Thank Exceptional Local Teachers with the "Thank a Teacher a Latte Program"

This Teacher Appreciation Week the gift of a juicy apple to a valued educator is being replaced with a handful of unique and interesting gift ideas, but nothing beats the thoughtfulness of a personalized thank you card—except maybe if that card came with a complimentary cup of hot coffee.

With the Thank a Teacher a Latte campaign, mobile, social study platform StudyBlue is inviting students, parents, community leaders and fellow-educators to step up and thank an educator making a difference. Visit the Thank a Teacher a Latte site, and with just the click of a mouse, contribute a digital “thank you” to the growing “Wall of Thanks”. Fill out a card with words of appreciation, post it, and local teachers will receive a digital “badge of honor” to display through a variety of social media outlets. In addition, all teachers will be entered to win 1 of 300 $5 coffee cards set to be given away during and after Teacher Appreciation Week.

With the Thank a Teacher a Latte program StudyBlue is joining the legion of education evangelists hoping to make Teacher Appreciation Week not just a seven day event on the nation’s calendar, but a daily movement. “Educators are busy, and often don’t hear a simple ‘Thanks’ from their students,” said CEO Becky Splitt. “Most of us, by the time we're in high school and college, don't take the time to thank the teacher who made a huge difference. It's not cool to bring an apple to school for that teacher. But as we move on we truly gain a better understanding of what a difference he or she made. We wanted to give those students an easy way to let the teachers who have impacted them know they’re special.”

Heartfelt thank yous have poured in from schools nationwide and students from middle school to medical school have submitted hundreds of notes. Jessi P. gave enthusiastic praise to her mentor Mrs. Suzette Pelletier, stating “Thank you so much for helping me become a better math student! I couldn’t have done it without your help! Now I can accomplish my dreams! Thank you! You’re an awesome teacher!”  Similarly, Steven G. of Chula Vista extended gratitude to his mentor Mr. Partch: “Thank you for being such a devoted teacher and mentor,” he wrote. “The patience and guidance you offered to me as a new coach meant more to me than you know.”

A good teacher can mean the difference between success and failure later in life. Often times we don’t take the time to thank that music teacher who spent hours teaching guitar chords or the calculus teacher who extended office hours for that one struggling student. Even though Teacher Appreciation Week is winding down, we should still take the time to thank our teachers as often as we can.

To see the complete Wall of Thanks and send a card in real time, please visit http://thankateacher.studyblue.com/ .