Today, October 5, is World Teachers’ Day. A day we acknowledge our educators’ dedication and passion, show our appreciation and recognize the unprecedented journey our teachers and educators have been on since March.

This morning, our 64,000 students across Waterloo Region started their school day excited and ready to learn, but it looks and feels a lot different than it did before. Whether our students’ started their day in-person wearing a mask or online through a device at home, each of our classrooms has a caring educator standing in front of a class of students or on-screen with lessons prepared, smiles on their faces, ready to start the day.

We know that this has been a difficult time for our students, families, and educators, but we can all be incredibly proud of how we have persevered.

The theme for World Teachers Day 2020, as selected by UNESCO, is: “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future.” This day gives us an opportunity to reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education and allowed us to recreate our learning spaces to ensure our students continue to feel supported and ready to learn.

Since March, our teachers and educators have been resilient and have continued to be innovative in their teaching practice to deliver the best possible education to their students with human rights and equity remaining at the forefront of everything they do.

As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we ask our school communities to continue to offer our teachers and educators patience and understanding as they work through a teaching experience like never before.

Teachers are the foundation of education at the WRDSB, and together we can support and uplift them, and remind them of the great work they continue to do to inspire and educate our young learners.

We want to wish all of our teachers and educators a Happy World Teachers’ Day. You provide value and enrichment to our students, our community, and our future. Thank you for working tirelessly to create a welcoming environment during this time and for all you do as you grow and learn with our students – making a difference for each and every one.

We invite our community to show your appreciation for our teachers who go the extra mile, inspire confidence and success in each student, and make your child smile each and every day on social media by using the #WorldTeachersDay hashtag and tagging @wrdsb on Twitter or @wr_dsb on Instagram.