Everyone, at some point, has had a great teacher (or three or ten!) who inspired them to become even better than they imagined for themselves. Teachers are such a critical part of our individual and collective growth, and they deserve our deepest respect and honoring for their service.

Education is a critical component to our well-being and is one of the twelve areas of the Circle of Life.

Education is defined as “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and preparing oneself intellectually for mature life.” It is also defined as “the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.” We are meant to continuously grow and become more as humans, and so without continued learning, we can become stuck. Continued education helps us create new ideas and concepts and think outside the box. Education has also been shown to increase brain health! In order to have optimal health and happiness, we must have balance in this area of our life, and teachers play a key role in our educational journey! 

On May 8, we celebrate National Teachers’ Day in the United States.

While they certainly deserve more than a day, this is a time set aside to more openly express our gratitude for the teachers in our lives. Teachers come in many forms and don’t always appear in a school setting. For instance, you may have had a great yoga or spiritual teacher or even a friend or partner who taught you lessons on commitment and friendship. Often it’s the people in our lives who push our buttons the most who are our greatest teachers; they teach us about patience, compassion, and unconditional love! And for many, the most important teacher of all shows up as their higher self, intuition, and inner guidance.

At IIN, we have a curriculum full of inspiring visiting teachers from across the globe. We are eager and honored to express our deepest gratitude for each and every one of them who has contributed to IIN’s ever-expanding curriculum.

Our dynamic team of visiting teachers has educated our students on a variety of topics – nutrition, health, exercise, finances, mind-body medicine, spirituality, self-love, cooking, joy, and many more!

Join us today in celebrating the visiting teachers who have shared their insight, wisdom, and expertise. Without them, IIN would not be the same, and our students’ education would lack the richness of bio-individuality, diversity, and depth. It’s because of our visiting teachers that our ripple effect can expand even further to transform the world!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

How will you thank the teachers in your life on May 8? Here are five ideas to get you started!

1. Write a letter of appreciation and send it in the mail.
2. Send an anonymous gift – flowers, chocolate, your favorite book, etc.
3. Thank them face-to-face – bonus points for sharing a specific example of how they have personally influenced your life!
4. Acknowledge them by writing a review on Yelp or referring them to your friends and family.
5. Show gratitude to someone who has “pushed your buttons.” Thank them for helping you see things in a new way, even if you still don’t see eye to eye.