In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, schools across the country hang banners, families bake treats, and social media lights up as individuals and organizations thank the educators who show up every day for their students. These gestures matter, and educators appreciate them. But the most meaningful thing we can do for teachers isn’t celebrate them once a year; it’s support them all year long.
Josalyn Jones, a teacher at Ethos Classical School in Metro Atlanta, offers a more expansive vision of what appreciation could look like: “Teacher appreciation should live on in a day-to-day way, celebrating the hard work and acknowledging the difference we make in every moment,” she says.
Jones knows firsthand what authentic, sustained support looks like. After joining Ethos as an assistant teacher, she enrolled in Relay Graduate School of Education’s program in Metro Atlanta, earned her master’s degree, and came away with a fundamentally new understanding of how to build belonging in her classroom through every action and interaction.
Relay and RedefinED: A Powerful Partnership
RedefinED Atlanta has been a key supporter of Relay’s work in Georgia because we believe the most powerful way to demonstrate teacher appreciation is to invest in their growth. “We wanted to make sure we were bringing in the highest-impact teacher preparation programs and certifications available,” says Emily Castillo-Leon, Vice President of Schools & Talent for RedefinED Atlanta. “Being a teacher carries the same gravity and impact as being a doctor. Educators shape the trajectories of whole communities of children, and they deserve the same level of rigor and intentionality in their training.”
When the partnership began, Georgia’s landscape was dominated by traditional, non-experience-based programs that weren’t built around the realities of classroom practice. “We see the most success in teacher training when programs focus the majority of their work on live practice,” Castillo-Leon says. RedefinED helped Relay navigate the specific challenges of launching in Georgia, including the state’s certification requirements. As a result, Relay offers its program as a master’s degree across the state, meaning participants earn a credential that satisfies state certification requirements and positions them for long-term career growth.
“We’re trying to keep great teachers in the classroom,” Castillo-Leon says. “The long-term impact is teachers who remain, who stack certifications, and who demonstrate greater impact on student learning over time.”
Support Is Appreciation
“In a lot of schools, support isn’t always as consistent as it should be,” Jones says. “I hear from other teachers that they feel burnt out because there isn’t consistent support. That’s what programs like Relay can change.”
For Jones, Relay’s program deepened her practice in ways that changed outcomes for her students. For instance, one of her students was struggling behaviorally despite strong academics. Rather than treat it as a discipline problem, Jones drew on what she learned through Relay about understanding students as whole people and partnering closely with families. She learned more about the student’s background and strengthened the bond between home and school. “Understanding the culture and background created a pathway for a stronger family partnership, which created positive results quickly,” Jones reflects. Her student went on to receive a Scholar of the Week award.
“Relay really grew me into the best educator I can be and got me to where I am today,” Jones adds. “I would do it again without hesitation.”
This Teacher Appreciation Week, RedefinED Atlanta is proud to celebrate educators by doing more than saying thank you. Real appreciation looks like building the pathways, programs, and partnerships that help great teachers grow, thrive, and stay in the classroom.
What’s next for this partnership? By this fall, RedefinED and Relay will enroll up to 100 Teach For America corps members who are already teaching in Metro Atlanta and seeking a high-quality, accessible pathway to full certification. The result will be a new wave of fully certified, highly trained teachers, rooted in the communities they serve and equipped to drive meaningful student learning.
Interested in learning more about Relay Georgia’s certification pathway? Learn more here.