lives, for all they have done for us, for all the time they take out of their lives to guide us, and for all they will continue to do to improve the lives of future generations!

Love,

Cali 💛