
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. All of us should find some time in our day to write an email or send a card to that one teacher who helped shape our lives. Teaching is, on its best days, challenging and, on its worse, downright crushing. This week, we should all take some time to say “thank you” to that teacher who made us who we are today.
For one teacher in particular, she got the send-off that every teacher deserves, a trip to Walt Disney World. Mercy Maranges was a Pre-K teacher for 42 years, the last 33 at Saints Peter and Paul in Miami, Florida. In her time in the classroom, Ms. Maranges influenced countless lives, teaching young children the value of an education. She taught hundreds if not thousands, of children how to read, add, and, more importantly, interact with other children.
This is how you show teacher appreciation for decades of hard work! 📸😮 #teacherappreciationweek pic.twitter.com/PN6c8h1PqG
— Humankind (@humankind) May 8, 2023
As a Pre-K teacher, Ms. Maranges would have been most children’s first teacher and their first experience in the classroom. She set those children up for a lifetime of learning.
What most of her ex-students remember about Ms. Maranges was her love of Disney. So, for her retirement gift, her daughter arranged a trip to Disney World for her mom. But what Ms. Maranges didn’t know was a surprise waiting for her.
Ms. Maranges was posing in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom when other Guests started to crowd around her. At first, Ms. Maranges didn’t know what to make of all these people getting closer and closer to her as she took her iconic picture in front of the Magic Kingdom’s signature castle.
But as she started to look around, she realized that the people crowding around her weren’t strange, but her current and former students. About 75 of Ms. Maranges’s students arrived at the Magic Kingdom to surprise their former teacher and wish her well in retirement.
Ms. Maranges cried as her students surrounded her and hugged her. It was a beautiful end to a long career.
You don’t necessarily have to photobomb your favorite teacher at Walt Disney World or even arrange a day at the Magic Kingdom for them. But a thank you will suffice for those who make a difference every day.
So, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all those teachers out there, and thank you for all you do every day.