Happy U.S. Teacher Appreciation Day!

Today’s Doodle honors all the resilient teachers who have worked tirelessly to shape our future generations. Teachers today wear so many different hats—they are community builders, mentors, mediators, and even tech support for virtual and in-person learners.

Finding innovative ways to connect with, motivate, and inspire students in this ever-changing environment, educators are going above and beyond to empower every student.

To all educators everywhere: Thank you!

Doodler Erich Nagler created today’s Doodle artwork with inspiration from the 2022 State Teachers of the Year. Below, Erich shares more on his experience working with the teachers on today’s Doodle!

“I was excited to work on this Doodle as a way to express my gratitude and respect for the work that teachers do. Teachers have guided, challenged, and encouraged me all throughout my journey, and my art teachers especially.

It was a treat to meet with such a passionate and insightful group of teachers as part of the Doodle development process. The State Teachers of the Year shared overarching themes of their roles and specific examples from their classrooms to inform the Doodle illustration. They even took pencil to paper themselves to sketch their ideas for what the artwork could look like. One quote from our brainstorm that stuck with me was, 'Teachers empower students with tools to share their ideas.' So I tried to create a still-life of all these various tools of learning around the teacher’s desk and chalkboard.

I hope that teachers who see this Doodle feel recognized and appreciated, and I hope that the Doodle might encourage more people to take up teaching in their own communities.”

Check out the Google Keyword to hear from 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell who shares more about his story, the importance of the teaching community, and how Google is showing up for educators.