National Teacher Day in the USA Date in the current year: May 7, 2024

The history of National Teacher Day can be traced back to 1944, however, its origin is murky. Mattye Whyte Woodridge, a teacher from Arkansas, had an idea of establishment a Teacher Day and around 1944 he started corresponding with educational and political leaders. He insisted on the need for a national holiday to honor the work of teachers.

Woodridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt to describe his idea, and she persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day. But there was still a long way ahead for it. The National Education Association, Kansas and Indiana states lobbied Congress to create the national holiday for all teachers. And finally, Congress declared March 7, 1980 to be National Teacher Day for that year only.

The National Education Association continued to observe the holiday in March, till its Representative Assembly voted to change the date in 1985. The date of the event was moved to Tuesday during the first full week of May, that is also Teacher Appreciation Week.