“Why I’m Thankful for My Teacher” Essay Contest Who can participate: All Tennessee public school students in grades kindergarten through twelve (the complexity of the essay will vary by age; K-‐3 students are welcome to record their thoughts on video). What to write: Students should write an essay sharing how a teacher has impacted their life and why the student is thankful for them (please make sure you are celebrating a current Tennessee teacher). Submissions should be no longer than 500 words. Both typed and hand-‐written submissions will be accepted. Videos by K-‐3 students should be under 90 seconds. Contest categories: One winner will be selected from each of the following grade bands: K-‐3, 4-‐8, and 9-‐ 12. Student Prize: The students who author the winning essays will receive an award (the prize is dependent upon donations). The winning items will also be posted on the Tennessee Department of Education’s blog, Classroom Chronicles. Teacher Prize: The teacher who is the subject of the winning student essay will be celebrated publicly. How to submit: Entries may either be submitted online at https://tnedu.wufoo.com/forms/why-‐im-‐ thankful-‐for-‐my-‐teacher/ using our submission form, or you may email the application form and essay to [email protected]. Submissions may also be mailed to: Ashley M. Ball, Tennessee Department of Education Andrew Johnson Tower, 9th Floor Nashville, TN 37243 Deadline: All submissions must be submitted online, emailed or, if mailed in, be present in the Tennessee Department of Education office by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 9. If you have any questions about the contest, please email [email protected]. Page 2 of 2 Application for “Why I’m Thankful for My Teacher” Essay Contest For Tennessee public school students in grades K-‐12: Thank you for submitting your reflection on why you are thankful for your teacher. One winner will be selected from each of the following grade bands: K-‐3, 5-‐8, and 9-‐12. Please complete the form below to submit your essay, or video for students in grades K-‐3. Please complete this application and submit it with your essay or video. Submissions may be emailed to [email protected], submitted online at https://tnedu.wufoo.com/forms/why-‐im-‐thankful-‐for-‐my-‐teacher/, or mailed to: Ashley M. Ball, Tennessee Department of Education, Andrew Johnson Tower, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. All submissions must be present in the Tennessee Department of Education office by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 9. Student Information Student Name: ____________________________________________________________ Grade: ___________________________________________________________________ School: _____________________________________________________________________ County: _____________________________________________________________________ Teacher Information (for the teacher you wrote about in your essay) Teacher Name: _______________________________________________________________ Teacher’s school email (if you know it): ____________________________________________ Teacher’s subject or class: _______________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian Information Parent/Guardian Name: ______________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________ Email: _____________________________ Please note: The Tennessee Department of Education will seek the guardian’s permission before publishing a child's image, name, and/or selected school materials (projects, papers, art work) in publications and on the department of education web site.