HR 1022 Summary

• Honors Mattie Whyte Woodridge, an Arkansas teacher who originated the idea for Teacher Appreciation Week during the early 1940s.

• Woodridge, an African-American educator in the segregated South, wrote to every U.S. governor and politicians advocating for a national day to recognize teachers' contributions to society.

• One of her letters was read by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1944, leading Roosevelt to petition Congress to establish an annual day honoring teachers.

• Congress initially declared March 7, 1980 as "National Teacher Day," with the National Education Association officially designating March 1 as National Teacher Day in 1985 and the National Parent Teacher Association establishing the first full week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week.

• Woodridge lived to see her vision realized before her death on August 14, 1999 at age 90, though her contributions remain largely unrecognized in history.