When I look back at my first year of teaching, I remember how excited I was to connect with my new colleagues. Just as I wanted to create an inspiring classroom culture for my students, I wanted to join an educator community that would inspire my own growth and joy. Sixteen years later, I couldn’t have imagined all the ways that connecting with fellow educators would inspire my practice. That’s why, this Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to celebrate the power of teacher community with you and encourage you to share your teacher voice with new connections.

I know it might feel intimidating to seek out new teacher connections, and I didn’t always feel confident about it, either, but I’ve found that when we educators reach out sincerely and openly, we’ll find supportive spaces together. I’ve always said that people who teach are the best kind of people – warm, welcoming and willing to grow. Here are four steps that work for me to build those connections, and I bet they’ll work for you, too: 

1. Invite a colleague to take a walk.

As a new teacher, I had so many questions. I wanted to ask for feedback on my new lesson plan. I needed advice on creating classroom expectations with my students. I also wanted tips on organizing my time! But teachers are busy, and it doesn’t always feel easy to ask, “Can you meet to help me figure this out?” And if a fellow educator has a lot on their plate, it might not feel easy for them to say yes – no matter how much they want to connect and collaborate with you. So here’s my best advice: Invite a fellow teacher to take a walk. That invitation can feel low-stress for both of you, especially if you don’t know each other very well yet. Instead of asking your colleague to give up their time, you create space for a restorative break. And when you get moving, it creates a sense of camaraderie and comfort that allows for meaningful conversations to develop more naturally – so it’s easier to share challenges and support.

2. Join educator conversations online.  

There are so many wonderful educators who are willing to connect online. I recommend browsing social media platforms and thinking about what you might enjoy: participating in a chat on X, joining a Facebook group for educators who teach your grade or subject area, or making new teacher friends one-on-one on Instagram? I believe if we simply show each other openness, we’ll build the connections we need – as educators and as people. That’s why my signature move is to offer to share back. One easy way to get started is to post a request for advice  with a few relevant hashtags to ensure fellow educators see it and include an offer to share your tips, too. For example, I might post: “Hey #ELA teachers, I’m about to teach this book for the first time. Share your favorite way to teach it! And I’ll share my best strategies for teaching this other book.” You might feel nervous writing your first post, but remember: Your colleagues are on social media because they want to connect.

3. Connect your teacher passions to teacher communities.

If there’s an aspect of education you feel strongly about, I recommend looking for online communities and PD opportunities on that topic. You’ll get to grow your passion and connect naturally with teachers who share it. I’ve always loved education technology, so I’ve pursued ways to build my edtech skills and credentials – and those pursuits have brought me amazing educator friendships, too. I recently became a Google Innovator, so this summer, I’ll attend the Chicago Google Innovator Summit, where I’ll get to build my career and establish new connections at the same time. I encourage you to share your professional passions on social media because that can encourage fellow teachers to reach out to you. I’ve shared that I’m a board-certified instructional coach, and a while back, a coach in another state contacted me to say, “No one in my district is board-certified. Can you share some advice on that process?” Now, we have an ongoing connection that’s beneficial to both of us. 

4. Can’t find your ideal community? Create it! 

If there’s a community or conversation you want to be part of, and it doesn’t exist, I encourage you to create it! About 10 years ago, a teacher friend told me how powerful it was for her practice to connect with fellow social studies teachers on the then-Twitter (now X) chat #sschat. That inspired me to first start participating in chats. Eventually, I realized I wanted to join a conversation where social studies and English educators could talk about intersecting strategies and goals, but that conversation didn’t exist yet – so I collaborated with some Twitter colleagues to organize #engsschat. This chat has become a cornerstone of my professional life, both for instructional growth and for educator community. We educators know how powerful it is to show up and say, “I’m here to encourage you,”  to our students and to one another. So if you feel hesitant about creating a learning community, don’t be. As a teacher, that’s what you do every day. No one can do it better than you can!

Every Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re celebrated for the difference we make for our students, and that’s truly the heart of our work. But I hope this week reminds you of how much you matter to your fellow educators, too. You may be a teacher who mentors new colleagues, leads PD or moderates X chats. You may be a teacher who’s simply always there when a colleague down the hall needs some support. Either way, your presence makes a big difference for the educators around you. Before this Teacher Appreciation Week draws to a close, I hope you’ll take a moment to celebrate the value of your teacher voice – and all our teacher voices – by creating a new connection with a fellow educator, online or in person. We couldn’t do our powerful, wonderful work without each other.