by Jean B.

A thousand hours. That’s roughly how much time children spend in school each year. But how many people, from the bus drivers, to the teachers and staff, to the cafeteria workers, and the crossing guards, touch their lives and make education possible throughout those 1,000+ hours? American Education Week, November 13-17, celebrates our nation’s commitment to free, public education for every child and recognizes the myriad individuals who bring that commitment to life with their skill, dedication, and kindness.

It takes a unified effort involving educators, students, families, and communities to deliver on the promise of high quality education. Join in!

American Education Week often includes opportunities to visit your students’ classrooms, one step in becoming engaged. Check with your neighborhood schools to find out what they have planned in 2023. The library offers another pathway of connection to public education. We’re a link in the education community, connecting students, parents, and teachers with resources they need to succeed, especially through the A+ Partnership.

Did you know that teachers can receive special borrowing privileges with an Educator card? And that every HCPSS student has a virtual HCLS account to access our books, databases, online research tools, and resources from home, 24/7? Did you know that in the hours your child’s teacher is not available for help, you can access Brainfuse live online tutors through the HCLS website for support in math, English, science, writing, and more.

Even if you don’t go through the door of a school this year during American Education Week, you can always open a window into that world with a book from the library. Inspiring stories of great learning abound: check out the picture book A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson; middle grade novel Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea, or adult fiction A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, or find many other options at your local branch.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch who loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.