Thanks To My Teacher is channeling many heartfelt individual memories into a concerted grassroots force that elevates the public conversation about teachers.

We are video-recording a wide spectrum of people, documenting their individual, very personal memories of a teacher who made a difference in their life. In the process, we are giving them a platform from which to formally and publicly express their gratitude to that teacher.

Some of our contributors are instantly recognizable, some have impressive credentials, and some are faces in the crowd. The videos run the gamut from professionally produced testimonies to candid selfies.

But each short video – whether it be joyful, tearful, or wistful – is a compelling testament to the formative contribution one teacher made to one student's life. Together, they are a vivid reminder of the value teachers bring to society as a whole. For an example, click on the "Dr. Oliver Smithies" button to the right.

Dr. Oliver Smithies thanks his Oxford University graduate tutor, Dr. Sandy Ogsden.

Watch Video Samples

Allan Gurganus thanks his sixth grade teacher, Lula Brantley Simmons.

We will pro-actively distribute these simple, inspiring videos to targeted audiences through a variety of traditional and new media channels, with special emphasis on social media, blogging and podcasting. By doing so, we will mold this profusion of heartfelt individual thanks into a collective, grass roots force that can help society rediscover its lost tradition of respect for teachers.

You can help.

Please add your voice to our efforts to help North Carolina rediscover respect for teachers.