by Heather LeCon

May 07, 2020

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Applied Materials thanks all educators for your dedication, leadership and ongoing impact you have on all of us. We applaud you for providing the resources needed to succeed in school and life, and for continuing to motivate the next generation of great thinkers.

As we constantly adjust our daily lives during the COVID-19 health crisis, one of the biggest changes is the absence of students and teachers in classrooms. With schools across the globe temporarily closed, educators have transitioned to distance learning to keep students engaged during this challenging time.

Teachers have found new ways of staying connected with their students through virtual home learning platforms—and this means many parents are also taking on a new role during this time. Between juggling working remotely, household tasks and now homeschooling their children—parents also deserve a huge thank you!

I asked Applied employees across the company to share stories of teachers in their lives who are going above and beyond and continue to make a lasting impact.

Tasnuva Tabassum, a quality engineer in Silicon Valley, commends the work of her friend, a middle school P.E. teacher, who is creating fun workout videos and sharing them with his students so they can continue to stay active.

Glaston Ford, an IT manager in Austin, shares a story about his daughter who is a high school Algebra II teacher. To honor the graduating seniors, his daughter initiated and organized an adopt-a-senior program to raise funds to buy care packages for every graduating senior. With her administration’s approval, she organized everything from promoting the program to coordinating donations from staff, friends, family and community members. She put together the care packages and personally delivered them to each of the students. Glaston is inspired by his daughter’s efforts and by the faculty and parents who supported her program.

Jeff Stalcup, a senior HR specialist in Silicon Valley, and his wife who is a Kindergarten teacher together uploaded several educational videos to help parents learn how to create a good learning environment for their children.

One of my favorite teachers from high school is retiring after this school year and while we’re not able to celebrate with her in person, a group of former students and I are sending her a congratulatory video with recordings of ourselves sharing our best memories of her class.

This is a difficult time for each and every one of us, but today I encourage you to reach out to a teacher you know and thank them for all they do. Join us on Twitter @Applied4Good and #ThankATeacher this week. To learn more about other areas Applied is passionate about, check out our Community page.

Tags: teacher appreciation week, Thank A Teacher, education, community, student development, careers, distance learning