This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, an important time to recognize the invaluable contributions of teachers in our lives. From early childhood to higher education, teachers play a crucial role in shaping our intellectual, social and emotional growth. Teachers inspire us, challenge us and guide us to reach our full potential. As we celebrate this week, it’s important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of teachers.
This is a very personal matter for me. I grew up in a family of educators—both of my parents were school teachers, and many others in my family worked in education, including my youngest son who is now a high school math teacher. I have many memories of my parents, working under the light at the dining room table, grading papers late into the evening. I was a bit of an outcast in my family for going off to get an MBA….but I’ve now worked in K-12 online education for over 20 years and have spent that time providing educational opportunities to millions of children and their families.
Teachers have always been an essential part of society, but the recent pandemic highlighted their resilience and adaptability. Over the last few years, the pandemic required that—immediately and with no preparation or warning — teachers had to switch their entire model for delivery of instruction. Years of prior practice and experience were no longer applicable, and teachers had to quickly and nimbly adapt to the new operating environment. And even post-pandemic, school environments have been changed forever, with computers in every classroom and technology being incorporated into every subject area. It has been so inspirational to see the amazing creativity and commitment from teachers all over the country as they continue to adjust to the changing environment.
At Learning.com, we partner with districts, schools and teachers to help Prepare Students for Success in the Digital World. Our blended learning programs are delivered in classrooms around the nation to help ensure students have access to high-quality programs for learning important digital skills and computer science. We strive to ensure that all of our products, lesson plans and support materials are designed to help teachers easily equip their students with the digital skills they need to succeed in school, college and their future careers.
Teacher Appreciation Week is an important time to recognize the hard work and dedication of teachers. They play a critical role in shaping our lives, and their efforts deserve to be celebrated and appreciated. Please join us at Learning.com in expressing our gratitude to teachers for their tireless efforts, commitment and unwavering support!

Keith Oelrich
CEO
Keith Oelrich joined Learning.com as CEO in 2012. A pioneer in the K-12 online education market since 2000, Keith has served as CEO of several companies which have collectively provided K-12 online education programs to thousands of districts, tens of thousands of schools and millions of students and their families.
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