Tech Teacher Appreciation Week

If you wonder what’s so hard about being a teacher, look at this list of challenges they faced the last few years:

1. AI in classrooms
2. AI homework
3. Diversity in the classroom
4. Keeping parents involved and informed
5. Students not working up to grade level requirements
6. Demands of an expanded curriculum
7. Disrespect from students

I won’t go into each of these. That I’ll save for a different article. Instead, I’ll focus on tech teachers–what I do. It’s a bit different than a classroom teacher. Here are a list of the types of tech problems tech teachers in your school are more likely to face. They’re similar to the above list, with a few differences:

1. rapidly changing technology
2. expensive technology that is underfunded
3. expanded need of internet for lessons and classwork when many homes don’t have that available
4. lack of training in the nuances of technology, the apps, and the applications
5. security for sensitive material and cybersecurity for student work
6. lack of student understanding of technology and its basics

It’s tempting to think the tech teacher will snap her/his fingers and solve these issues. There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. Technology teachers are the teaching professions version of these nerdy individuals. In your district, you may refer to them as IT specialists, Coordinators for Instructional Technology, Technology Facilitators, Curriculum Specialists, or something else that infers big brains, quick minds, and the ability to talk to digital devices. School lore probably says they can drop a pin through a straw without touching the sides.

Which brings me to Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week in May, this year, May 5-9, 2025. For that special day, give your technology specialist a gift they will truly appreciate. Here’s a short list of welcome gifts from my own personal experience and that of tech teacher friends:

1. Tech Gadgets like a high-quality stylus for their digital whiteboard, a portable phone charger, a smart pen, or a USB flash drive with ample storage.
2. Subscription Services to a tech-related magazine or online learning platform where they can further develop their skills.
3. Books on the latest trends in educational technology, pedagogical strategies for integrating technology into the classroom, or biographies of tech pioneers.
4. Customized Tech Accessories like a custom mousepad, laptop sleeve, or a mug with a tech-themed design can be both practical and thoughtful.
5. Gift Cards to tech stores like Best Buy, Apple Store, or Amazon
6. Online Course Certifications in areas of educational technology or specific software tools that they are interested in mastering.
7. Thank You Note expressing your appreciation for their dedication and hard work can be just as meaningful as any gift.

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.