Back to school: thank your teachers as the start of the new term begins

This week, close to 9 million children will be returning to the classroom after six weeks off for the annual summer break. Many will be using the new academic year as an opportunity for a fresh start as we finally step away from the disruptions the pandemic has imposed on our day-to-day lives. However, although the nation’s children have faced moments of great adversity in the wake of the pandemic, what should not be dismissed is the efforts of their teachers in guiding them through such an uncertain period in their lives.

During the last 18 months, amidst forced school-closures, silenced community sport centres, football pitches, SEN sessions and more, teachers became more than educators. Alongside our frontliners, these figures of guidance and mentorship led with national acts of selflessness – from doorstep textbook drops, to Zoom coaching sessions and more – going beyond the line of duty to buffer the fallout of loss and loneliness, rife across the families they supported.

The first ‘Unsung Heroes’ campaign launched by StoryTerrace in the wake of Covid’s peak in 2020, highlighted the everyday acts of kindness that characterised by lockdown one. Now, the national biographer is launching its second iteration, to commemorate the teachers who helped the nation’s children not just academically, but emotionally and socially. Research from StoryTerrace reveals that 62% of the nation say they now have a greater appreciation for the role that teachers play on a day-to-day basis due to the pandemic.

How it Works

Whether it be a subject teacher, sports coach, SEN specialist, or a community leader, anyone fulfilling the role of a teacher can be nominated on StoryTerrace’s website: storyterrace.com/unsung-heroes or via their Instagram, Facebook or Twitter by using the #UnsungHeroes hashtag and @storyterrace handle. The campaign is open for entries until the 18th of September, and StoryTerrace will announce the selected nominees by mid-October. All the entries can be found on the website.

Submissions to the campaign will use an image of the nominated teacher alongside a small paragraph of text explaining their story posted to social media, accompanied by the hashtag #UnsungHeroes and collated by StoryTerrace. The campaign will allow anyone to nominate a teacher in their life who has gone above and beyond to help someone through their education during the pandemic. As with the first iteration of the campaign, a selection of the nominations will be published into a hardback book that curates their stories and images, for which, the campaign’s first iteration can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1527296180. The nominee and story that encompasses the spirit of the campaign will be awarded their very own StoryTerrace biography, documenting the journey that led to their acknowledgment.

Rutger Bruining, CEO and Founder of StoryTerrace comments:

“The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for everyone. Lockdown impacted us all in a variety of ways – but one section of society that has been hit particularly hard is education. When school children were forced to continue learning remotely, the nation’s teachers were fundamental in helping to keep both momentum and the drive for learning high.

Our first ‘Unsung Heroes’ campaign did an amazing job at highlighting the inspiring people that exist within our communities, and it was so fulfilling to see all the nominations from individuals of all different backgrounds and experiences. As a result, we have decided to launch the second iteration of the campaign, and focus on the amazing work of teachers. We at StoryTerrace are encouraging anyone who has been helped by their teacher throughout the pandemic to highlight their acts of service (however small), as a way of showing thanks. Despite how the main role of teachers is to educate their students academically, they offer so much more holistic support outside of the classroom that deserves to be recognised.

Through StoryTerrace, I have learned that above all, that a sense of community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing—and preserving and reminiscing on our own life stories is so important to our happiness. Documenting memories and the emotions attached to them allow us to share and reminisce on our personal tales – and everyone has a story worth sharing.”