Teacher Appreciation Week: A Roundup of Programs

Showing support for teachers and the communities they serve

a collage of photos: a Duke student with a child; a group of middle schoolers posing with their teacher; a girl signing a document; a group of Duke students with musician Rapsody.

It takes less than 10 seconds to remember that teacher who changed the trajectory of our lives.

Perhaps it was the middle school teacher telling us we could be anything we wanted to be in life, or maybe it was the teacher whose enthusiasm was so contagious it inspired further study and a professional career.

This week recognizes those individuals with Teacher Appreciation Week. The five-day celebration starting May 4 included National Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, and National Black Teachers Day May 7.

This week we’re thanking teachers by shining a light on teacher-centric programs at Duke. There’s the decade-old program that mentors new teachers, an initiative that sends undergraduates to into the local community to tutor children, and a curriculum that guides teachers to help school kids struggling with upheaval.

Here are ways Duke shows gratitude to teachers in our community and across North Carolina:

TeachHouse

A group of people sitting in front of a house — TeachHouse participants

New teachers live together in Durham homes in a program called TeachHouse. Launched by Duke professor of the practice of education Jan Riggsbee in 2015, the goal of the program is to support teachers at the beginning of their careers. Teacher stress, burnout and early-career attrition are all ongoing challenges that the program seeks to address through guidance and mentoring. TeachHouse began with six inaugural fellows living together in a Durham home. Today, the program supports 15 fellows residing together in three houses across Durham.

TeachHouse is all about teachers needing to live in the communities they serve so they can understand the stories, the histories, the assets, the culture of that community,” Riggsbee said. “And they can become part of that community.”

Community Tutors

A little child walking down a community center hallway with a college student — A tutor and his student

Each weekday, Duke students arrive at schools and learning centers throughout Durham to pair up with a child for one-on-one homework help or for small group tutoring. This work on the three R’s is part of Duke’s America Reads and America Counts program, which provides the student tutors to the local programs. “I really love teaching,” said Austin Seltzer, a Duke math major, who has worked with the program for the past three semesters. “But mostly, I enjoy doing something in the community.”

Hip Hop in the Classroom

A woman and a man in front of a class of students in high school — Duke profesor Kisha Daniels with Jordan High school teacher Dorian Burton

In 2019, Duke education professor Kisha Daniels created Critical Pedagogy of Hip Hop, a course that allows her students to examine learning environments that engage and empower youth through service learning. In the course, Duke students connect with middle and high school students to explore the origins of hip-hop, its influence on language and its role in social movements. Duke student Alana Weisberg was one of the participants. She said of the high schoolers this past semester, “Everyone was really into it, and they made this song. It was really the foundation for everything.”

Early College High School

Two girls with balloons in front of a sign that says DECHS — Two students show excitement to sign up for Durham Early College of Health Sciences.

Last year, a partnership with Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College and Duke Health led to the creation of the Durham Early College of Health Sciences (DECHS). The students will graduate with their high school diploma while earning an associate degree or workforce credentials that will lead to careers in patient care or clinical research at Duke Health. “Your future is really about what you want to do. You control it. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to actually try and find the things I want to do and go for it,” said 8^th grader Autumn Reynolds, who recently signed her commitment to the school.

A Resiliency Curriculum

A school curriculum, developed by Duke experts with North Carolina teachers, focuses on ecological, personal and community resilience. Called Ready, Set, Resilience, the standards-aligned curriculum is designed for middle school students but can be modified for different educational settings and learners.

Group of middle school students posing with their teacher for the camera — Students from Broad Creek Middle School in Newport, N.C. engage in the curriculum.

The program grew out of a need to support Carteret County students and teachers in the wake of two hurricanes and during the pandemic. Following Hurricane Helene in 2024, teachers in Western North Carolina began implementing the curriculum to help students cope with the devastation. “As an educator, this is the most impactful thing I’ve ever seen implemented,” says Robert Condie, an eighth grade English teacher at Broad Creek Middle School.