For American Education Week, Future Educators of America (FEA) will be baking items to place in teachers’ mailboxes in order to show support for the educators throughout Central. This year, American Education Week will span from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19.

“American Education Week is a way to honor people in education. So you’re talking about support staff, you’re talking about social workers, you’re talking about everybody who is involved with children. It’s just a week long to allow us to honor all those people whoare involved with children,” said Mrs. Marge McMahon, sponsor of FEA.

Appreciation for American education partly stems from a recognition of its evolution over time. “What people don’t realize is that our business hasn’t gone down. We have more and more and more students, so it’s not as if our product is diminished, and it’s become more and more complicated as the nature of students and the diversity of students we have and the importance that is placed on this diversity and meeting the needs of all these students has come,” McMahon said.

This year the week of appreciation comes at a time when attitudes toward teachers seem to bear some negativity. “The people who are in this club eventually want to become teachers themselves, so hopefully they will recognize that yes, sometimes a little pat on the back may go a long way,”  McMahon said. “Especially in the climate that we have today with attitudes regarding teachers and their importance, and in this economy, unfortunately, you are finding some people who are grumbling at what teachers do and what their pay is.”

Among other activities that they have planned for this year, FEA members will be visiting local universities that specialize in education. In the past, they have visited colleges including North Central College, Benedictine University, Aurora University, and Elmhurst College. During these visits, students often meet with the educational department of the universities and gain a richer understanding of the path to a career in education.