It’s one of our favorite times of the year: Teacher Appreciation Week! We are excited to take May 8-12 to join students, families, and school principals in celebrating your amazing superpowers. We honor your selfless work to make a difference as you serve our students and communities.
Thank you for being visionaries, confidants, empaths, creators, nurturers, advocates, role models, and so much more for young people. This week, and always, we are overcome with gratitude for your efforts to create high-quality learning environments where every student can belong and succeed. You are everyday heroes. We see you and we appreciate all that you do.
Alone you’re incredible; together you’re unstoppable
To celebrate and support the work you do throughout the year, we are excited to offer ongoing global educator communities and virtual celebrations for you to connect with other teachers from across the world.
The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert program was created to help you learn, grow, and connect with teachers, principals, and other educators. It’s a community of self-driven educators who are passionate about integrating Microsoft technology into teaching and learning, who inspire students with creative thinking, and who enjoy working collaboratively. You will find opportunities to join other educators and school leaders to share and exchange ideas through community connections and global events.
How to join the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert program
If you’re a teacher, school leader, professional learning specialist, education coach, curriculum specialist, or anyone who supports teaching and learning and wants to grow your own practice, the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert program is for you! MIE Experts get access to free professional and career development opportunities and certification programs. They also share their learning by playing leading roles in regional training sessions, giving presentations at conferences, writing blogs, engaging in social channels, and more.
To join this diverse and exciting community, follow these four easy steps to nominate yourself:
Step 1: Join Microsoft Learn and create your profile. You’ll be asked to share the URL to your achievements in Learn (learn.microsoft.com > Profile picture > Profile > Achievements) by copying it and pasting it into the nomination form.
Step 2: Complete these three Learning Paths:
- Microsoft Educator Academy
- Master Microsoft Teams for Any Learning Environment
- 21st Century Learning Design
Step 3: Start collecting evidence and working through these questions to plan your nomination: MIE Expert Nomination Questions. MIEEs are expected to use at least two of our core tools on a regular basis (Teams, OneNote, Forms, Minecraft Education, Flip), and are expected to understand and demonstrate how our suite of solutions supports teaching and learning.
Step 4: Nominate yourself at https://msedu.eventcore.com by June 26, 2023 (nominations are only open once each year).
The 2023-2024 cohort of MIE Experts will be announced at the end of July 2023. We look forward to welcoming you into the growing MIE Expert community and celebrating innovation in teaching and learning together!
Educators assemble with Flip
No matter what your educator superpower is, we invite you to join our Educators: Real-life Superheroes celebration on May 9 at 10:00 AM PT to jumpstart your Teacher Appreciation Week. This exciting Flip event is hosted by Sonja Delafosse and Mike Tholfsen. Get inspired by heartwarming stories and experiences shared by educators from different backgrounds and communities. Take a moment to show appreciation for fellow teachers, and celebrate the hard work, dedication, and passion of those who wear (invisible) capes every day.
Thank you, teachers, for all that you do. You are the unsung heroes, and we cannot overstate your impact on the lives of countless young people. We recognize the amazing work you do every day, and we are honored to continue to provide opportunities and support for you to learn, grow, and connect.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to you!