Students Show Appreciation For Teachers

From making and implementing lesson plans to grading papers, a lot goes into a teacher’s everyday work. They do so much for their students and schools, so once a year, a week is dedicated to them. This year, May 8-12 was national Teacher Appreciation Week, and Severna Park High School celebrated wholeheartedly.

“I think teachers really need to be recognized for all the hard work that they do inside of school and outside of school,” senior Lauren Kirchner said. “I also think that certain teachers can also have a big impact on students’ personal lives as well and be a good friend to talk to and very approachable.”

Students were given blue slips of paper to write thank you notes to teachers the week before. Many students wrote about how much they enjoyed their classes, appreciated what a teacher had done for them and thanked other staff members. When the notes were delivered a week later, the small blue papers were visible on many teachers’ desks.

“They spend a lot of their time, even out of class, like over the weekends, lesson planning and stuff,” sophomore Gavin Morris said. “I think it’s just nice that they get the appreciation they deserve.”

The school also put together a special lunch as a thank you to teachers. Families signed up to bring food, snacks and beverages. As the job can be stressful with planning activities, keeping grades updated and worrying over big AP exams, the thank yous may seem small, but they were well earned.

“They’re doing one of the most important jobs,” junior Samual Cook said, “which is education.”

When asked about teachers that impacted them, many students rattled off almost an entire list. Those teachers spanned across many departments, grade levels and subjects.

“Freshman year, I was going through a lot and Ms. [Roxanne] Angerer kind of was there for me if I needed anything,” Mylia Phipps said. “It just showed me that teachers really do care.”

Lauren wanted to recognize teacher Yaneth Posada. “I haven’t had her since sophomore year, but she was my Spanish teacher, and every single morning, she still greets me and says good morning and asks me how my day is when I walk in the school,” Lauren said. “So, I think that’s really awesome.”

Students said they appreciate it when teachers love the subject they’re teaching. The enthusiasm translates and gets students more engaged with their classes because they can tell their teachers want them to enjoy the learning process. It creates natural motivation.

“AP Government was the class that impacted me the most because of the enthusiasm from the teacher, who’s Mrs. [Sarah] Poole,” junior Galen Richardson said. “She really helped me see just how much I liked politics and Model UN too because she runs that club. And that has really been something that’s affected me in my life now.”

There may only be one week in the year for teachers, but it’s clear the appreciation for their hard work is there the entire school year. Students spend roughly 35 hours at school a week, not including sports and extracurriculars, and it’s hard to keep coming back day after day with motivation. Good teachers and a healthy environment keep the students going.

“I think it’s really important that they get that day of recognition,” Lauren said, “We should give them that appreciation every single day.”

Students Name Their Favorite Teachers

“My English class right now, [with] Mrs. [Katie] Chapman, she goes around and goes to our tables and talks with us and makes it more interesting.”
Sophomore Gavin Morris

“Mrs. [Andrea] Alcombright [is great]. She’s always super sweet and super caring and she just always pushes you to do your best.”
Sophomore Brianna Barco

“Mrs. [Kristen] Ritz is another teacher that comes to mind. She’s really nice and I have a club that I started with one of my friends, The Coding Club. She sponsors that and she’s really nice and cool about it.”
Junior Samual Cook