The mission of Dream Teachers is to honor and elevate the teaching profession by recognizing and rewarding outstanding teachers throughout the state of Louisiana. Our goal is to inspire excellence in education and raise public awareness of the true value of the teaching profession. And our vision is for every child in Louisiana to have access to excellent educators.

However, with teachers leaving the profession at record pace, this vision is threatened. Many in the media point to low pay, but research has shown that one of the primary reasons teachers are leaving the profession is lack of respect and support. Accordingly, one way to reduce the number of teachers leaving the profession and realize our vision is to increase the level of respect and support given to the teaching profession.

Despite these challenges, teachers are still more dedicated to their profession and students than most. This was never more evident than this past year. While we all faced challenges during the Coronavirus pandemic, teachers were challenged with implementing an entirely new way of teaching and connecting with their students, many of whom did not have access to the required technology. Many teachers went above and beyond to ensure their students were provided access to a quality education, including hand delivering lesson plans and other vital materials, at their own expense. Many of these stories were highlighted in the national and local media, including our website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, but for every story told, there were thousands of untold stories, just as inspiring. And while the hope is that this year will be better, there is still a lot of uncertainty as to when all students will be allowed to return to school and when they do, what it will look like. Again, requiring teachers to adapt their teaching methods on the fly.

The value of a quality education for every student cannot be overstated. Next to parents, teachers have the greatest impact on a student's long-term academic success. However, as with any profession, teachers need to know how important and meaningful their work is to the economic and social stability of our Louisiana community. They, like their students, need to be encouraged to aspire to the highest level of achievement and to continue their careers in the classroom. Equally important, we need to say "thank you" to those who are dedicated to raising the bar of professionalism and caring for our children.

One of the main ways we honor and elevate the teaching profession is by partnering with the Louisiana Department of Education and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to present the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year programs. These programs recognize and reward the exceptionally skilled and passionate educators who exist in every school in the State and celebrates the Louisiana State Teacher of the Year. This teacher will represent all of Louisiana State teachers at events throughout the State and will be Louisiana’s nominee for National

Teacher of the Year. Additionally, they will serve as an advocate for the teaching profession, education and students.

Since 2007, we have raised more than $1.5 million in grants, corporate sponsorships, personal contributions, and in-kind gifts and services to benefit exceptional educators throughout the state. Today, our program is recognized as one of the top programs in the nation.

However, this would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and donors. We invite you to join us in our mission and show your support for our teachers by investing in the future of education in Louisiana. Your contribution will go directly to supporting our state’s educators and help to ensure future generations have the same opportunity, if not a better one, than our students of today and the past.

We also invite you to join us in our year-round efforts to recognize and reward outstanding educators in the State of Louisiana by nominating an exceptional teacher for our Teacher of the Month program or the prestigious H. Norman Saurage III Service Award. Please contact us if you have questions, need any additional information, or wish to become a sponsor or donor. Find us on facebook.com/dreamteachers or follow us on twitter.com/DreamTeachersLA.

Thank you for your interest and consideration.

Layne McDaniel