It’s that special time of year when we come together to celebrate the educators who help shape our students' lives—Teacher Appreciation Week! At Mathnasium, we’re proud to support teachers all year long, and this May, we’re putting a spotlight on all the ways they go above and beyond.
The best teachers add confidence, subtract frustration, multiply curiosity, and divide learning into steps anyone can follow. They're the secret sauce that makes learning not only palatable, but an enjoyable activity that will help children thrive as they grow. We've seen firsthand the creativity and compassion teachers bring to their work, often under challenging circumstances; that dedication deserves a big celebration!
💐 Craft a Card for Your Teacher
We’re inviting all students to create personalized cards at the center this week—just one small way to say “thanks” to a great teacher. You can also decorate one at home with our printable template.
🎁 Gift Basket Giveaways
We've been collecting nominations from our students and their families over the past couple of weeks for a local teacher to win a special Mathnasium gift basket, and we'll be dropping that off this week! Learn more about this activity by asking a staff member next time you’re in the center!
📝 Team Teacher Shoutouts
We asked our team to share a memory of a teacher who changed their lives. Check out some of their stories here:
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My favorite math teacher was named Mr. Trigg. Ironically, he taught Honors Calculus. I had him my senior year in high school and he was the best. I stayed after school most days to get help from him and he was so patient with me. I did end up passing with a B, but it was all due to him. At the end of the school year, I took him a peony from my yard. He retired the same year, but I continued to visit him at his home and take peonies every May for 25 years. He loved that I ended up at Mathnasium and said he never doubted me.
-Becki, Mathnasium of Leawood
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My favorite teacher is Ms Haynes, who teaches Education at Graceland University! Ms. Haynes was very supportive, gave me great advice and believed in me.
-Cynthia, Mathnasium of Leawood
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My favorite teacher is Mr. Williams, who taught my sophomore English class at Shawnee Mission Northwest. He always challenged me to expand my views and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. In high school he would let me borrow books from his personal collection and we would discuss them after I finished. He was always so kind and had a genuine interest in students and their lives!
-Cayla, Mathnasium of Leawood
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My favorite teacher is Gary Mayabb from Oak Park High School. Mr. Mayabb was my Social Studies teacher on 9/11 and we watch event unfold. He made us feel safe on that morning, connected events to history and took us further into US History than we ever thought. His classroom prepared me for college and life beyond and helped to develop a love of understanding the whys to human behavior.
-Lydia, Mathnasium of Leawood
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My most impactful teacher was Mrs. Chapman, who taught 3rd grade at Governor Bent Elementary School. I remember this year as having numerous hands-on experiences from fieldtrips to local monuments to making a loom and dyeing our own yarn to create a small woven piece.
-Donna, Mathnasium of North Blue Valley
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My favorite teacher is Mrs. Holden, who taught my 12th grade Trig/Pre-Calc class! Mrs. Holden really knew her stuff and is the reason I became a math teacher. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of calculus was exciting and made me want to learn more.
-Ella, Mathnasium of Parkville
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My favorite teacher is Mrs. Vallejos, my Spanish teacher at Spring Hill High School. She cared about her students and learning. If someone was struggling, she would devote extra time to help them catch up or find a way to help them understand the material. She always went above and beyond.
-Keely, Mathnasium of South Blue Valley
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My favorite teacher is Peng Peng Yu, one of my physics/math teachers at Westminster. They helped me first start learning about gravitation as told by General Relativity. He was a great mentor.
-Cole, Mathnasium of Parkville
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My favorite teacher is Mrs. Nikolaenko, who teaches the Engineering elective at Park Hill High School. She was my favorite teacher because she always cared about all of her students and spared no effort in helping anyone with even the smallest things. She also had a very fun personality that brightened the mood of any student who she talked with.
-Benjamin, Mathnasium of Parkville
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My favorite teacher is Dr. Gregory Claycomb, who taught College Chemistry 1 and 2 at Park University! Dr. Claycomb was my favorite teacher because he worked so hard to make sure chemistry was a fun and engaging class. He was always available to help students if they were confused or struggling. He was also my academic advisor and helped guide me to take the right classes and helped me with my pharmacy school application.
-Lyric, Mathnasium of Parkville
Let’s fill this week with gratitude, kindness, and plenty of teacher love. To every educator: we appreciate all that you do and we thank you for it!
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