The first full week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week. We have been fortunate that our kids have had some great teachers – not only in an educational capacity but also showing them a lot of love and affection. So we thank those teachers very much this week and always.
But, according to a Washington Post article, these words of thanks may not mean that much. The article explains why some teachers feel that goodies and freebies for one week of the year fall short of showing them the appreciation they are looking for, including appropriate autonomy and being treated as experts in their field as are other professionals.
We feel fortunate to work in a profession that allows us to express our appreciation of teachers, and other professionals, by helping them enforce and protect their rights. We have represented teachers in pregnancy and sex discrimination cases, in family leave cases, and we have helped negotiate separation from employment agreements on behalf of administrators. The Education Law has tight deadlines for pursuing recourse against schools, administrators and boards of education and it is important that if a teacher feels he or she has been treated unfairly or illegally, they seek legal counsel sooner rather than later to adequately protect their rights. Our initial consultations are free and we are always happy to speak to someone and give some guidance.