May 7 is National Teacher Appreciation Day. If you have or ever had a teacher or educator who inspired you to be better in life or made you fall in love with a subject, May 7 is the perfect day to reconnect with them or simply send them a card that says “Thank you!”

National Teacher Appreciation Day is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May every year – as part of the National Teacher Appreciation Week. So take the time out to walk down the memory lane – take an apple or perhaps a pizza for that special instructor at your old school or dig up that essay or assignment your teacher gave you much-needed pointers on and reminisce about the days when you received the gift of education.

Or, if you are planning on mailing a greeting card to your favorite teacher to show how much you appreciated their teachings, the following quotes (courtesy Brainy Quote) from eminent personalities can come in handy:

“A good teacher, like a good entertainer first must hold his audience's attention, then he can teach his lesson.” John Henrik Clarke

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” William Arthur Ward

“Any good teacher knows how important it is to connect with students and understand our culture.” Adora Svitak

“Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system.” Sidney Hook

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Teacher Elizabeth Moguel poses for a photograph with her seventh grade Latin class at Boston Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 17, 2015. Reuters

“One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes change a delinquent into a solid citizen.” Philip Wylie

“A good teacher who can take the zero pay and help kids develop physically, emotionally, socially, is literally an angel.” Eva Amurri

“Research shows that there is only half as much variation in student achievement between schools as there is among classrooms in the same school. If you want your child to get the best education possible, it is actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school.” Bill Gates

“A great teacher who is full of excitement and love for her students can make all the difference in their lives.” Deval Patrick

“Now, what really makes a teacher is love for the human child; for it is love that transforms the social duty of the educator into the higher consciousness of a mission.” Maria Montessori

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” C. S. Lewis

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” John Steinbeck

“Teaching is a profession in which capacity building should occur at every stage of the career - novices working with accomplished colleagues, skillful teachers sharing their craft, and opportunities for teacher leadership.” Randi Weingarten

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” Khalil Gibran

“So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount.” Donald Norman

“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” Joyce Meyer