Voices of Appreciation: Honoring Teachers and Librarians
by Travis Corter, Brodart Copywriter
When you’re a teacher, when you’re a librarian, every win is a big one. Appreciation may not be expected, but there is no quantifying how deeply a few kind words can touch the heart. We’re spending the month of May celebrating these educators and library leaders. Now it’s time to honor them by sharing heartfelt words of gratitude, reflecting on how they’ve touched our lives.
Teachers and librarians are sometimes in our lives for such a short time when we are young, yet this is often the most formative time in our lives. One of my childhood memories is of using a pen to pretend to check out library books at home. The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program was big in my day. The way I saw it, I was getting an extra pizza just for doing something that had already become an obsession: reading. I credit my local James V. Brown librarians for that.
Library superstar and inspirational advocate Mychal Threets (@mychal3ts) holds a special place in his heart for teachers. “I adore teachers and educators!” he says. “My own mom is a teacher. She homeschooled me from kindergarten all the way until senior year of high school. She is still a teacher in my home county, making students, making people better.” But Threets knows how challenging the profession can be. “The struggle is real, burnout is real. Teachers deserve so much more. And yet, with everything going on, they still show up for us each and every day, reminding us that we’re never too young to learn, we’re never too old to learn. Always loving us. Telling us that we can be the very best human beings in the world. Being our teachers, being there for us. I don’t know how you do it. Thank you, teachers! I appreciate you!”
Brodart Product Specialist Niki Risbon has fond early memories of the library. “When I was five, my best friend lived right across the street from the public library. I remember the first time I checked out two books—I read them in one day, then begged my mother to take me back to the library.” Niki recalls how her reading teacher inspired her. “My favorite teacher was my reading teacher. I enjoyed writing my own little novels that sometimes would be shared with my class. I loved creating a made-up world, where I could control the narrative.”
Librarians and teachers are treasured difference-makers. And who knows these educators better than their own colleagues? In response to our recent eblast, Teresa McCart gave a special coworker their flowers, saying, “Kelly Atkinson was the most gentle and sweet librarian I’ve had the pleasure to work with. She’s now retired and still just as kind!”
Throughout the years, Niki Risbon’s respect and admiration has only grown. “I have the utmost respect for both librarians and teachers,” she says. “You need abundant patience and the ability to remain calm while working with children and the public. I have many friends and family who work in education, and I always give them my praises.”
Teachers and librarians don’t move mountains just to collect a paycheck—they do it because their students and patrons deserve the best. And no one does it better. This may be Teacher Appreciation Month, but we sincerely hope that teachers and librarians feel our gratitude all year long.
And so we say: Thank you. Thank you, teachers. Thank you, librarians. Thank you, unsung heroes behind the stacks. We see you.
Special Teacher and Librarian Appreciation Sale:
To show our appreciation, we’re running a May sale on top picks for teachers and librarians.