EDWARDSBURG — Teachers throughout Edwardsburg work hard for their students. They wake up early, work with a classroom full of kids and then stay late to grade papers and talk with parents. Yet they are not necessarily thanked every day for their work, which is why the Edwardsburg Parent Teacher Organization puts so much time and effort into Teacher Appreciation Week every year.

“I see so many teachers that are there well before school starts and they’re there after school ends,” said Chelsea Wilson, the president of the Edwardsburg PTO. “And I know that they’re taking their work home with them. It never stops. I see them at the ballpark grading papers and supporting their kids when they don’t even have a kid on the team. It’s amazing. They’re some of the most dedicated people that I’ve ever met.”

Teacher Appreciation Week began Monday, May 7, and ends Friday, May 12. To celebrate the teachers, the PTO decorated the teachers’ lounge doors and organized different events throughout the week, such as a Brew Ha Ha coffee and tea bar, an appreciation breakfast at the transportation and maintenance department and a Hacienda catered lunch.

Additionally, students are encouraged to do something for their teachers every day. For instance, on Monday, they were asked to give a note of appreciation to their teacher, on Tuesday they were asked to give a flower, on Wednesday, they were asked to give a sweet treat, on Thursday, they are to do an extra chore and on Friday, it is the student’s choice.

The PTO also keeps the teachers’ lounges stocked with food throughout the week, with both healthy snacks and treats. Some of the items include fruit muffins, veggie trays, cupcakes and cookies.

This is the first year that the PTO has made sure that the teachers’ lounges at the high school is also filled with snacks, as the PTO only serves kindergarten through sixth grade.

“We’re getting lots of compliments and [the teachers] are enjoying it, because who doesn’t like a break room full of food?” Wilson said.

Wilson says that even though she understands why the PTO does not serve the higher grades, she does wish they could do more. Because the organization does not raise funding for the older grades, they are not allowed to spend it on them. So instead they have accepted donations from parents, such as Girl Scout Cookies.

“I guess the thinking is that once the kids get into middle school they have sports and band and all these other financial obligations… so they didn’t want to put another burden on the kids,” Wilson said. “They’re pulled in other ways. I get it, but in our higher grades, none of those organizations are supporting our teachers.”

Instead, the student council is in charge of Teacher Appreciation week.

The Edwardsburg PTO is thinking about this week all year, but usually starts planning for it in January. Then parents need to visit different schools throughout the week in order to deliver snacks and make sure decorations are properly displayed. Wilson says it is a lot of work, but it is worth it.

“We got a new teacher last year, Lisa Corridore,” she said. “She is a teacher at the primary school and she came from somewhere in Michigan, so she’s a veteran teacher and she was in tears last year. She said she’s never felt so appreciated. She’d never experienced Teacher Appreciation Week the way we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. She may have gotten a card or a thank-you every once in a while, but we really do go above and beyond to show how much we care.”