An educator's job is often demanding, stressful, and overwhelming. This year, only 34% of the teachers in the U.S. said they are satisfied with their jobs. The pressure is real; they are responsible for shaping the minds of the future generation, after all.

So, since the new school year is already upon us, let's show our teachers some appreciation with this list of wholesome interactions between them and the parents of the children they teach. It's like the Dalai Lama said: "When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts."

#1 Bother Me All You Want. I Think It’s Adorable That She Wanted Me To See

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#2 It’s Always Nice Getting Pictures From Our Son’s Teacher Showing How He’s Excelling In School

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#3 I’m A Teacher. Today A Child Gave Me Toy Replicas Of My Dogs That His Mom Had Crocheted Me

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In 2023, researchers found that most teachers living in OECD countries feel undervalued by their community, the media, and policymakers. Soo-yong Byun, the co-author of the study, said that teacher satisfaction directly affects student satisfaction and outcomes.

"If teachers feel valued in society and by media and policymakers, their job satisfaction will increase and thus [they will] make more efforts to adopt new ideas and methods to change and improve their schools," he explained.

#4 Message From My Nephew's Teacher To My Sister

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#5 One Of Our Parents Made This For Our Year 2 Teacher. The Most Gorgeous Gift I’ve Ever Seen

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#6 This Kid Is Awesome

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Parents, on the other hand, place a lot of trust in local schools and teachers. A poll by PDK International’s 2022 Public Attitudes Toward Public Schools found that American adults rate their local schools very positively. 63% of American adults put "a great deal or good amount" of trust and confidence in their teachers. 

These ratings are almost the highest they've been in 50 years. Still, people don't view teaching as a desirable profession. When asked whether they'd like their children to become teachers, 62% of the respondents said 'no.' It seems that parents understand how hard a teacher's job can be, and few wish their children to experience that.

#7 When I Dropped My Son Off At School, He Noticed A Girl In Line And Said, "That Girl Looks Cold." He Got Out Of The Car And Was Off. Later, I Got This Message From His Teacher

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#8 My Son Is In 5th Grade, And This Thursday Is Their Concert. I Thought It Was So Kind That His Teacher Reached Out To Me Regarding His Solo. It Really Warmed My Heart

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#9 Cookie Charcuterie Board For My Son’s Teachers For The Last Day Of School

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In reality, it's not just the teacher's job to educate and inspire the next generation. It's a tough job that parents need to take part in too; it's a joint effort. Journalist and educator Dana Brown even goes as far as to say that it's not the children that make the job hard. It's the parents. "Often the most frustrating and overwhelming duty of teaching is communicating with parents," she writes for The Educator's Room.

#10 My Wife Had To Write A Not-Sick Note For School

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#11 You Have A Future Olympian On Your Hands

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#12 Parenting Is Hard. How Am I Supposed To Discipline My Daughter With A Straight Face, When Her Teacher Sends Me Pictures Of Her Falling Asleep In Class

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Brown lists three main reasons why parents and teachers might not get along as well nowadays. First, it's that parents are overwhelmed with responsibilities. So, they rely more on teachers to teach their kids life skills, morality, and values. And when they clash with those of the parents, conflicts arise.

#13 My Son’s Teacher Told Me He Looks Out For A Little Girl Who Has Just Moved From Venezuela And Doesn’t Speak English Yet. I Am So Proud

I cried at the parent-teacher conference when she told me and sent this photo.

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#14 My Son's Teacher Is Proud Of Me

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#15 That's So Cute

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Second, some parents want to micromanage their children's everyday education too much. "Yes, parents should absolutely have a say in their child’s education, but those choices should be made during elections and school board meetings," Brown claims.

#16 Kid Went To Spend Their Entire Birthday Money At The Canteen

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#17 My Autistic Daughter’s Math Teacher Sent Me This Today. This Is Absolute Comedy Gold

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#18 Pretty Sure My Kid's Daycare Teacher Is Former Mafia

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And, lastly, attitudes towards teachers at the top matter. Brown says that parents often mirror the administrators when it comes to respect for teachers. When rigid regulations and micromanagement are coming from the top, parents tend to follow suit.

#19 This School Year Is Going Great

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#20 My Kid's Theater Teacher Asked For Fake Food For Their Play. When She Emailed "Crafty Parents Needed" That Was Like My Bat Signal

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#21 This Heart On My Hand Is Called A "Cuddle Button." Daughter's Teacher Draws This On Both Our Hands When I Drop Her Off At School, And Every Time We Press It, It Sends A Hug To The Other

Since my wife died last year, my 4-year-old daughter has hated being away from me. So, this helps her feel connected to me.

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Still, the first issue is probably the most glaring. Many parents want to control what and how their children are learning, prompting conflicts with the teachers. Jessica Winter writes for The New Yorker that this issue might have become more prominent with the pandemic. Teachers got a direct glimpse of the children's home life, while parents could finally sit in on the process of the classroom.

#22 My Student’s Dad Painted This Picture Of My Dog For Me As A Gift

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#23 The Email I Got From My 8-Year-Old's Teacher Today Had Me Dying Of Laughter. Do You Know How Hard It Is To Enforce A Consequence When Trying Not To Laugh?

The mannequin head is mine, as I'm a stylist.

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#24 She Hadn't Missed A Meal

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Winter writes how, back when she was in high school, the only calls her parents got about her from school were about missed classes or if she had to go home early if she felt unwell. Nowadays, parents get informed about even the most minor things that happen in classrooms. Even back in 2013, only four out of ten parents claimed to have received phone calls from the school about their children.

#25 This Was For My Son's Teacher. She's Leaving, And They Had The Best Bond. She Came In And Burst Into Tears, Which Got Me Going, And Then Another Teacher. It Was A Very Teary Moment

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#26 This Is An Actual, Unironic Email That I Just Got From My Son’s Teacher

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#27 Didn't Expect This From The Teacher Today

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Psychologist Michael Thompson explains that this is due to parents just being more involved in general. "This is the most devoted, most conscientious, most aware parent cohort ever—but they're also wildly anxious." Out of that anxiety, he says, comes the sometimes overbearing communication.

#28 My Cousin's Teacher Texted This

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#29 That Teacher Taught Us How To Love, And You Taught Us How To Be Thankful

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#30 My Daughter's Elementary School Emailed This Photo So Parents Can Claim Lost Glasses. The School Only Has 190 Students

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The key to a good parent-teacher relationship is to trust the teacher to make the right decisions. After all, they've received qualifications and training for doing exactly this, right? "The more you call, the less the teacher feels trusted, and the more it corrodes a relationship," Thompson says.

#31 A Sweet Message From One Of My Student’s Parents. I Miss My Kids A Lot

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#32 From My Kindergartener's Teacher Today. The Embarrassment Is So Real

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#33 Teacher Thought It Was Brilliant

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#34 The Good Education We Must Invest In

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#35 A Teacher Sent This Out And I Love It. Thoughts?

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#36 Turned My Son’s Drawings Into Teacher Appreciation Cookies

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#37 End-Of-Year Presents For The Teachers Who Look After My Diabetic Daughter

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#38 My Little Sister Was Misbehaving At School, And This Was The Note Home She Got Today

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#39 School's Out In My Neighborhood

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#40 An Email From My 15-Year-Old Son's Teacher That I Received Today

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#41 Teacher Appreciation Gift For My Daughter's 1st Grade Teacher! Parenting Honestly

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#42 For My Son's Teacher On The Last Day Of School

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#43 My Daughter’s Teacher Knew I Loved Knitting. So She Hand-Spun Me Yarn As A Gift

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#44 This Should Be Framed

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#45 Accidentally Sent My Son To School With His Newly Bought Ugly Christmas Sweater. Didn't Realize What Santa Was Doing Until His Kindergarten Teacher Pointed It Out When I Picked Him Up

She was pretty cool with it. She chuckled when she told me. I laughed too once I saw it.

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#46 That’s So Lovely

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#47 Got This Text Today From My Daughter's Kindergarten Teacher

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#48 Message To Parents I Got Today

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#49 My Brother's High School Math Teacher Assigned Parental Homework. My Dad Was Not Happy

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#50 Just Found Out My Son (4) Gave His Teacher At School A Half-Eaten Tic Tac And Said His Tooth Fell Out. She Put It In An Envelope And Sent It Home With Him

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#51 Yesterday My 6-Year-Old Son Got Sent Home With A Note From His Teacher

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#52 Here's To All The Amazing Teachers In The World Going The Extra Mile To Care For Their Students

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#53 Vietnamese Immigrant Parent Reminds Me Why I Am A Teacher

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#54 That Little Man Knows

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#55 My 9-Year-Old Brother Has No Chill

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#56 An Email From My Little Brother’s 1st Grade Teacher. I Think He Deserves A Sticker For His Quick Thinking Skills

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#57 I Have A PhD

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#58 It's Teacher Appreciation Week. I Made These For My Kids' Teachers

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#59 Last-Minute Gift For My Daughter's Teacher

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#60 Text My Teacher Mom Got From A Former Parent On Teacher Appreciation Day

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#61 I'm A Secondary Special Education Teacher And This Was My 2nd Ever Gift From A Parent In 7 Years

I advocated hard for some services for this kid this year, but I didn't know just how much his mom appreciated it.

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#62 My Son's Teacher Is Literally The Best. This Is The Message She Sent Us All This Morning. Please Think About All The Teachers, Kids And Parents Today

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#63 A Letter My American History Teacher Handwritten As A Christmas Gift To Me And My Parents

The letter reads: "Thank you for having/sharing your son with me. I’ve greatly enjoyed having him for a year in class. You’ve done a splendid job in raising Michael. Thank you for joining in on his birthday prank! You joining in (not to include your cake) made that one of my best pranks ever! So you move to your new house, may it be filled with all those things that make life worth while..."

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#64 Teacher Calls Parents Of Students He Liked Teaching This Year. Parents End Up Calling Them "Early Christmas Presents"

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#65 My Wife Is A Teacher. Today She Received This Letter From A Parent. It’s Hard Being A Teacher These Days And Letters Like This Really Help

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#66 My Son's Teacher Sent This To Me

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