American Education Week
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American Education Week

Public schools are the cornerstone of our communities. We welcome students of all backgrounds, abilities, and incomes. We each play a role in ensuring our schools are open to all.

During American Education Week, we celebrate public education and show our appreciation for the men and women who make a difference in students' lives every day.

Join the celebration. Snap a picture that represents your pride in public schools and post it to social media using #PublicSchoolsForAll.

Schedule of events

Monday, November 18
Kickoff Day 

Tuesday, November 19
Family Day 

Wednesday, November 20
Education Support Professionals Day

Thursday, November 21
Educator for a Day

Friday, November 22
Substitute Educators Day 

What is American Education Week?

American Education Week is a time for all Pennsylvanians and Americans to celebrate public education and honor the women and men who are making a difference in our schools every day.

Join the celebration

Join us as we show our support for PA public schools and send the message that our schools are here for each and every student.

Just snap a picture that represents your pride in public schools and post it to your social channels using #PublicSchoolsForAll.

Find more resources

Find event ideas, suggested social media posts, videos and more at NEA's American Education Week web page.

Educator Spotlight

Students Immersed in Broadcast Journalism

Brandyn Miller, a business and computer science teacher in the Palmerton Area School District, teaches high school students on how to produce newscasts for the morning announcements as part of a Digital Media Productions class.

Students study the mechanics of the studio by rotating positions that mirror a standard newsroom setting such as an anchor, director, and editor. The class is supported by the Video Club which gathers additional footage of after-school events that is used in daily newscasts.

“Four of my digital media students participated in a Future Business Leaders of America broadcast journalism competition,” Miller said. “They were able to take the skills they learned from class and compete against their peers.”

“Watching them put stories together from start to finish is amazing,” Miller said. “I’m amazed to see how well they have done and what the class has learned together.”

Connecting the Dots

Andrea Bitner, an English language learner educator (EL) and Title 1 reading specialist in the Interboro School District, has built a strong community of EL students throughout her school, district, and community.

With help from a PSEA Innovative Teaching Grant and fellow EL teachers, Bitner transitioned her learning approach to the community with a pilot field trip where K-5 EL students practiced English. Her plan moving forward is to take groups of K-12 EL students to various local businesses to practice their language skills in a safe space among their peers.

“It’s been really well received, and we’re really proud of it,” Bitner said. “And I’m just proud of my students.”

PhysEd Duo Bring Positivity vibes to TikTok

Under the hashtag, #TeachersOfTikTok, are two physical education teachers from Altoona Area Junior High School who share education joy under the TikTok handle @jhelsel.

“We like to highlight things that are positive in education,” said Jill Lane, athletic director and physical education teacher. “We can easily do that together with TikTok.”

Using popular trends and dances suggested by students, the teachers create video content after school. And it didn’t take long for their good attitude to become “TikTok famous.”

“One of our videos hit 1 million views and the account has grown tremendously ever since, partially because of our students,” said Jill Helsel, physical education teacher and owner of @jhelsel. “We never expected it to happen.”

Schoolwide Mobile Makerspace

Finding creative new ways to engage kids in learning is one of teaching’s toughest challenges. Making it work for multiple classrooms across an entire school is tougher still. But that’s just what Katie Waddell, a second-grade teacher in the General McLane School District, Erie County, has accomplished with her Schoolwide Mobile Makerspace program.

Virtual reality in the classroom

Picture this. You're standing on the surface of a rocky, alien landscape on the edge of an enormous crater. Deposits of what look like snow and ice dot the landscape. You turn to the left to see Jupiter looming massively over distant mountains, dominating an alien sky packed with brilliant stars. 

PSEA’s American Education Week Giveaways

This American Education Week, we want to show our appreciation to PSEA members who are making a difference in Pennsylvania’s public schools. PSEA is giving away PSEAWear items to members in each of our 11 geographic regions, ESP Region, PSEA-Retired, and Student PSEA.

Submit your name to enter below. The submission deadline is Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 at 5 p.m.

If you are a winner, you will hear from PSEA on Friday, Nov. 22. Good luck!

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