Let’s be honest. Sometimes we don’t give teachers the credit they deserve. Junior Lauren Schulze created the Teacher Appreciation Instagram (@teacherseries) to change that.  

With all the amazing positivity that the account brings, you might be surprised that the account was actually the result of negativity. After the controversial dress code assembly earlier this year, many felt the school was divided, doomed to remain under a cloud of gloom.

“A couple months ago there was a lot of drama over the dress code assembly. I was feeling really down, and I felt like the atmosphere of the school was really negative for a couple weeks,” Schulze said. “ASB decided to do a positivity series, like post positive [things].”

Schulze observed that the teachers were affected by the drama, as well. “[When] I talked to some of the teachers, I noticed they were kind of upset about what had been happening at the school, too. I know some teachers were targeted, as well [as ASB members], and so I felt that I should do an outreach program towards the teacher. And so I had the idea to do the teachers appreciation series,” Schulze said.

What exactly does the Teacher Appreciation Instagram account post, you might ask? Every couple of weeks or so, Schulze posts a picture of a teacher and writes a couple of sentences thanking and praising them for their work. Past posts feature Mr. Sheffield, Mr. Montgomery and Mrs. Shields, to name a few.

Although this seems like such a small thing to do, it has had a huge impact. “I feel like a lot of students, now that they see teachers that they haven’t had yet [featured on the account], are being more respectful

towards them,” Schulze said. “One of the students that follows the account hadn’t had Mr. Sheffield yet … but they walked up to Mr. Sheffield and [the student] was like, ‘Hi! I saw the account, and I’m really looking forward to having you in English next year.’

“It was really cool, and I really love [hearing these stories].”

The account has not only awaken the zeal of the student body, but the teachers themselves, as well. After posting, Schulze waits a week and then shows the comments to the teacher featured in the post. “If [the teacher is] having a bad day it’s really cool, because it makes their day and I get to see them smile.”

When asked what her favorite part of running the account is, Schulze is quick to respond. “My favorite part … is going into the teacher’s [classroom] and asking them, ‘Is it okay if I take your picture for the teachers’ appreciation [Instagram account]?’ …. I can just see the smile on their face and they’re just like, ‘Oh, yeah! Sure! Me? Definitely!’

“I also love getting all the positive comments that people post on the page too, like ‘I love them; they help me so much!’ … It’s just really cool.”

Make sure to follow @teacherseries on Instagram to see it for yourself! If you don’t have an Instagram, or don’t know how, teach(y)er self!