Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7-11, and some are taking the time to recognize educators who have impacted lives.

The history of the day, which fell on May 8 this year, reaches all the way back to 1944, according to nationaldaycalendar.com, when political and educational leaders began talking of a way to recognize teachers.

In 1953, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke to the 81st Congress to create a teachers day. In 1980, March 7 was first declared National Teachers Day until the National PTA began the Teacher Appreciation Week in 1985 — which was established as the first full week of May. It was then agreed that the National Teachers Day would be the Tuesday of that week the appreciation day.

Former teacher David Mike spoke about his career as an educator in Middlesboro and what a recognition like Teacher Appreciation Week means.

Mike had a career spanning 34 years as an educator. He taught practical arts and social studies for 28 years at Middlesboro Middle School and taught social studies at Middlesboro High School for six years.

“I know I was blessed to have wonderful teachers when I grew up in Middlesboro…I had teachers that inspired me. That’s why I went into social studies. I have a love of history and social studies because of the teachers I had in junior high and high school and also at LMU,” said Mike.

Mike also stated that for Teacher Appreciation Week, “a pat on the back goes a long way and that means a lot to teachers in our community to know that the community supports them.”

Mike stated the the biggest reward of being a teacher was the “finished product.”

“The greatest satisfaction that I have is seeing students that I have taught go on to be successful…I’ve had former students that have gone on to be teachers themselves and other students that have been successful out of the business community. When they come back and share with you to let you know we’ve had an impact on their lives — that’s a great thing,” he said.