Anderson: Welcome back to Thank You, Teachers

When we were planning the inaugural Thank You, Teachers edition last year, I had a strong feeling we’d be doing the project again this year. There were so many more stories left for us to tell.

And here we are with Thank You, Teachers Part II.

Thank You, Teachers is about recognizing educators for the work they do to prepare the next generation for the future, and life. We are thanking them for their long hours they put in after the school day ends and for sometimes dipping into their own pocketbook to make sure their class has everything it needs to be successful.

It’s our way of acknowledging the value these educators have in our lives.

This year we have written more than 150 stories about teachers in our Shaw Media markets throughout northern Illinois. You can see all of these stories on ShawLocal.com, and your local newspaper’s website.

Last year we received so many kind notes, emails and phone calls from readers thanking us for Thank You, Teachers. This is one of my favorite notes:

“My mom and dad are residents of Dixon, Illinois, and they saved ‘Thank You, Teachers’ for me to see.

“This was such a lovely gesture. It was well done and put teachers in such a glowingly positive light in so many stories, right where they deserve to be.

“I am a teacher in New Lenox, Illinois. Vicariously, this meant a lot to me. This was a serious undertaking and effort. Time and thought was spent, and that matters so much in expressions of gratitude. Thank you for doing this for the teachers in your area.

“Please keep using the newspaper and media for purposes like this.

“Sincerely, Anne Styx”

Sauk Valley Editor Troy E. Taylor said many of the positive comments he received ended with something similar to this: “If you do this again, make sure you do a story about ______.”

You will find many of those suggestions here. Please also find the hundreds of notes you wrote about your favorite teachers.

And don’t forget our Sports section, where you can find stories about teachers who also lead some of your favorite young athletes as coaches.

We hope you enjoy today’s unique coverage. Please let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, we plan to have another special day like today to share with you in November when we recognize our communities’ veterans.

• Dennis Anderson is vice president of news & content development for Shaw Media. He can be reached at danderson@shawmedia.com.