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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nArt teacher encourages students to let go of perfectionism<\/p>\n
An art teacher in Louisville, Kentucky shares affirmations with her students, reminding them creativity doesn\u2019t have to be perfect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As the end of the school year approaches, National Teacher Appreciation Week<\/a>, which runs from Monday, May 4, to Friday, May 8, gives us a chance to acknowledge educators.<\/p>\n The 2025-2026 school calendar may come to a close in the ensuing weeks, but that doesn’t mean it’s vacation time for all teachers. More than one-fifth of K-12 teachers (21%) say they are finding it difficult to get by on their teacher salary, according to a Gallup survey<\/a> for more than 2,000 U.S. teachers conducted Oct. 16-Nov. 5, 2025, released in March 2026.<\/p>\n Side jobs are common, with nearly half of teachers who are struggling financially (46%) saying they have a second job unrelated to education, the survey finds. Most teachers with a second job (85%) say they work at it at least partially during the school year. “Side gigs aren\u2019t just a ‘summer job’ that teachers take while they are off from teaching,” according to Gallup.<\/p>\n Graduation deals: <\/strong>Grads can score freebies, deals at Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, more<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n National Teachers Day<\/a>, which falls on Tuesday, May 5, arose out of then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s lobbying of Congress in 1953, according to the website of the National Education Association<\/a>. The NEA subsequently established National Teacher Appreciation Week in 1985.<\/p>\n For some ideas on how to show your gratitude to your favorite teacher, visit the websites of the\u00a0National PTA<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0NEA<\/a>, and the\u00a0We Are Teachers site<\/a>, which all have ideas and projects.<\/p>\n During this week, many restaurants and businesses have deals and specials for teachers, as well as specials on educator gifts. Here’s a roundup.<\/p>\n While popular fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A is not doing a chain-wide promotion for teachers during the May 4-8 week, some locations do have deals for teachers, so check your local Chick-fil-A<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Chick-fil-A restaurants do not offer discounts or promo codes, Owner-Operators may choose on an individual basis to make select offers\u00a0available at their restaurants, including opportunities to receive free food,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.<\/p>\n Teachers and educators have a chance to win one of 100,000 free meals as part of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Teacher Appreciation Week giveaway<\/a>. Through May 12, teachers can go to\u00a0Chipotle’s Teacher Thanks website<\/a>\u00a0and enter their name and email for the chance to win an e-gift card.<\/p>\n Starting May 13, randomly selected winners will be notified and asked to confirm their employment as an educator via ID.me within 48 hours. Those who don’t verify their employment will be removed from the list of winners, and another name will be drawn.<\/p>\n Chipotle launched the programs to reward teachers \u2013 and a similar promotion for National Nurses Week<\/a>, which runs May 6-12 \u2013 in 2016; since then, the company has given away a combined $16 million in free food to teachers and healthcare workers.<\/p>\n “Recognizing teachers and healthcare workers through this program is one way we can give back meaningfully,” said Stephanie Perdue, Chipotle’s senior vice president of brand marketing, in a statement.<\/p>\n The San Antonio-headquartered burger chain<\/a> is giving free breakfast nationwide to teachers and school staff on Thursday, May 7, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time. Check with your local Whataburger<\/a> for exact timing, as promotion hours may vary by location. The offer is good for dine-in, takeout and drive-thru orders, limited to one per person. The eligible recipient must be present to redeem.<\/p>\n You can also treat your teacher to Whatateacher merchandise in the restaurant chain’s online Whatastore<\/a>, where you can find gifts including Whatateacher T-shirts and tote bags.<\/p>\n As part of Whataburger’s Feeding Student Success initiative<\/a>, the company will award $1,000 classroom grants to 60 teachers across its 17-state footprint.<\/p>\n This story has been updated to add new information.<\/em><\/p>\n Contributing: Drew Pittock\/ USA TODAY<\/em>Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at \u00a0<\/em>mikegsnider<\/em><\/a> \u00a0& \u00a0<\/em>@mikegsnider.bsky.social<\/em><\/a> \u00a0& \u00a0<\/em>@mikesnider<\/em><\/a> & msnider@usatoday.com.<\/em><\/p>\nChick-fil-A National Teachers Appreciation Week deals<\/h2>\n
Chipotle free meal deal<\/h2>\n
Whataburger offering free breakfast during National Teacher Appreciation Week<\/h2>\n
National Teacher Appreciation Week deals<\/h2>\n
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