A Teacher Changed My Life
We are raising $2,500 this Teacher Appreciation Week for the teachers who never stopped believing in their students. Help us show them we believe in them too.
Every great teacher deserves to feel what their students felt: seen, supported, and celebrated. Above & Beyond Teaching recognizes exceptional public high school teachers and gives them the community they never had.
Think back to the teacher who believed in you before you believed in yourself. Maybe it was a history teacher who stayed after class, a coach who saw past your rough edges, or an English teacher who told you your words mattered. You remember them. They changed the trajectory of your life.
I fully credit Ms. J. with getting me to a tope college, both for admission and the scholarship. She encouraged me and reinforced the best parts of me as a student. Without Ms. J. as my teacher, I might have entered community college, perhaps majoring in history, without ever realizing my aptitude for engineering. Ms. J. helped me develop self-confidence, and erased the doubts I had earlier about my abilities. - 2026 Student Nominator
Now imagine that teacher. Passionate, underpaid, working in an underserved school and feeling invisible. Isolated. Without a community of peers who understand what they are up against. That is the reality for millions of exceptional public school teachers across California and beyond.
Above & Beyond Teaching exists to change that. Through the Carlston Outstanding Teachers of America Award and our Teacher Leadership Academy, we find those teachers, celebrate them, and connect them with the mentorship, community, and resources they need to keep going and keep inspiring.
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we are asking you to do two things. Film a short video about the teacher who shaped your life and share it with your network, challenging others to do the same. Then, if you are able, make a gift that helps us reach more teachers just like them.
WHERE YOUR GIFT GOES
$250 sponsors a teacher's attendance at the Spring Conference, a free one-day professional development workshop open to educators across California.
$500 funds one teacher's full year of participation in the Teacher Leadership Academy, including mentorship, community, and professional development.
$2,000 is sent directly to a Carlston Award winner's school in recognition of their outstanding teacher.
$10,000 is our campaign goal and funds the full Carlston Award cycle, recognizing five exceptional teachers each year.
STAY CONNECTED TO THE STORIES
Not ready to give yet but want to stay connected? The teachers who change lives rarely know the full impact they have had. Above & Beyond Teaching is working to change that. Sign up for our mailing list and we will bring their stories directly to you all year long.
Start the ripple. Every great movement begins somewhere. Your gift helps us tell the stories of teachers doing extraordinary things in ordinary classrooms.
Be a mentor's ally. Help connect an early-career teacher with the guidance and peer community that can keep them in the classroom for the long haul.
Champion a classroom. Sponsor a teacher's full participation in the Teacher Leadership Academy, including the Summer Academy, mentorship, and the community that changes careers.
Honor a legend. Make a meaningful contribution toward the Carlston Award, a $10,000 prize recognizing five outstanding teachers each year who are transforming public education.