Proclamation 5593 -- National Year of the Teacher and National Teacher Appreciation Day

December 22, 1986

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

When Henry Adams wrote, ``A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,'' he expressed a sentiment that any student could share. Teachers help us learn to read, to write, and to count -- and how to study. By word and example, teachers impart moral and civic values. During our most formative and impressionable years, teachers help us understand ourselves and the world around us.

Our teachers in public and private schools, from preschool through elementary, secondary, and beyond, deserve the gratitude of our Nation for their wisdom, sacrifice, community service, and devotion to their students. Teachers prepare us for the future; and anyone who today works, dreams, imagines, creates, and contributes to the well-being of our country can thank devoted teachers who provided help, knowledge, and inspiration along the way.

The memory of a very special teacher inspires us: Sharon Christa McAuliffe, a dedicated teacher who, along with the other crew members of CHALLENGER, lost her life on January 28, 1986. May all Americans commemorate Sharon Christa McAuliffe and her brave companions. May we also express our gratitude to everyone who continues the legacy of devotion and excellence that she and the rest of America's teachers have given us through the years.

The Congress, by Public Law 99 - 480, has designated September 1986 through May 1987 as ``National Year of the Teacher'' and January 28, 1987, as ``National Teacher Appreciation Day'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this year and of this day.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the school year of September 1986 through May 1987 as National Year of the Teacher and January 28, 1987, as National Teacher Appreciation Day. I invite the Governors of every State, employers, community leaders, school superintendents, principals, educators, students, parents, and all Americans to observe these events with appropriate educational activities to recognize the importance of teachers in American schools.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh.

Ronald Reagan

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:13 p.m., December 22, 1986]