Teachers are some of the most important and impactful people in our lives. Which is why it is fitting that every May we celebrate the amazing contributions they make with Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10) and Teacher Appreciation Day (May 7).
The education experts at Brainly — the world’s largest peer-to-peer learning community for students, parents and teachers with more than 150 million users globally— polled 1,000 Americans to discover which states most appreciate the amazing impact teachers have on students.
It turns out there are tons of interesting things we never knew about how people feel about teachers!
Consider this: 91% of Americans have a teacher they remember having had a large positive impact on their lives. But which states stand out the most?
Here are a few more interesting findings from that survey:
TEACHERS DON’T GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE
83% of Americans said that teachers don’t get the recognition they should for the massive impact they have on America’s youth. In a similar vein, 79% say that they aren’t paid enough and should be paid more.
NEARLY 2/3RDS KEEP IN TOUCH WITH TEACHERS AFTER GRADUATION
62% say that keep in touch with their favorite teachers after leaving school. Maybe it has something to do with this other datapoint: 53% point to a teacher’s passion for the work as the most desirable trait in a teacher. When you find someone like that, you KIT.
ENGLISH TEACHERS TOP THE ALL TIME FAVORITE LIST
Despite forcing us to slog through Ethan Frome, 25% of Americans say their English teachers were their all-time fave. This is followed by Math (16%), The Arts (15%), Science (14%), and History (12%).