Celebrating teachers around the world.

The 2007 Week of the Classroom Teacher/World Teachers' Day campaign has been quite successful. ACEI obtained 48 proclamations announcing September 30-October 6, 2007, as the Week of the Classroom Teacher. This is also the first year that ACEI received a special message of teacher appreciation from the President of the United States. This success would not have been possible without the help of dedicated ACEI members. Every year, a member from each state must be contacted to sponsor the request. We are fortunate to have enthusiastic members who assist in obtaining the proclamations, which we will display at the Annual International Conference & Exhibition, March 26-29, 2008, in Atlanta, GA.

The Week of the Classroom Teacher is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate those individuals who encourage, stimulate, and inspire our youth to reach their greatest potential. Teachers deserve our sincere appreciation and thanks for the tremendous job that they perform throughout the year.

ACEI Branches participated in many celebratory events. For example, students from the University of North Florida (UNF) ACEI Branch volunteered in first-year teacher Danielle Aldridge's classroom throughout the week. Branch President Sonia Jersey and Student Adviser Katrina Hall presented Danielle with a gift-filled storage container. The Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Student Branch, ACEI Eagles Educate, set up a voting booth to choose the "Ultimate Eagle Educator" in different categories at their university. After one week, votes were tallied and winners were recognized with certificates of appreciation. Sally Mayberry, FGCU College of Education, was voted "Best Storyteller," and Jackie Greene was voted "Most Likely To Have an Open Door." University of Central Missouri (UCM) ACEI President Jennifer Aldrich and Student Branch members packed and gift-wrapped apple baskets. Karen Foster, ACEI Week of the Classroom Teacher Chair, presented the gift baskets to 4th-grade teacher Nancy Harris of Whiteman Elementary Professional Development School (PDS) and to 3rd-grade teacher Pam Nelson of Knob Noster Elementary PDS.

The Week of the Classroom Teacher was promoted in Metro Augusta Parenting magazine, New York Teacher magazine, South Florida Parenting magazine, in the Teachers Count newsletter, and was distributed throughout the state departments of education in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and New York.

ACEI Headquarters, in collaboration with Education International (EI), supported and promoted World Teachers' Day, which was celebrated on October 5. This date commemorates the signing of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers in 1966. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) promoted the campaign theme, "Planning for an Effective Teaching Force for the Future," for World Teachers' Day 2007. UNESCO estimates that 18 million new teachers will be needed globally--4 million in Africa alone--to meet the requirements of the Millennium Goals of 2015. This is a daunting task that will demand constant attention and sustained action.

--Sheri Levin, Public Relations Manager