Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Thanks To My Teacher.

North Carolina is losing teachers at an alarming rate, and one of the reasons cited most often by teachers themselves is low morale from the feeling that they are not respected. Compounding the problem is that the state is not training enough new teachers to compensate for the loss. The result is a looming crisis in which schools around the state may find themselves without enough qualified teachers. For more information on this alarming situation, please click here.

Thanking your teacher is still important even if they are no longer living. First, other teachers and prospective teachers benefit from every positive recognition of the teaching profession. Second, expressing gratitude will make you feel good. To hear one quick story from a Nobel Prize winner about the positive effects of thanking your teacher, click here.

Thanks To My Teacher, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the creation of Michael Sheehan and Jennifer Delaney. Sheehan and Delaney are not teachers, nor are they involved in the field of education. They are concerned citizens who have an idea how to rectify a bad situation. To read more about their qualifications and motivations, please click here.

Thanks To My Teacher is not affiliated or aligned with any political party or politically active organization. Our "agenda" is our stated mission: To help society rediscover respect for teachers.

Thanks To My Teacher is not a 501(c)3; it is a limited liability company registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State. Upon its founding, TTMT opted not to characterize itself as a 501(c)3, but instead to position itself in the vibrant and growing community of social entrepreneurs. For more information on the thinking behind that choice, please click here.

Thanks To My Teacher is based in Chapel Hill, NC. It will focus its initial efforts on the state of North Carolina, but as momentum builds, it envisions expansion to a national scope.

Currently, the only way to do this is to send us an email with your story of a teacher who made a difference in your life. We love to see these. In the future, we hope to allow people to submit selfie videos thanking a teacher, but we need to grow into that. If your teacher is alive and you know how to contact them, we encourage you to thank them personally. They will appreciate it, and it will make you feel good too.