The Alabama State Department of Education launched its 6th annual “Thank Alabama Teachers Month” with an energetic celebration at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park, honoring teachers statewide while highlighting an urgent need to recruit more educators across the state. The faculty and staff at the elementary school extended a warm welcome to the visitors.
State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey led the event, joined by Vestavia Hills Superintendent Dr. Todd Freeman and other education leaders. Governor Kay Ivey appeared through a video message, offering words of encouragement and officially proclaiming November as Thank Alabama Teachers Month. The kickoff also featured the unveiling of the department’s new “Alabama Achieves” logo — symbolizing the upward momentum of Alabama’s students and educators.
According to the Alabama Daily News, Mackey praised teachers for helping drive what he called Alabama’s “dramatic improvements” in student learning, noting that the state now leads the nation in math recovery, ranks third in reading recovery, and has achieved a record 92% graduation rate, six points above the national average.
But even with those gains, Mackey said the state faces a serious teacher shortage, particularly in elementary, special education, and early-childhood classrooms. At the start of the school year, more than 750 elementary, 350 early-childhood, and 270 special education positions went unfilled by certified teachers. To keep classrooms staffed, more than 3,000 teachers — nearly six percent of the state’s workforce — worked under emergency certificates during the 2023–24 school year, a number six times higher than before the pandemic.
“These shortages are especially severe in high-poverty and rural areas, where recruiting and retaining certified teachers is most difficult,” Mackey said. “If you want to invest in the lives of young people, if you want to do something where you feel every day at the end of the day, ‘I may be tired, but I know I did something that made a difference in people’s lives,’ then be a teacher.”
WIAT reported that Mackey said the department’s new recruitment campaign aims not only to honor those already in the classroom, but also to encourage more Alabamians to join them, describing the profession as one of the most meaningful ways to serve communities and shape the future.
Governor Kay Ivey, in her proclamation and recorded remarks, praised the work of educators across the state. “Our teachers inspire, challenge and believe in our students every single day,” Ivey said. “As a former teacher myself, I know there’s no greater reward than seeing your students succeed — and no greater gift than a simple, heartfelt ‘thank you.’”
The Alabama Department of Education encouraged residents to share messages of gratitude throughout November using the hashtag #ThankALTeachers, celebrating the men and women who serve as counselors, coaches, mentors, and role models for Alabama’s students.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
