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In all disciplines, and notably in the challenging world of scientific discovery, our teachers are the scaffold for our success — their investment and enthusiasm provide models for our own aspirations and curiosities. Many of us remember the words of teachers long after their first utterance, and have been motivated by these words to change or excel despite obstacles to learning.
Protecting the rights and status of teachers while attracting new graduates to educational careers is challenging in a vulnerable global economy. In 1994, the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO), an intergovernmental organization whose mission is to encourage a sharing of ideas globally and to foster peace cross-culturally, founded an annual World Teachers' Day celebration. The day is one for reflection — as either students or educators (we are often both). Ask yourself: how has a teacher inspired me? How can I inspire someone else toward teaching? How can society protect their educators and recognize the fundamental role they play in enriching our culture and developing our world?
For World Teachers' Day to be influential, it must be recognized internationally, and global celebrations are encouraged on this day. This Spotlight invites you to explore the mission of World Teachers' Day organizers and supporters, listen to last year's dialogue among educators, and look at ways to Take a Stand for Teachers, the 2012 theme.
Visit the official World Teachers' Day 2012 homepage.
Tweet stories of educators that inspired you.
Read the seminal 1966 documents from UNESCO (pdf).
Browse images of 2011 festivities submitted to Education International's Flickr feed.
Listen to Dr. Qian Tang describe the philosophy behind an international teachers' day.
Listen to UNICEF'S Femi Oke's podcast on educators in Afghanistan, Liberia and the U.S.
A NatureJobs blog post explores benefits and intellectual challenges of a science teaching career.
A short video captures a researcher's call for shaping policy based on neuroscience learning research.
Watch Mae Jemison speak on restoring creativity to our vision of science teaching.
Listen to an NPR interview with science educators innovating the science lecture with blended social media and hands-on techniques.
Read about one researcher's mission to break down the walls that separate science and the arts.
Watch Nobel Laureate E.O. Wilson's talk about scientific literacy and the pursuit of careers in research, communication, policy, and education.
Interested in connecting with fellow educators? Find a conference near you or join this online community.
Want to expand your experience and teach outside your country? Check out the resources and use them to globally connect on this well organized googlesite.
Learn about research in science education that informs teaching. Research and progress are shared worldwide by this organization.